The Scout Report

August 14, 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.

Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/
The twenty-third issues of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. Each report annotates over twenty new and newly discovered Internet resources. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates eight resources on the tensions over arms inspections in Iraq. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates ten resources on the labor dispute between Bell Atlantic and the Communications Workers of America. [TK]
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The Institute for Psychohistory
http://www.psychohistory.com/
The New York Institute for Psychohistory sponsors this new Website which features articles from The Journal of Psychohistory and chapters from Lloyd deMause's, book-in-progress, Childhood and History. Titles such as "The Political Consequences of Child Abuse" by Alice Miller or "The Gulf War as a Mental Disorder" should prove of interest both to those new to psychohistory, "the science of historical motivation," and to those already involved in the field. The site also links to the Institute branches, the International Psychohistorical Association, related links of interest, and PSYCHOHISTORY, a discussion list and chat room (discussed in the September 19, 1997 Scout Report), with archives. [TK]
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Mathematics Subject Classification 2000--AMS
http://www.ams.org/mathweb/msc2000.html
The proposed revision of the 1991 edition of the Mathematics Subject Classification, MSC2000, will be officially announced at the upcoming International Congress of Mathematicians in Berlin (August 24, 1998). MSC2000 is a collaborative effort between the editors of Mathematical Review and Zentralblatt fur Mathematik, two journals that review mathematics literature. Mathematical Reviews is a publication of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) (discussed in the July 14, 1995 issue of the Scout Report). The 1991 edition of the MSC (linked to from the MSC2000 site) contains "over 5,000 two-, three-, and five-digit classifications, each corresponding to a discipline of mathematics." The MSC2000 classification scheme is browseable; the 1991 edition has both browse and search functionality. Application of the new classification scheme will begin in the year 2000. [AG]
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The FPLC Intellectual Property Mall
http://www.ipmall.fplc.edu
Law Librarian and Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Jon R. Cavicchi created and manages the Intellectual Property Mall at the Franklin Pierce Law Center (FPLC), a law school in New Hampshire renowned for its focus on intellectual property law, issues, and policies. The IP Mall serves as a centralized resource for information about patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The site provides tools and strategies for IP research, a listing of IP holdings at the FPLC library, and online copies of previous United States Patent & Trademark Office patent exams. The site's newest feature is the IP Mall Pointer Box, a comprehensive index of IP resources available on the Internet. The Pointer Box is divided conveniently into ten subject categories to help attorneys, academics, and entrepreneurs quickly locate relevant IP resources. The index includes resources related to publishing and electronic commerce as well as global directories for patent and trademark offices, IP agencies, and non-governmental organizations. [AO]
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Database of Nordic Neo-Latin Literature
http://www.uib.no/neolatin/
Originating from a research project that involved latinists from all five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), this database is currently maintained and edited by professors Lars Boje Mortensen and Karen Skovgaard-Petersen, Department of Greek and Latin, University of Bergen, Norway, and Peter Zeeberg, Institut for Graesk og Latin, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. It lists selected Latin texts, written between the reformation (c. 1530) and 1800, that pertain to Nordic people or locations. Scholars can search the database by keyword or by author, place of publication, language, and dedicatee. Visitors can also browse a list of current Neo-Latin scholars, consult a bibliography, view an historical map of Scandanavia, and read a brief note on the historical background of the region. [JR]
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Assessing the New Federalism (ANF) [.pdf]
http://newfederalism.urban.org/
Assessing the New Federalism is an ongoing, multi-year research project by the non-partisan Urban Institute, which monitors the transfer of responsibility for social programs from the federal government to the state legislatures. Issues of health policy, income support, social services, and fiscal policy are central to the project, and authors from a variety of public and private institutions contribute to a database of Occasional Papers, Policy Briefs, and State Reports (.pdf format). Users may browse ANF publications by subject, or download statistical data from the ANF State Database on education financing, food stamps, or supplemental security income, among other variables. [MW]
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Media Awareness Network: Statistics
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/issues/stats/
The Canadian media conglomerate Cochran Communications has provided this compilation of statistics to heighten public awareness of the media industry. Statistics on radio, television, film, video, and Internet ownership, production, and marketing are given in a concise, browsable format. Although Canadian statistics are emphasized, many American and international figures are included and students may benefit from clear bibliographic and web links to a variety of government, think-tank, and news sources. [MW]
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California Virtual University
http://www.california.edu/
California Virtual University is essentially a catalog of every virtual or technology-mediated distance education course or program offered by participating California colleges and universities. Users can search for a particular course or find information about pursuing a complete program of study from certificate level to PhD. The site summarizes important information about each course or program, such as in-state and out-of-state fees, email contacts, and registration details. For example, a search returned a list of 30 art-related course offerings at about 20 different institutions. By clicking on a title, "Visionary Artists: A Brief History of Multimedia," I found I could take this course, offered by San Francisco State University, by registering and paying a fee of $5. [DS]
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Two on the Titanic
Discovery Channel [IPIX, Quicktime]
http://www.discovery.com/stories/science/titanic/titanic.html
RMS Titanic
http://www.titanic-online.com/expedition98/index.htm
RMS Titanic raised a 23- by 14-foot section of the Titanic's outer hull this week, and the Discovery Channel, who helped sponsor the expedition, will be webcasting live from the interior of the Titanic via robot cameras August 16 at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). In addition to their live webcase, the Discovery Channel site (discussed in the December 5, 1997 issue of the Scout Report) features virtual reality tours of sections of the Titanic before and after its crash, quicktime videos of the expeditions, a computer animated simulation of the crash, and more. RMS, which has exclusive rights to photograph the Titanic and to possess any items recovered from the wreck, doesn't miss an opportunity to market Titanic-oriented merchandise on their site. Nonetheless, visitors wanting to know more about the Titanic will be interested in the expedition calendar and background information on the Titanic's voyage and the exploration of its remains. [TK]
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Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
Dr. James Fieser (general editor) of the University of Tennessee at Martin, together with Dr. Bradley Dowden (philosophy of science and logic editor), has put together this online compendium of information about philosophy. The encyclopedia can be searched or browsed by keywords or browsed via a timeline of philosophical movements and thinkers. In addition, the site features a selection of texts, from Lao Tzu to Locke, which can be read online or downloaded. Currently, the articles are either adapted from public domain sources or from Feiser's course material or they are contributed by professional philosophers. In the future, the editors hope to replace all of the adapted articles with original contributions. [TK]
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The Space Place
http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/spacepl.htm
The Space Place demonstrates and explains scientific concepts related to astronomy in a fun, hands-on manner that is tailored to grade school children. Sponsored by NASA, the California Institute of Technology, and a consortium of other technology partners, The Space Place offers a simple, clutter-free forum where children can learn about such topics as stars, the earth, ions, and interferometry by baking cookies, navigating a maze, and solving a riddle. The explanations that follow the activities are clear and concise enough for even adults to understand. [JR]
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PubList
http://www.publist.com/
PubList uses sources such as R.R. Bowker's Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory to provide bibliographic data for more than 150,000 publications and hyperlinks to some publishers. A private company, founded by Frederick Bowes III, "PubList.com's goal is to provide publishers with a new way to use the Internet to reach and serve world wide audiences in a more efficient and cost effective manner." From the Homepage, users can browse categories such as publisher, title, and subject or search all fields by keyword; the Search page allows custom searches of selected fields. Among other information, returns include frequency of publication, format, contact information for publishers, availability of reviews, and document delivery service listings when applicable. Each periodical listing also includes a link to the source records. [TK]
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National Weather Service
http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/hwave.html
Sick and tired of the heat? Feel like it will never end? Then check out the National Weather Service's (NWS) Heat Wave, a site devoted to the extreme weather that is crippling the south. The NWS provides information on the heat index, heat's affect on the body, and how to beat the heat. For those who want an up-to-the-minute look at the weather, the site links to current conditions, forecasts, and watches and warnings. [KH]
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The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies and Videos
http://www.moviemom.com>http://www.moviemom.com
Author, film critic, and mother Nell Minow maintains this clear, selective guide to films and videos of interest to families and children. Reviews of current features now showing in theaters include Ever After, Armageddon, Gone with the Wind, Lost in Space, and The Quest for Camelot, among many others. Minow also reviews videos, offers links to movie sites and databases, advises parents with movie and video watching tips, and lists her "All-Time Best Family Movies." The Movie of the Month section spotlights movies based on a theme; August's theme is baseball and features such films as Ken Burns's Baseball documentary, and Daniel Stern's Rookie of the Year. [JR]
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1998 College PC Buying Guide [frames]
http://computershopper.zdnet.com/texis/cs/doframe.html?u=www.zdnet.com/computershopper/edit/cshopper/content/extra/college98/
NetBuyer and Computer Shopper Magazine, both productions of Ziff-Davis, have released this guide for college students who are considering the purchase of a computer. The site contains in-depth information on Macs, IBM compatibles, laptops, CPUs, monitors, software, and even furniture. Questions such as, "What's the best computer for a particular field of study?" and "What is supported by universities?" are answered. There is also a Desktop Computer Glossary to help familiarize users with the terminology. The site, as a whole, is not very user-friendly, but there is a large amount of content that is actually useful for anyone. [TH]
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Java Developer Connection
http://developer.java.sun.com/servlet/SessionServlet?action=showLogin&url=/developer/
The Java Developer Connection (JDC), provided by Sun Microsystems, is loaded with helpful information about the Java programming language. Registration is required to access the JDC, but it is free. The site includes a searchable Technical Support section, Online Training, access to the newest Java technology, bug reports, Discussion Forums, and JDC emails. The discussion forums are setup in an interesting way: each member is given "DukeDollars" which they can use to lure other members to answer their questions. The JDC emails are made of the JDC Newsletters and the JDC Tech Tips, an email sent out about once a week that includes java programming tips, techniques, and even sample code. Don't worry if you missed some of the previous Tech Tips because they are all archived. The JDC is an easy-to-use, extensive resource for java developers. [TH]
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JPython 1.0
http://www.python.org/jpython/
The JPython 1.0 programming environment, created under the aegis of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, implements the popular Python programming language in the Java environment. JPython leverages the power and portability of Java by compiling Python directly to portable Java bytecodes which can be run on any Java Virtual Machine (VM). Beyond allowing standard Python to run on a Java VM, the system also seamlessly integrates Java classes into Python, allowing the programmer to use libraries such as the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) within a Python script. While this version has some bugs and incompatibilities, it is still an interesting and useful tool for experimentation and development. JPython 1.0 is certified as 100% Pure Java and is freely available for both commercial and non-commercial use. [CL]
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Volume 2, Number 16, August 11, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
WeatherNet
http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/
WeatherNet, a service of the University of Michigan's Weather Underground, was annotated in the August 11, 1995 issue of the Scout Report. At the time, it was a large gateway to weather-related information. Weather, like news, is covered extremely comprehensively on the Net, and WeatherNet is still one of the best gateways to this information. It is highlighted by pointers to hundreds of weather sites, city forecasts, satellite imagery and maps, weathercams, and software. [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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The Scout Report - August 14, 1998

The Scout Report

August 14, 1998

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