I am attempting to make a living giving away free stuff, and ads are a simple, easy way to help make that possible. In the long run, I'd like to make enough money through other sources that I don't need to let other people advertise on my website, but in the near or middle future, I am including ads and affiliate links to help keep my website alive. The more money I receive in donations/subscriptions, the sooner I can remove ads from my website.

To create most of the documents on my website—sundials, astrolabes, planispheres, etc.— I use computer code that I wrote myself. I'm working on turning these programs into interactive web apps that would allow teachers and students of astronomy to create their own personal customized documents. You could generate an astrolabe or sundial for any specific latitude you want, add your own custom label, and choose from various other customization options. In order to help put food on my table, I intend to put these custom document generators inside a subscription area, for paid users only. However, if I can generate enough income from donations, from people interested in supporting rational science education, I would love it if I could just put these web apps on my public website, alongside the standard static downloads, and make them freely available to any student or educator who wants to use them. Technologically, that would actually be easier for me to set up anyway, but I need to make a living. I figure if I can pass $500 a month in donations, I'll abandon my plans for a subscription area and make everything free.