Critters^TM Workshop

Tools and Web Sites

• Critique.org / Critters Writers' Workshop, critique groups for writers and creators in all genres (of which I'm Founder & moderator; first writers' workshop on the web)

• ReAnimus.com — my company to help authors convert their books into ebooks.

• Aburt's Ultimate Loan Comparison Tool (Many, if not most, loan comparison tools leave out important variables that could cost you money. So I wrote an "ultimate" loan comparison tool for myself, and put it up to share with the world. Enjoy.)

• GreenAroundYou.org — nonprofit organization I founded, dedicated to promoting education and support for sustainable activities, primarily those that people can't control directly themselves. Check it out, contribute if you can, and please spread the word.

• NewNewForum.com — Have a new project you'd like the world to know about? Announce it here. Yes, that's right, free advertising if you have something innovative to tell the world about.

• OwnSouthpark.com — own a square inch of the real South Park. :) For real.

• "Wishes for the Future" — What do you want the future to hold? World peace? Self-driving cars? Share your dreams of the future, big or small, on the Wishes for the Future forum, dedicated specifically to things you'd love to see. Just for fun, so enjoy!

• How to place scrollbars on the top or left of your content.

• .HT Files — a quick way to create and easily maintain template-based web sites. (This page and most of my sites use '.ht' files — notice the URLs that end in '.ht') Shareware tool for you to use on your own sites.

• VirtID -- spam-proof email (I hate spam, and get too much of it; 3-4000 a day as I write this. Fortunately I rarely see any of it, partly because of the VirtID software I wrote. Basically lets you give out one unique email address to each place you deal with. If they sell your list, you don't see the spam. I can't live without it any more, so I opened it up to the world to use. There is a small fee, but that's partly to keep spammers from using the service themselves; and to make a little beer money.)

• Nyx.net, the world's first free / public access Internet service provider, which I founded many moons ago

• CruiseFellows.com Share photos, links, and announce onboard events for people taking cruises

• ConnectHOA.com Custom web sites for Homeowners Associations

• Votique.com - secure, anonymous online voting

• Best Ever Written Readers' Poll — reading list of best works ever written — vote for your favorites

• TechSoft -- if you need a custom web site or custom software for Windows or Linux (or non-custom, of course). We specialize in making computers do the (nearly) impossible.

Musings

• My fiction Science Fiction, of course! (ebooks are available for all formats)

• Thoughts on living in a Simulated Universe (not) [Also: Kindle Edition]

• Curing Bad Customer Service — Just a Dollar a Minute

• Say No to the Feeconomy

• Hello, Corruption, My Old Friend — How Craigslist is Killing Democracy

• Thoughts on Abolishing the Electoral College and the Impact on the Two Party System

• Thoughts on Teaching Creationism Alongside Evolution in Science Classes

• Necessity is the Assassin of Invention — How Moderation in the Name of "Spam" is Stifling Innovation

• Thoughts on "Checks & Balances" Bi-Partisan voting

• Critique.org / Critters Writers' Workshop, for writers and creators in all genres (of which I'm Founder & moderator; first writers' workshop on the web)

• iFiction (helps authors sell their works directly to the public)

• The Black Holes response time tracker -- see how long your manuscript should take to exit the editorial event horizon.

• Making an Ebook for Kindles and iPads and Nooks, Oh My! A quick guide to turning print books/manuscripts into ebooks with minimal pain, maximum gain

• The Secret to writing found! Film at 11! :) Or a sliver of it anyway... here's an article I wrote for the SFWA Bulletin on some interesting statistical correlations I found between the amount of interpersonal relationships in "well regarded" vs. "ordinary" SF/F stories. Add books to the reading list.

• The CritFinder, for those looking for a local, in-person workshop.

• "Time Limited" variant of the Creative Commons license (In beta mode; contact me if you'd like one.)

• "Axioms in the Future of Publishing — Planning Tools for Writers"

• The Copyright Owner's Control of Access (COCOA) Association (of which I'm Chair & Founder)

• Thoughts on Copyright

• Thoughts on Ebook (un)availability

• CopyHunter, a tool to identify plagiarism or unauthorized copies of your work

• The PublishAmerica Sting operation that resulted in the creation of Atlanta Nights by "Travis Tea," One of (if not the) absolutely worst books ever written (by design!) (I was a co-author, writing two chapters. One I wrote, the other I wrote software to write. Possibly there's no difference...)

• The Motley Collections of Stamps Postage Calculator

• Bonsai Tree Story Generator -- the aforementioned software used to write that chapter of Atlanta Nights. You can use it on your own text. Have fun blowing your mind...

Aburt's Photo Gallery