Writers Who Kill

Interesting Tools You Can Use for Research

(Or When You’re Supposed to be Writing)

by Heather Weidner

 

The internet is a great place to get lost in research or the rabbit hole of endless clicking when you’re supposed to be writing. Hopefully, these sites can be helpful or at least be a source of entertainment. Here’s my list in no particular order.

      https://www.flightradar24.com/ – Check out the aircraft in flight at any given moment.

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/landsat/outreach/your-name-in-landsat/ - Use this site to create an image of your name from photos taken from outer space.

http://howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com – Find out how many humans are in space at any given time.

https://web.archive.org – Look up old websites and blogs if they are still available in the webverse.

http://whois.domaintools.com – Use this to see who owns a web domain/web address.

http://10minuteemail.com – Create an email address that lasts for 10 minutes. Many find it helpful when they want to view a site that requires an email address while not providing their own.

http:.//downforeveryoneorjustme.com   – Check website and system outages here.

http://futureme.com – Schedule/send your future self an email.

http://privnote.com – Send an email to someone that will disappear after it is read. (Just remember, this is the internet. Nothing is ever gone forever.)

http://window-swap.com – Use this site to discover the view from a random window somewhere in the world.

http://thetruesize.com – See how large states and countries truly are.

http://virtualvacation.us – Take a minute for a quick, virtual vacation.

http://monkeytype.com – See how fast you really type.

http://keybr.com – Use this to improve your typing speed.

https://www.louvre.fr/en/online-tours  - Take an online tour of the Louvre.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/collection - Visit the British Museum without leaving your desk.

http://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour - Check out the Smithsonian’s natural history collection.

http://everytimezone.com – See what time it is in any time zone.

https://radio.garden/ Listen to random radio stations worldwide.

https://app.radiooooo.com/ –  Listen to music from a variety of decades.

http://coolthings.com – Check out some useful (and not so useful) gifts and gadgets.

https://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/ Find the perfect gift for bookworms in your life.

Some of these have some interesting information that may spark some ideas for stories or things to include in your writing. What is an interesting site that you have used for research? 

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. 

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Mini Aussie Shepherd.