Screenshot of Sci-Hub – interface for accessing academic publications

Sci-Hub – Access to Science Without Barriers

🔗 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. ...

July 28, 2025 · Cogimator Team
Screenshot of the Fourmilab homepage

Fourmilab – John Walker’s online laboratory

Fourmilab is a sprawling digital lab maintained since the 1990s by John Walker, founder of Autodesk and co-author of AutoCAD. It’s one of the web’s oldest personal knowledge hubs — offering simulations, articles, tools, and books that cover astronomy, cryptography, probability, artificial intelligence, spaceflight, and philosophical speculation. Key areas include: – 🔭 real-time astronomical simulators like Your Sky, Earth & Moon Viewer, and orbital calculators – 🔐 tools for encryption, random number generation, and fictional world building – 📚 full e-books including The Hacker’s Diet and The Autodesk File – 🧠 essays on technological singularity, digital autonomy, transhumanism, and future shock ...

July 26, 2025 · Cogimator Team
Neal.fun homepage showing various interactive web experiments

Neal.fun – interactive experiments with scale, history, and curiosity

Neal.fun is a delightful corner of the internet filled with interactive, web-based experiments that blend education, curiosity, and playful design. Created by Neal Agarwal, the site features a growing collection of creative mini-projects – each with its own unique way of visualizing abstract or large-scale concepts. Whether you want to simulate spending $100 billion like Jeff Bezos, explore the depths of the ocean, scroll through the entire timeline of Earth’s history, or rule the Roman Empire in a quirky decision-making game – Neal.fun offers it all. With intuitive navigation and smooth animations, each experience is self-contained yet surprisingly informative. ...

July 26, 2025 · Cogimator Team
Screenshot of the Exploratorium homepage – science museum content

Exploratorium – hands-on science learning from San Francisco

The Exploratorium website is the digital extension of one of the world’s most engaging science museums, located in San Francisco. It offers a rich collection of interactive science experiments, animations, videos, and DIY guides that bring scientific concepts to life. From physics and chemistry to biology and astronomy, the site presents real-world phenomena through surprising, visual, and often playful explanations. Educational resources are designed for a wide audience – teachers, students, parents, and lifelong learners. Much of the content encourages hands-on experimentation and observation, aligned with modern scientific methods and STEM education goals. The site is free to access and maintained with academic rigor and a strong sense of curiosity. Whether you’re looking to learn something new or bring science into your classroom, Exploratorium offers a unique learning experience. ...

July 24, 2025 · Cogimator Team
Homepage of Nauka To Lubię – Polish science blog and video channel

Nauka To Lubię – popular science from Poland, in plain language

Nauka To Lubię (literally: “I Like Science”) is a leading Polish science communication initiative run by physicist and science journalist Dr. Tomasz Rożek. The platform presents complex scientific ideas in a clear and accessible way, offering a mix of blog articles, videos, social media content and podcasts. It’s built on a mission to restore trust in science and inspire curiosity among both children and adults. The topics covered range from physics and environmental science to technology, medicine, space exploration and current scientific events such as climate change or vaccine safety. The project is particularly known for its educational YouTube channel, where hundreds of videos explain scientific phenomena in plain, understandable language. ...

July 24, 2025 · Cogimator Team
Screenshot of Damn Interesting homepage with featured stories

Damn Interesting – unusual history, science, and forgotten technology

Damn Interesting is a long-running publication dedicated to sharing strange-but-true tales from history, science, and technology. Founded by Alan Bellows in 2005, it features meticulously researched stories that dive into forgotten disasters, ingenious inventions, covert operations, and astonishing real-life twists. More than a blog, it’s a library of compelling nonfiction that feels like reading a novel. The site also offers a podcast that brings some of the most compelling stories to audio format. A must-read for lovers of obscure knowledge and expertly told narratives. ...

July 23, 2025 · Cogimator Team