| RESEARCH LINKS Facts are the meat of writing science fiction. On these pages you'll find hundreds of resources for making sure every fact you use in your writing is as accurate as it can possibly be. Whether you write in deep space or the inner workings of the human body, or any other place that science fiction sticks its fingers, there are links to help you find the information you're looking for. These links are accurate as of the time of posting and are updated intermittently. If you find a dead link or a link that doesn't go where it's advertised, please contact N.B. San Diego. All corrections will be made upon confirmation of the accurate address or lack thereof. General Science refers to all material that cannot be classified as a single science, and all material that refers to all sciences equally, especially general-interest science sites. Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computers and Robotics, Geology, Math and Statistics, Medicine and Physiology, Meteorology, Physics, and Zoology are commonly referred to as "hard sciences." These are fields in which there is assumed to be a hard-and-fast answer, one that is unchanging and can be grasped through rigid scientific means. By no stretch does anyone assume that all the answers in these fields are already known; rather it is assumed that it is hypothetically possible to determine the answers, given the time, resources, and ability. Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Sociology, Politics, Psychology, and Religion are referred to as "Social Sciences," a branch of the humanities. Though a few in each of these branches will insist that they are privy to the secrets and have the correct answers, most serious practitioners will acknowledge that these disciplines are purely empirical and cannot be known with absolute surity or confidence. Research in the social sciences is generally limited to obseration and the attempt to identify and catalog patterns. Questions and doubts arise frequently in the social sciences, and the disciplines are often updated or reinvented as the needs of the fields and changing attitudes require. Pseudoscience is a broad catch-all term refering to near-death experiences, psychic phenomena, ufology, and other fields that are studied with a confidence that mirrors hard science, but which cannot be conclusively proven or disproven. All material in this area is by definition controversial, as some people believe these contents with absolute surety and others attempt to discredit it with matching confidence. This section is to be considered with all the scientific scepticism and judgement the user can muster since some people will put just anything on the Internet, and it's free. Current Events and History are not actually sciences, the former is simply breaking news and the latter is a branch of the liberal arts. Both are included on pages here because it was decided that an exacting knowledge of the past and the present is obligatory if you're to speculate on the course of the future. The Current Events links include links to worldwide newspapers and news-gathering resources, whilt the History links generally lead to schools, universities, or publishers. Bear in mind that much of this material is copyrighted, and use it with caution. Members of Black Hole Surfers are encouraged to post their own links to the lists in the control panel at screen left. Please make sure your link is in the accurate category and written accurately so it won't misdirect users. All assistance is appreciated and any questions will be answered at the address above. Thanks for sharing, and happy fact-hunting in Black Hole Surfers' Research Links! |
