Education

Public Knowledge Project (PKP) is an international academic initiative aimed at advancing open access to scholarly knowledge. Founded at the University of British Columbia, the project is now supported by multiple partner institutions. Its flagship achievement is Open Journal Systems (OJS) – open-source software used by thousands of journals worldwide to manage peer review and publish research articles online. PKP also develops other tools, such as Open Monograph Press and Open Preprint Systems, supporting digital distribution of books and preprints. Together, they form an ecosystem that covers the entire publishing workflow: from submission, through peer review, to making content accessible to readers. ...

🔗 arXiv.org is one of the most important open scientific repositories in the world. Founded in 1991 by physicist Paul Ginsparg, it has become a key platform for scientific preprints – early versions of research papers shared before formal peer review in journals. arXiv covers a wide range of fields: physics, mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, economics, statistics, and even social sciences. Hundreds of new papers are added every day, making it one of the most dynamic sources of scientific knowledge online. ...

🔗 Monoskop.org is a unique project that blends the qualities of an encyclopedia, a digital library, and a knowledge repository. Developed for more than a decade by a community of researchers, artists, and enthusiasts, it focuses on media art, digital culture, philosophy, aesthetics, and critical theory, offering materials rarely found in conventional sources. What makes Monoskop stand out is its vast archives – hundreds of scanned books, essays, and publications, often otherwise hard to access. The wiki structure allows seamless expansion of entries and cross-linking between related topics, while the project’s openness fosters collaboration and continuous updates. ...

🔗 The Public Domain Review is an online archive and magazine dedicated to works that have entered the public domain – from rare illustrations and maps, to forgotten literary texts, films, photographs, and audio recordings. Founded in 2011, the project is run by a non-profit organization with the mission of preserving, digitizing, and promoting cultural resources free from copyright restrictions. The site combines the role of an archive with that of a content curator. The featured works are carefully described, often enriched with historical, artistic, and cultural context. Visitors will find both classic pieces by renowned artists and entirely forgotten works by anonymous creators. ...

🔗 Musicmap is an extraordinary web project that charts the full evolution of modern popular music. Part encyclopedia, part timeline, part interactive network – it invites you to explore over a century of sonic development through structure, style, and cultural influence. The project is the work of Kwinten Crauwels, a Belgian engineer who spent over ten years meticulously researching and building this map. It’s not backed by any major label or academic institution – instead, it’s a deeply personal yet public open-access knowledge system. ...

🔗 explainshell.com is a brilliant utility for anyone working with Linux or Unix shell environments. While basic commands like cd or ls are commonly understood, more advanced command-line expressions can quickly become cryptic. That’s where ExplainShell shines – helping you understand exactly what each part of a command does. The interface is refreshingly simple: paste in any shell command (e.g., tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz or find . -type f -exec grep -H 'pattern' {} \;) and the tool immediately dissects it. It maps each argument, flag, and operator to documentation snippets pulled from real man pages. You don’t just get a general explanation — you see which part of the command corresponds to which official description. ...

🔗 sci-hub.se is one of the most impactful and controversial websites in the history of online science. Created in 2011 by Kazakh programmer Alexandra Elbakyan, it offers free access to millions of academic research papers that are otherwise locked behind expensive journal paywalls. Functionally, Sci-Hub is a minimalist tool: you paste in a DOI or article URL, and it returns the full PDF — instantly, without login, subscription, or ads. The site draws on both cached repositories and institutional access points to deliver content from publishers like Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, and others. ...

Bajkowy Zakątek is a child-friendly Polish website offering classic fairytales, audio stories, printable coloring sheets, and retro-styled storytelling content. It’s a peaceful and safe place for kids to explore literature and sound in an elegant interface, without ads or distractions. Designed for families, educators, and young explorers. 🔗 bajkowyzakatek.eu

Ciechanow.ski is an extraordinary personal blog by Polish engineer Bartosz Ciechanowski, dedicated to interactive explanations of physical and technical phenomena. The site features a growing collection of in-depth articles exploring topics such as internal combustion engines, gears, watches, orbital mechanics, magnetism, and more — all illustrated with real-time WebGL-based animations and simulations. What makes the site stand out is its commitment to learning by interaction. Readers don’t just passively read — they manipulate diagrams, change parameters, and explore how systems work in real time. The level of precision and pedagogical clarity is exceptional, rivaling academic textbooks while remaining fully accessible and visually engaging. ...

Ncase.me is the personal website of independent creator Nicky Case, who crafts interactive simulations, explorable explanations, and narrative games designed to teach — and often challenge — how we think about the world. Through hand-drawn graphics and clever mechanics, each project turns abstract social or psychological ideas into intuitive, often emotional experiences. Among the most notable projects are: – 🔹 The Evolution of Trust – a powerful explainer on game theory and why trust breaks down; – 🔹 We Become What We Behold – a short but searing exploration of media-driven polarization; – 🔹 Coming Out Simulator – a raw and personal interactive narrative about identity and family; – 🔹 Parable of the Polygons – a collaboration with Vi Hart on structural discrimination, expressed through geometry. ...