The Scout Report

June 26, 1998

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Science Department, University of Wisconsin

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators, the InterNIC's primary audience. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.

An Acrobat .pdf version of this report is available for printing and distributing locally. For information on Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe site.

Where Are They Now

Signpost Celebrates First Birthday, Scout Report for Science & Engineering
Signpost Celebrates First Birthday
http://www.signpost.org/
Scout Report for Science & Engineering
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/
The Scout Report Signpost recently celebrated its first anniversary. Signpost is a browseable and searchable catalog of the annotations that have appeared in the Scout Report and the three subject-specific scout reports. It offers browsing by Library of Congress Classification or Subject Headings and searching via full-text and fielded natural language queries. Within the cataloged Signpost records, users may browse or search 5,910 unique Library of Congress subject headings. At its inception, Signpost contained approximately 425 cataloged resources and, in all, close to 2,200 annotations. Today, Signpost contains 2,195 cataloged resources, in 26 languages, and a total of 4,500 annotations. Since March 1998, Signpost has averaged 2,591 hits per day. Looking to the future, we are working to develop an alternative to the Library of Congress Classification scheme and we are trying to bring a fresh perspective to the issue of authority on the Internet. Give Signpost a first or second look and please let us know what you think. Vol. 1, Number 20 of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. It annotates over twenty new and newly-discovered Internet resources in the physical & life sciences and engineering. The In the News section annotates seven resources about neutrinos and mass. [ATW,JS]
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NLANR Distributed Computing Workshop
http://dast.nlanr.net/Training/dcwinfo.html
National Laboratory for Applied Network Research
http://www.nlanr.net/
The National Laboratory for Applied Network Research is conducting a distributed computing workshop August 5-7, 1998, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The workshop "will teach effective, hands-on strategies for using and optimizing distributed computing codes. Examples and lectures will be used to teach distributed computing concepts as used on wide area networks. The workshop will end with a half-day tutorial on Globus," a project that develops "basic software infrastructure for computations that integrate geographically distributed computational and information resources." Applications developers from the Internet2 community and National Science Foundation High Performance Connection award sites are encouraged to attend. More information (including fees) is available at the site. Registration deadline is July 24, 1998 (noon Central time). NLANR's home page further describes its application support activities. [JS]
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Dinosaurs With Feathers
Nature Web Special--Our Fine Feathered Friends: Dinosaurs With Feathers
"When is a bird not a bird?"
http://www.nature.com/server-java/Propub/nature/393729A0.frameset
"Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China"
http://www.nature.com/server-java/Propub/nature/393753A0.frameset
Fossils From China Link Birds with Dinosaurs--National Geographic [QuickTime 3.0, RealPlayer]
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/society/ngo/events/98/dinosaurs/index.html
The latest Nature Web Special (discussed in the April 29, 1998 Scout Report for Science & Engineering), concerns the discovery by Canadian, Chinese, and American researchers of two species of "theropod dinosaur from China--dinosaurs with feathers." The _Nature_ site includes a press release; commentary by Kevin Padian of the Department of Integrative Biology and the Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley; and full text of the article: "Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China," (Nature 393, 753-761; 1998), by Quang Ji, et al. The discovery is also reported in the July 1998 issue of National Geographic. The National Geographic site contains more information about the discovery, including a brief interview with Quang Ji, images (including a QuickTime VR image), and a 55-minute RealPlayer audio press conference held June 23, 1998.
[Note: Resource(s)/URL(s) mentioned above may no longer be available and may have been removed.]
[JS]
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Guides to Good Practice in the Creation and Use of Digital Resources--AHDS
http://ahds.ac.uk/public/guides.html
GIS Guide to Good Practice
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/gis/index.html
The UK's Arts and Humanities Data Service, a project of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), has recently made available the first of a series of Guides to Good Practice. These Guides are intended to "provid[e] the humanities research and teaching communities with practical instruction in applying recognized standards and good practice to the creation and use of digital resources." The first guide covers GIS (Geographical Information Systems) and its relationship to archaeology, as well as interdisciplinary studies. The guide is divided into six major topics, including types and documentation of data, structuring information, and archiving datasets. A substantial selected bibliography and glossary accompany the guide, making it an even more valuable resource. Future guides are planned for textual studies, history, and visual and performing arts. [JS]
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NRL Plasma Formulary: Revised 1998 [.ps, .pdf, TeX, 65p.]
http://wwwppd.nrl.navy.mil/nrlformulary/nrlformulary.html
The latest edition of the US Naval Research Laboratory's NRL Plasma Formulary, (discussed in the November 27, 1997 Scout Report) is available. This "mini-bible" for plasma physicists compiles a variety of pertinent mathematical and scientific formulas. Available in three formats, the formulary can be downloaded in its entirety or by thematic section. [JS]
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The Psychedelic 60's: Literary Tradition and Social Change--UVA SCD
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/sixties/index.html
In this exhibition, the Special Collections Department at the University of Virginia uses books and posters to attempt to answer the following questions: Were the Sixties the best of times or the worst of times? Did America evolve as a nation and we evolve as individuals? Are we better for the experience? The exhibition begins by hypothesizing that many of the radical ideas of the sixties can be found in the literature of 19th-century social movements. Other precursors to sixties thought, such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and the Beats of the 1950s, are then given center-stage. Finally, visitors arrive at the sixties with sections devoted to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, Woodstock, Rock Music, Hippies, the Civil Rights Movement and more. The exhibition, which is really an annotated bibliography in disguise, does not actually answer the questions it poses, but instead presents a wealth of material, and lets the viewer decide. And the images will surely bring back memories, be they happy, sad, or addled. [DS]
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WIMS: Interactive Mathematics on the Internet
http://wims.unice.fr/
Xiao Gang of the University of Nice (France) maintains this site, which is highlighted by ten interactive mathematical exercises, including finding a polynomial with given values, decomposing a composed function, and finding the root of a function by successive tests. Selected exercises contain links to some of the ten online mathematical tools provided. Selected source code is provided. The site is available in English and French. [JS]
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Current Awareness Application of New Technologies in Libraries
http://lib.ua.ac.be/WGLIB/ATTEND/
Erik Arfeuille of the Central Library of the Katholeike Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) maintains this site, a handy resource for weekly topical current awareness in international library literature. Articles cited as well as abstracts may be in English, French, or German. This is an excellent source of international articles for librarians (and others) interested in technology in libraries. Note that these reports are also distributed to the Digital Libraries Research discussion list (DIGLIB--discussed in the September 1, 1995 Scout Report). [JS]
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Global HIV/AIDS & STD Surveillance--WHO UNAIDS [.pdf, Excel, .dif]
http://www.who.int/emc-hiv/
This site, provided by the United Nations World Health Organization and the UNAIDS Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, contains Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic - June 1998, along with Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) fact sheets for 167 countries. Users can also access report annex data on "estimated and reported global AIDS cases" in Microsoft Excel and .dif format. Among the report's findings: 5.8 million people were infected with HIV in 1997; 30.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS; 2.3 million died of AIDS in 1997; 11.7 million have died since the beginning of the epidemic; and 8.2 million children have been orphaned since the beginning of the epidemic. The report and tables are available in English, French, and Spanish (the latter two versions are available in .pdf format only). [JS]
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Six Major US Supreme Court Decisions
Legal Information Institute--Cornell University
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/supct.June.1998.html
FindLaw
http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html
Select: 1998 Decisions
On June 25, 1998 the US Supreme Court issued six major decisions. Clinton, President of the United States, et al v. City of New York (97-1374) struck down the line-item veto law that allowed the president to reject specific items in tax and spending measures. Bragdon v. Abbott (97-156) ruled that HIV can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Swidler & Berlin et al v. United States (97-1192) affirmed that attorney-client priviledge is protected even after the death of the client. United States v. Balsys (97-873) held that "concern with foreign prosecution is beyond the scope of the Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth Amendment." National Endowment For the Arts et al. v. Finley (97-371) ruled that the process by which NEA funding is granted violates neither the First Amendment nor constitutional vagueness principles. Eastern Enterprises v. Apfel, Commissioner of Social Security(97-42) struck down the Coal Act of 1992, on the basis that it "constitutes a taking in violation of the Fifth Amendment." The decisions can be accessed at the Cornell Legal Information Institute site, which contains links to the legislation contested, or at the FindLaw site (discussed in the February 23, 1996 Scout Report), which contains links to past Supreme Court decisions cited in each case. [JS]
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Aerial Photographs and Atlases
Microsoft Terraserver [frames]
http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/
National Atlas of the United States [frames, Shockwave, .tar.gz]
http://www-atlas.usgs.gov/
Text Only
http://www-atlas.usgs.gov/indext.html
Those interested in aerial photographs, satellite images, or maps as ways to conceptualize the world, will find these two sites are interesting, entertaining, and educational. The first site, which is an advertisement for database design and management by Microsoft and Compaq, among others, sells the service in a fascinating way. It provides millions of searchable aerial photographs and satellite images from the US Geological Survey and Russian mapping satellites respectively. Available in resolutions of from one to sixteen meters, images can be selected from a clickable world map (available images are in green) or by query (Find a Spot on Earth). USGS maps can be downloaded for free, while other maps can be downloaded for a fee. Note that the site is a work in progress and is tremendously popular at this time. For those who cannot access parts of it, the USGS offers a National Atlas of the United States, an interactive resource that allows users to view part or all of the US and overlay any of fourteen layers of information including natural features, political boundaries, federal lands, roads, cities, or airports. These layers can be downloaded as compressed .tar.gz files. In addition, the atlas includes two Shockwave animation maps, one a clickable relief and elevation map, the other an animation of monthly vegetation growth in the lower 48 states in 1995. [JS]
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National PTA Common Sense
http://www.pta.org/commonsense/
The US National Parents and Teachers Association, in conjunction with GTE Corporation, furnishes this site, an information hub for the promotion of drug- and alcohol-free children. Presently, the site is divided into three sections of both serious and fun activities. The Parent's Center consists of interactive quizzes and tip sheets related to developing drug awareness, being a role model, and getting involved in your kids' activities. Visitors to the Family Room will find activities to help kids with their self-esteem, as well as teach them drug-awareness. Family games, quizzes, and cartoons are also available. Help and Hotlines points to organizations that can provide further support and information (links are provided), as well as books and videos. Finally, the site includes an interactive poll, several bulletin boards (registration required), and information for PTA leaders, highlighted by a library of resources to help spread the common sense message. [JS]
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The World's Richest People--Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/tool/toolbox/billnew/1998.asp
"The Working Rich"--Forbes Global
http://www.global.forbes.com/forbesglobal/98/0706/0107035a.htm
In this latest listing of the world's richest people, Forbes has cut the number of billionaires to 200 by only listing billionaires (previous listings had listed selected people worth several hundred million dollars) who have earned the money. Bill Gates of Microsoft upped his net worth from $36.4 billion in 1997 to $51 billion this year, while the Sultan of Brunei's (the 1997 leader) worth fell from $38 billion to $36 billion (and his ranking fell from first to third). The Walton family (Wal-Mart) weighs in second at $48 billion. Anyone with less than $2.1 billion in net worth need not apply for this list. The list is browseable (alphabetically, geographically, and by net worth), and searchable. Each listing contains brief biographical information and a link to the person's company when available. 1997 and 1996 listings are still available. A Forbes Global article examining billionaire trends accompanies the list. [JS]
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US Government Documents Ready Reference Collection--CU DSC
http://www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/indiv/dsc/readyref.html
Columbia University Library's Documents Service Center provides this site, a handy bookmark to 135 of its most used government documents (almost all of which are hyperlinked) in fourteen areas, including agriculture, business, economics and labor, crime, government and law, and transportation. The power of this site is its selectivity. Bookmarking it guarantees users a government documents librarian to help answer most general questions about the US. [JS]
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SKIPJACK and KEA Algorithms [.pdf, 23p.]
http://csrc.nist.gov/encryption/skipjack-kea.htm
On June 23, 1998, the US Department of Defense released the SKIPJACK and KEA (Key Exchange) algorithms, used in the FORTEZZA personal computer card. The release is "part of the Department of Defense's efforts to work with commercial industry in developing reasonably priced computer protection products." The specification (Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only), along with terse DoD and National Security Agency press releases, are available at the site. [JS]
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Windows 98 Megasite--CMPNet
http://www.cmpnet.com/win98/
CMPnet's Windows magazine supplies this site, a clearinghouse of information about the new Windows operating system. Users can take guided tours of nine different aspects of Windows 98 including the desktop, system specifics, and maintenance, and read articles on the user interface, browser, and utilities. In addition, the site supplies information on performance, upgrading, and an "under the hood" section that discusses Windows 98's impact on disk space, RAM, device support, and desktop technologies. New users will enjoy the tips section of the technology guide, where they can get concise advice on over 100 topics in eleven general areas. Latest news stories about Windows 98 are also available. [JS]
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Webwomen--Women Web Professionals' Mailing List
Webwomen is an email discussion list where women involved in web professions network and share technical tips, marketing ideas, resources and design. [JS]

To subscribe send email to:
majordomo@sweethomes.com
In the body of the message type:
subscribe webwomen
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The Scout Report was not published June 23, 1995. This feature will resume with the July 3, 1998 issue. [JS]
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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1998. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The Internet Scout Project provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin - Madison or the National Science Foundation.

The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout

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