This page has links to a variety of stuff that I find interesting and/or useful. Your mileage may vary.

Software

Microsoft Visual C++ 6 Maybe they are an evil empire and maybe they aren't. Maybe their C++ and stl isn't as "pure" as it might be. Whatever. It works, it has an excellent debugger (something I care about) and its use is an employable skill.

That said, I think version 7 and the .net stuff sucks, so I am staying with version 6 as long as I can.

Beyond Compare by Scooter Software. This file comparison program is so good it will make you cry. It compares files in various formats, it helps you merge variant files. It is dirt cheap (US$30) in single quantities, and has a volume discount if you want to make an entire development team happy.

If your idea of file comparison is SourceSafe's compare, you ain't seen nuttin yet.

ComponentSoftware Revision Control System (CS-RCS) If you edit source files more than once, you need a revision control system. SourceSafe is popular and relatively expensive. CS-RCS is simple to set up, easy to use, and free for a single user. Worth buying for multiple users.

A nice GUI that uses the GNU RCS as the underlying database. The only improvement I would ask is that is should use Beyond Compare for file comparisons.

IssueView Track bugs and their resolutions. If you don't have bugs, track feature requests. IssueView is easy to set up and use, and it doesn't fall off your monitor like the Post-it notes that you have been using.

Indigo Rose Setup Factory Decent GUI lets you create and maintain complex installations. Scripting, multiple packages, custom screens etc. Cheaper than InstallShield.

To tell the truth, if I were just starting, I would look closely at NullSoft's NSIS or Inno Setup which generate smaller installations and have great scripting flexibility. However, porting the existing install with its hundreds of component files is not an effort that I am eager to undertake. And for most things, Setup Factory's GUI is easier to use than a text-based script file.

ExplorerPlus by Novatix. This is the file manager that Windows Explorer should be. It has a billion features, but I bought it on the basis of just a few:

It remembers where you were. Re-open the program, and it returns you to the folder that you were in, with window sizes and sort order intact.
When you sort, it sorts as you told it. If doesn't decide to move a just-changed file to the end of the list, just as you were trying to double-click it...
A button on the toolbar lets you open a command prompt window in the highlighted directory
Right click on a file, and get the option to copy either the file name or the entire path into the clipboard.

TraxTime by Spud City Software. Do you really know how you spent your work time? Do you fill out a time sheet on Monday morning by guessing how many hours you spent on various items the previous week? Thought so.

TraxTime lets you create projects and then charge time to them by punching in and out. (it even makes a little punch-clock sound). You can generate reports of various types to show that the reason the project is late isn't that your estimates were wrong - it is that you spent 50% of your day not working on the project. There is also a manager version that lets you consolidate reports from multiple users.

When you exit the program, it puts up a work-related quote. These range from Aristotle to Twain and are worth the price of the program all by themselves.

Eudora by Qualcomm. E-mail the way it ought to work. Nice user interface. Not susceptible to Outlook viruses. Your address book and saved mail folders are stored as text files, so they can be easily manipulated should you need to do so.

Hardware

Elektronikladen BDM pods and single-board computers for HC12, HC08, MSP430, ColdFire and Ubicom SX. Lots of HC12, HC08, and MSP430 links.

P&E Microcomputer Systems BDM pods and single-board computers for HC12, HC08, ColdFire and other targets.

Technological Arts BDM pods and single-board computers for HC11 and HC12.

Axiom Manufacturing Company BDM pods and single-board computers for HC11, HC12, HC08, 8051, ColdFire, and PowerPC.

Olimex Low-cost MSP430 development boards and JTAG interface dongles. Also PIC, AVR, ARM, and a GNU EEG project.

Gadget Werks Data acquisition boards, RS-232 to RS-485 convertors, an HCS08 SBC and such like.

Ramsey Electronics Electronic kits, test equipment and what have you.

Miscellany

Oliver Seeler's Universe of Bagpipes All manner of bagpipe-related stuff, including pipes and method books for sale, and an on-line version of his large collection of bagpipe stamps.

John Walsh Bagpipes I have their A/D convertable smallpipe and it is a wonderful instrument.

It would probably outrage the purists, but the A chanter works very nicely with the D drones for tunes whose tonic is D but whose range extends below the tonic such as this medieval Salterello A chanter, D drone as compared to Salterello A chanter and A drone. (The difference is much more obvious with three drones tuned D-A-D versus A-E-A).

Dilbert It isn't a comic strip, it's a documentary. The good news is that it isn't just your company that is screwed up. The bad news is that there is no place to escape to.

Joel on Software Joel's company makes what are probably some very good products. He is also a good and thoughtful writer on various topics. Higly recommended.

Nixie Tube Clocks I have always loved to watch formed-number Nixie tube displays. The digits dance in and out as the numbers change since the wires that make the numbers are stacked one in front of the other.

Lego Harpsichord Kind of like the famous singing pig, it's not that it does it well, it's that it can be done at all...