so for a long time, i had this standard-style links page, where i just listed all of my friends and things i do. but then i got to thinking: what's the point? why do you care? and it hit me that the correct thing to make this into was a plagiarism of someone else's good idea. i am referring, of course, to the amazon.com idea of listing what else people who are interested in the same thing you are are also interested in. that may not be too easy to parse, but the basic schema i've gone to is that people who like mike develin would also like the following ...

people: these are people who i think people who like me would also like. they're scattered all over the country, so if you get up the nerve there's probably ample opportunity to meet one of these wonderful people. note that i neither claim that all of these people are my friends nor that the people not on this list aren't. listed alphabetically, and i apologize if i have anyone's location wrong.

[i've decided to take this section down because people would get offended that they weren't on the list on a semi-regular basis, even though it was explicitly not a list of my favorite people. if you want a referral in your area, please feel free to email me at develin at bantha dot org.]

places: these are places that i have been and that i think people like me would like.

• HCSSiM is a great math program both in terms of the math and the people, for high school students.
• the Duluth REU replaced it in my life when i went; it's for college undergraduates.
• SPS was great when i was there, and judging by the current minutes, very little has changed.
• Grand Old Golf in Nashville, TN is by far the best miniature golf course (actually three courses) I have ever played.
• cities: san francisco, duluth, boston, madison, austin, portland, and seattle are places i have been and liked. minneapolis, new york, houston, atlanta, new orleans, and los angeles are places i have been and disliked. san antonio, philadelphia, chicago, nashville, and washington are places i have been and am neutral on. i had a romanticized vision of montana and north dakota, but really they're just flat, boring scrubland with uninspired cities. i recommend against them. of these i have lived in san francisco (well, berkeley), new york, boston, and minneapolis, so those opinions are probably more credible.
• national parks are phenomenal. in particular, bryce canyon national park in utah is the most beautiful place i've ever been in my life.
• everyone should drive down california 1 at least once in their life.
• DON'T GO TO THAILAND.

• google will tell you everything you want to know.
• bridge is cool. dot com. go and watch the video on the website; it's phenomenal. then go play on bridge base online.
• apparently the wikipedia people don't know how to spell creights, and call cranks "the count." so you shouldn't learn creights from that page, because people will laugh at you. you should learn it from this page (although some things there are outdated as well. if you have complaints, i will be more than willing to give you your money back.)
• there are 53 episodes of arrested development out there. this is probably the one thing that people who like me will most like.
• overheard in new york is my new favorite website.
• after all these years, the onion is still good for a laugh.
• arkanoid 3d is a kickass game; it delivers on its title. (i also know the programmer, which is always fun.) warning: it's very hard.
• my favorite games are boggle, set (the webpage doesn't do it justice), and puerto rico.
• some one-shots: the flying head of alexis de tocqueville and this other comic.
• a ton of situation murder mysteries.
• frivolous: furious george. also, my friend igor has a fantastic rock-paper-scissors page.
• guess-the-google is pretty damn cool. i also recommend googlefight.
• bands: stars are my favorite. if you want other favorites, go here.