The Haznet Geiger Meter Explained or "What the hell is this 'Geiger' thing and what makes you think you're so qualified to rate these sites anyway?" A what meter? The Geiger Counter was named for the German physicist Hans Geiger, who, with Welsh Müller, devised an instrument for detecting the intensity of radiation by monitoring the rate at which gasses enclosed within the device were ionized. The device then generated a pulse, which was relayed to a visible or audible indicator. Yeah, so? Most people are more familiar with the staccato pulses of a Geiger Counter, but it also houses a meter to measure levels of radiation. In keeping with the radioactive metaphor of Haznet's Fallout Shelter, I've chosen the Geiger counter meter to rate web development resources. It would, of course, have been great to use an audible rating instead, but the logic of practicality suggested a visible incarnation. So what you're saying is...? Think of it this way: a conventional Geiger meter measures the radioactive intensity of a given place or object. Haznet's Geiger meter measures the information intensity of a development resource. It tells you whether the skills you'll learn there enable you to deal with small-scale projects or tackle challenges of Chernobylesque proportions. It suggests whether the knowledge to be gained is more directed to Steven Hawking or Forrest Gump. Remember: just because a site has a novice rating doesn't mean it doesn't have great stuff to offer to the accomplished web developer! What is the specific breakdown? With the Haznet Geiger meter, green correlates to sites that are simpler, easier and more basic while red translates to sites that deal with more advanced, complicated topics and are just plain cool. Nuts And Bolts Skill level: Denotes whether the site content is directed more towards the novice or the expert. Haznet Rating: Indicates how well the site accomplishes its purpose with respect to content and presentation. Facade Skill level: Denotes whether the site content is directed more towards the novice or the expert. The ratings for the Inspiration category don't suggest the skill level of the developer so much as they indicate the technology used to create such a site; basic HTML-based sites have lower ratings while sites empowered with Java and Macromedia Director command higher ratings. Haznet Rating: Indicates how well the site accomplishes its purpose with respect to content and presentation. Powertools Haznet Rating: Rates the resources based on content, comprehensiveness, thoroughness and ease of use. What? Where? Haznet Rating: Indicates how well the site accomplishes its purpose with respect to thoroughness and results presentation. News Haznet Rating: Rates the site based on article timeliness and whether subjects are relatively germane. So what makes you qualified to rate these sites? Nothing, really. By that I mean if you're looking for some sort of certification or webmaster permit. I have a few computer science degrees, but bear in mind that this stuff is purely subjective and I have based my ratings on how well these sites have helped me personally. A self-taught web developer with sites such as these for my textbooks, I've found some to be more informative than others. I'm sure there will be some who disagree with my ratings, which is probably a good thing: as General Patton once said "If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody's not thinking." OK, got it!