The following are links to some useful websites and software with a brief description of what they’re good for.

Alternative News

For news reporting that goes deeper than mainstream narratives and is generally counter to them (in other words, ‘dissonant’ articles).

Social & Cultural Analysis

Cutting Through The Matrix with Alan Watt

An esoterically alternative (i.e. dissonant) perspective on the world by the late Alan Watt. Features quality references to articles, books, and films, which are plentiful throughout his back-catalogue of audio talks (and their transcripts), including blurbs, talks, lectures, interviews and series.

eBooks & Articles

Internet Archive

An archive of older books in the public domain, as well as some articles, audios and videos.

Scribd

Many ebooks, including relatively new ones, as wells as all sorts of articles and documents.

Academia

Hosts many articles of the type referenced in scholarly books and journals.

Project Gutenberg

A huge catalogue of digitized books in the public domain (basically, all of the classics).

Wikipedia

For an introduction to a subject with copious referencing.

VIDEO (Online)

YouTube

For documentaries, TV shows, and movies (generally older ones); for videos created specifically for the platform (including ‘How to’ videos); and for audio talks.

For when a particular video can’t be found on YouTube, try the following alternatives:

Vimeo
Dailymotion
Bitchute

Audio (Online)

Podbead

For a comprehensive listing of podcast shows and episodes, available to stream or download.

Film & TV

Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

For looking up movies, either for information on a seen movie or to assess whether an unseen movie is worth watching (including TV series and documentaries).

Rotten Tomatoes

For a quick consensus and critical verdicts on movies and TV series.

TV Tropes

For the insightful analysis of movies (as well as television and various other mediums), despite that it’s primarily designed as entertaining trivia (written with great humour and wit including clever names for the tropes).

Honest Trailers (Screen Junkies, YouTube)

Blends humour and insightfulness (similar TV Tropes) into parodic movie trailers. In the process of mocking films, the trailers essentially reveal the underlying structure of themes (and techniques) within each film; but also within genres, an actor’s career, a director’s career, and more. In addition, they have ‘Commentary’ videos on many of the trailers, where the writers discuss the process of studying and deconstructing that particular film.

Pitch Meeting

A good complement to Honest Trailers, humorously exposing the script writing flaws and ploys of movies and TV series.

Collative Learning (YouTube)

Deep film analysis, often with unusual and interesting perspectives, by filmmaker and psychologist Rob Ager.

Kermode and Mayo’s Take (YouTube)

For expert commercial reviews of the latest movies.