Interesting Links

Modeling Tools

Tools for modeling, rendering, animations, etc.

[A regularly maintained list of free/inexpensive] tools for game development.
[Blender] Open source! Seems to be designed mainly to generate data for OpenGL, but can also be used with Direct3D, possibly via third-party converters.
3DS Max by AutoDesk
Maya (Bought by AutoDesk.)
GMax (Bought by AutoDesk and discontinued as a product -- but can still be [downloaded].)

DJH This shows how confused I am: I thought GMax was Max's answer to Maya PLE: a neutered version of the main product that saved data in a special format that was virtually unusuable. PLE could export to UT2K2 and, if memory serves, was abandoned after version 6.0.

Anyone else get the impression that AutoDesk has a lot of extra cash on hand for buying up competitors?

Networking

A [series of feature articles] on MMOG networking technology and cyberspace by Crosbie Fitch at [Gamasutra]. Slog through the over-enthusiastic and speculative early parts to get to some of the more detailed and thought-provoking portions.
[Read this article] by the developers of X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter! There is some excellent info in here on the problems of running a game over the Internet.

Game Scripting

[Game Scripting in Python]
[Lua], an embeddable scripting language. This looks very interesting. The language looks amazingly simple but expressive, and the implementation is carefully designed for easy embedding and extending. Be sure to take a look at the [list of projects that use it], you'll see some well-known games in there. It also looks like a lot of work has been going on since it first came to our attention. It's acquired interesting new features, its own domain name now, and ... wait for it ... a [lua-users wiki]!!

Small Business Resources

[SBAM-EDC] Small Business Association of Michigan Entrepreneurial Development Center
[BCS] Bureau of Commercial Services, Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, Corporation Division

Miscellany

[Spaceflight Now] Online spaceflight news.
[UseYourHead] Another product by [Cybernet]!? Use your Webcam to recognized head gestures! LOL!
[CyberSpace Engineers]
[Space art] that influenced a generation, by Chesley Bonestell.
Here's a rather eye-opening article on [security and cheats in on-line games]. fascinating stuff! JH
[Alien Adoption Agency] Well, this looks just plain wierd. Or silly. Not sure which.
[Bell's Theorem]: What exactly did Einstein mean by "spooky action at a distance"?
[Article on planning.] Exactly the kind of advice you'd expect for any software project.
[MojoWorld] Building infinite resolution landscapes. Makes you want to fly around planetary surfaces for the sheer visual fun of it.
[A Q&A session] with Donald Knuth, one of the best-known contributors to the field of computer science.
[Black Hole and related Physics] Istvan 4/18/02 - The physics team may be well beyond this, but I was browsing randomly (which I rarely do) and bumped into this interesting article, which includes some C source code for physics modelling. I should reinstall my compiler on my newish system and fiddle so as to learn something.
[Cheaters take profits out of online gaming] Current (7 June 02) ZDNet surface-level article on the effect of cheating on the economics of online games.
[PERMANENT] Istvan Idealistic site on near-term space-based projects. The asteroid mining section at very least provides some interesting background material. I'm confident other sections will also hold useful tidbits.
[Technomagi's] [collection of links]. A page very much like this page, from a couple of guys doing something very similar to us.