Useful Things

Professional Organizations

Reference Tools  

Writing Resources 

How Stuff Works

Stuff to Look At Engineering-related pics and vids

Stuff You Can Build

Geek Toys and Gifts

History of Mechanical Engineering and Technology

Engineering Laboratory Development Resources

Professional Organizations

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

American Society of Engineering Education

Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society

Pi Tau Sigma, the Mechanical Engineering Honor Society

Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society

Society for the History of Technology

Convert-me.com. An on-line unit converter.

Convert.exe. (Download File) A handy-dandy unit converter!  For some reason it doesn't have Rankine temperature, but it does allow you to add your own CUSTOM CONVERSIONS.  Worth taking a look at.

Research-It! This is a great site for general tools, from dictionaries and thesauri (?) to maps and language translators.

FunkandWagnalls.com. Encyclopedia, dictionary, and more.

Internet Public Library. A storehouse of all sorts of information. I find their Word and Phrase Origins section very helpful.

Oxford English Dictionary.  THE reference.

www.Sizes.com. A good reference for standards of measurement of all kinds of things.

Thermophysical Properties of Fluid Systems, published by NIST.

A Dictionary of Units. Everything you ever wanted to know about units...

Writing Resources

Guide to Laboratory Report Writing.  A well-organized site presented by th University of Toronto.  Thought I was anal retentive about reports?

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students.  I highly recommend this site for all engineers, not just students.  Think you're a good writer?  Then try their writing exercises, located in the Site Links!

Online Resources for Scientific Writing.  This site has some very good information on report writing techniques, as well as scientific writing style.

How Stuff Works

Furby Autopsy.  Hey, who wouldn't want to take one of these things apart?

How Stuff Works. A great site for how everyday objects work. Also tackles highly complicated machines.

The How Things Work Homepage. A physics prof from the University of Virginia answers all sorts of scientific questions.

The NEW Way Things Work.  This is the latest version of the book you're probably familiar with.  Basically they're just selling the book here (it's worth buying), but there are a few samples as well.

OSU Gear Mechanism Collection. See photos of gears, from the simplest ones to some really amazing sets.

The Straight Dope. Lots of answers to questions, from not-so-simple science to just plain bizarre. One of my favorites is "How do they make shrunken heads?"

Stuff to look at

Aviation Videos.  Some of these videos are just amazing, from test-flights-gone-bad to the Hindenburg Disaster. 

Engineering Applets.  Some cool Java Applets that demonstrate compressible flow, projectile motion, and other concepts.

Fast Passes.  Look for the videos of jets and airplanes during fly-bys -- There's one of a condensation cloud behind an F-14.  This site will make you wish you were an Aero major.

Stuff You Can Build

Beakman's Electric Motor.  This is the simplest electric motor I've ever built.

Bizarre Stuff You Can Make in Your Kitchen.  The name says it all.  Tons of projects.  Try the sparking grapes trick with a "friend's" microwave.  Build Edison's phonograph.  Hey, try making a homemade "shrunken head," too.

Cooking for Engineers.  I just thought the name was cool.

Domino Art. This is pretty darn cool: large (3-ft square) images created with dominoes.  Abe Lincoln, MLK, Statue of Liberty.  You can even have custom-designed domino portraits from your own photograph (for a price).

The Dragon Illusion.  A cool 3-D optical illusion made of paper.  (Stop by my office for a demo.)

The Mad Scientist Network.  Partly a "How Things Work" type of page, but I like the "Mad Labs" link for some interesting experiments...

Mechanical Toys Links. Great links to pages on simple machines and mechanisms, as well as toys you can build at home.

Rocket in a Box.  These are much larger than your typical Estes rockets... 

Rubber Band Motor.  Amaze your friends with the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics!

Science Alliance.  A Pringles can spectroscope?  Antibubbles?  These and more, including a recipe for liquid nitrogen ice cream.

Science Toys You Can Make with Your Kids.  I hadn't seen some of these experiments before. A laser communicator, a Curie-effect heat engine, a film can cannon that uses flammable gas instead of Alka-Seltzer...

Spudgun.com.  Buy kits for homemade potato guns.  Includes an interesting Film Can Cannon.

SharewAIR. Weird experiments and devices.  An asskicking machine.  Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow Torches.  Experiments with Twinkies...?  Worth surfing to.

Wooden Clock Plans and Kits.  If you like gears, try these out.

Geek Toys and Gifts

Antigravity Research Corporation.   The coolest water rockets I've ever seen!

Computer Gear.  Computer-geek and engineer gifts.

FlyingToys.com.  Lots of airplanes and rockets.

Fuel Cell Store.  Books and experiments you can buy.  A ton of resources.

Gifts for Engineers.  You'll want to put these on your wish list for Christmas!

Great Big Stuff.  Reminds me of Stupid.com, only with oversized stuff.

I Want One of Those.  British Site, with lots of cool toys and gadgets.

The New Energy Shop. Some very rare heat engines and Stirling engines.  Well worth a look.

The Robot Store.  The name says it all.

Stupid.com.  Very strange stuff.  Not very engineering-related, except they DO sell slide rules.

ThinkGeek.  Assorted geek gifts for the cubicle-dweller.

Various Interesting Science Toys.  Not the usual collection...

X-treme Geek.  More geeky stuff.  Well worth checking out.

What on Earth.  Assorted strange stuff. 

ZeroToys.  Includes a smoke-ring generator and the classic Airzooka (Stop by my office for a demo!)