The Old Man and the C Drive

theodolite — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:12:17 -0800

What are some comprehensive one-topic websites maintained by cranky old guys (or gals)? There's a certain kind of website that I love - it's the gigantic, weirdly organized, and completely comprehensive one-topic website, generally run entirely by an elderly expert. Some examples:

- Frets.com, all about fretted string instruments, with tons of well-illustrated step-by-step guides and about four billion photos.

- Sheldon Brown (RIP), home of the Bike Glossary and tons of useful articles.

- (arguably) Carfree.com, part of which is dedicated to outlining a somewhat loony town planning paradigm, but which I love for the hundreds of design commentaries based on pre-automobile postcards.

They're often (but not necessarily) hobby or craft sites. They represent, for me, the best of a certain era of the internet, when nobody had heard of "crowdsourcing" or "content farmers," design amateurism was the norm (see Prof. Dr. Style), and the web was essentially the domain of obsessives with a lot of time and knowledge and the generosity to share it with anyone who wanted. They're also a lot of fun to browse.

They don't necessarily have to be run by old folks or look like someone never got past the "tables and frames" chapter of Web Design For Dummies, but I'm looking for any kind of one-topic website with an excessive amount of content written by a single person with a distinct voice.

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The Old Man and the C Drive