The Scout Report - December 4, 1998

The Scout Report

December 4, 1998

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. 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.

In This Issue:

Subject Specific Reports

Research and Education

General Interest

Network Tools

Where Are They Now

Subject Specific Reports

Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/1998/ss-981201.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/1998/be-981203.html
The sixth issues of the second volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates nine resources on the current conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates ten resources on the proposed merger of Exxon and Mobil to create the world's largest company. [MD]
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Research and Education

ISN LASE
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/lase/
ISN, the International Relations and Security Network (described in the June 16, 1998 Scout Report for Social Sciences), has recently introduced an extremely useful full text Limited Area Search Engine (LASE) in the field of international relations and security. The Eurospider search engine behind ISN LASE currently searches and retrieves documents from 150 selected sites; supports English, French, German, and Italian; and offers options such as "high-quality ranklists, highlighting of matched query terms, relevance feedback, and other advanced features." In addition to a very speedy retrieval of selected documents, the ISN LASE provides links to the original source. The ISN's guidelines for selecting sites to include in the LASE are listed in the ISN LASE Policies section. [MD]
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Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 1998/99: Beyond Financial Crisis -- World Bank [.pdf]
http://www.worldbank.org/prospects/gep98-99/
On December 2 the World Bank released a new 200 page annual report on the global economy which contained thinly veiled criticism of the International Monetary Fund and US Treasury's handling of the Asian financial crisis. The crucial mistake, the report maintains, was their decision to push Asian nations into easing their interest rates, which set off the almost-worldwide recession. While it warns that a substantial danger remains that the world could fall into recession in 1999, the report predicts that the economies of most of the distressed nations will improve into 2000. In addition to an analysis of the short- and long-term prospects of the developing world, the report offers policy suggestions for preventing or managing future crises. At the site, the users will find the full text of the report, a summary, the foreword, press releases in multiple languages, and a PowerPoint slide show. [MD]
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ALPS: Active Learning Practices for Schools
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps
ALPS, Active Learning Practices for Schools, is a new Website promoting the improvement and advancement of pedagogical practice. ALPS functions as an electronic resource center for teachers and school administrators worldwide, allowing them to collaborate with educational researchers and curriculum designers working at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Cleverly organized into sections that Look, Reflect, Explore, Build, Connect, and Learn, ALPS provides a wealth of educational resources including, but not limited to, model lesson plans and activities; curriculum design tools; online educational publications; and interactive forums, workshops, and conferences. Most importantly, ALPS facilitates group collaboration among educators through an interactive online community. [AO]
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Publications of the US Geological Survey (USGS)
http://usgs-georef.cos.com/
The USGS has recently released this searchable database of bibliographic information on USGS publications dating back to the Survey's inception in 1785. Users have a number of search options, each of which can be further modified in many ways. Searches can be made by subject, keyword, author, and specific journal. Search returns do not include full text, but some have abstracts and all offer citation information, keywords, publisher and price. A Citation Manager allows users to download one or all of the selected items in a variety of formats, including HTML, EndNote, and ASCII. An additional feature at the site is a Query Track, which logs each user's most recent queries from the current browser session. The logs will be saved only as long as you remain connected to the Internet and do not close your browser. Users can opt to save the logs on their computer or diskette to rerun searches at a later date. [MD]
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The Cambodian Genocide Program
http://www.yale.edu/cgp/
Text Version
http://www.yale.edu/cgp/text.htm
The Khmer Rouge revolution in Cambodia was one of the modern era's worst examples of state-sponsored violence and organized murder and repression. At least 1.7 million people lost their lives from unnatural causes in a four year period, 1975-79. Unlike other twentieth century genocides, the mass killings of Pol Pot's regime have been largely undocumented and unprosecuted for many years. The Cambodia Genocide Program (CGP) at Yale University was created in an effort to collect and study information on these crimes to assist any possible future prosecutions and provide a critical understanding of genocide "which can be marshaled in the prevention of political violence against populations elsewhere in the world." The core of this site and the major product of CGP's mission is the Cambodian Genocide Data Base (CGDB), which contains four different types of records: bibliographic, biographic, photographic and geographic. The first offers information on over 3,000 primary and secondary documents "pertaining to gross violations of human rights during the Khmer Rouge regime," some of which are available in full text. The second database is an index of over 7,000 Khmer Rouge members who held authority from the district level up as well as many of their victims. The third database contains over 5,000 scanned photos of prisoners in the infamous Tuol Sleng Prison. The final database is a collection of maps with information on 140 different mass grave and prison sites, mostly in southern and eastern Cambodia. The CGDB will continue to be updated, and thousands of records are in preparation. Additional resources at this indispensable site for students of genocide or modern Cambodia include information on the CGP-sponsored Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), a collection of miscellaneous findings on related subjects, CGP publications, and a selection of translated documents. [MD]
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Aquae Urbis Romae: The Waters of the City of Rome -- IATH [VRML, Quicktime, Java]
http://www.iath.virginia.edu/waters/
IATH Research Reports, Sixth Series (1998)
http://www.iath.virginia.edu/reports.html
Aquae Urbis Romae: The Waters of the City of Rome, a project directed by Katherin Wentworth Rinne, is a comprehensive cartographic study that chronicles the 2,800-year history of the urban and hydrological developments of Rome, with an emphasis on the relationship between water systems and public life. This extensive Website, which continues to grow, functions as an interactive archive of the cartographic materials created specifically for the study. The site includes a timeline section, tracking hydrological developments through a series of iterative maps; a typology section, allowing users to build maps based on layers of typological data; and a topography section, permitting users to view historical 3D representations of Rome. The project has also recently released a report as part of the sixth annual series of research reports published by the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH) at the University of Virginia (described in the December 16, 1994 Scout Report). Other IATH projects in the 1998 research report series include: "Monuments and Dust: The Culture of Victorian London" by Michael Levenson, "Patterns of Reconstruction at Pompeii" by Kirk Martini, and "The Salisbury Project" by Marion E. Roberts. [AO]
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Population Profile of the United States: 1997 -- US Census Bureau [.pdf]
http://www.census.gov/prod/3/98pubs/p23-194.pdf
A Current Population Report Special Study by the Census Bureau, Population Profile of the United States: 1997, draws on a variety of sample survey and census data to assemble this picture of recent demographic, social, and economic trends in the US. Twenty-six sections outline "population universes" according to age, ethnic group, family membership, home ownership, and geographic location, among many indicators. Although the format of the report is primarily narrative, highlighted topic sentences and graphical charts give each topic a factsheet appeal. [MW]
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Two from the Avalon Project
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/statech.htm
The Cuban Missile Crisis
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/forrel/cuba/cubamenu.htm
Avalon Project
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School (described in the April 4, 1997 Scout Report), a major online repository of primary sources, has recently added two new sections of interest to students and teachers of American History. The first is a full text collection of charters, grants, and agreements from 16 of the first 18 states (currently no documents are available for Vermont or Virginia). The texts are arranged by state and listed chronologically, the majority dating from the 17th century. Collectively, the documents offer insight into the foundation of English power and the subsequent establishment of self-government in America. Where the first collection deals with the establishment of the New World, the second describes its near destruction in one of the hottest incidents in the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Avalon Project offers the full text of over 250 related documents (with supplemental Editorial Notes), including memorandums, telegrams, and personal messages between the US and Soviet leaders. The Cuban Missile Crisis section also contains a prefatory essay, a description of sources, and lists of persons and abbreviations. [MD]
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General Interest

The Estate Project for Artists With AIDS [Internet Explorer 4.01]
http://www.artistswithaids.org/
The Estate Project, founded in 1991, offers artists with AIDS advice on how to plan for the future of their art. Initially, the Estate Project funded various groups' efforts to compile slide archives documenting the work of artists with AIDS. To provide greater access to these images, the Estate Project turned to digital technology. Their Website, which debuted on December 1st, World AIDS Day, now features the Virtual Collection--over 3,000 images of artwork made by about 150 living and dead artists who have or had AIDS. In addition to high resolution images of the artwork, the Virtual Collection provides brief biographies of the artists and contact information. Currently, you will need Internet Explorer 4.01 (free download available) to view the Virtual Collection, since it utilizes software from Luna Imaging called Browser Insight, which is not compatible with Netscape. Browser Insight is designed to allow users not only to view images but to select and manipulate them, thus creating groupings that can consist of one or more artists' work, a feature that permits comparison and study. Despite some problems, which will likely be addressed as the site is developed, the Estate Project's Virtual Collection preserves an impressive body of modern art. [DS]
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White House & President's Park Comprehensive Design Plan Summary [.pdf]
http://www.nps.gov/planning/whbrochure/page1.htm
On December 2 the National Park Service unveiled the first comprehensive plan for the White House and President's Park since their construction. The draft plan calls for $300 million to be spent over the next 20 years on modernizing the White House and expanding its facilities while preserving its historic setting and outward appearance. Major additions planned include an underground recreation room for the first family, an expanded visitor center and underground moving walkway, more meeting and storage space for staff, and larger facilities for the press. Users will find an illustrated 24 page summary of the plan divided into sections, each of which can be downloaded separately in .pdf format. Information is also provided on obtaining a print copy of the entire 400 page plan. The draft Comprehensive Design Plan is open for public review and comment until March 11, 1999; a comment form is provided at the site. [MD]
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Human Rights Watch World Report 1999
http://www.hrw.org/hrw/worldreport99/index.html
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just released its ninth annual review of human rights around the world in advance of Human Rights Day, December 10, 1998, the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The report covers events and developments in 68 countries from December 1997 through early November 1998. The report is generally well-written, offering excellent overviews of the conditions of human rights on regional and selected national levels. Users in the US may be particularly interested in the detailed critique of American policies on human rights both internationally and within its own borders. The Report also provides information on selected campaigns and thematic concerns, such as arms, and the rights of women and children. [MD]
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Mark Twain at Large: His Travels Here and Abroad
http://library.berkeley.edu/BANC/Exhibits/MTP/
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) took his first extended trip in 1853 at the age of 17 and returned from the last in 1910, just a few days before he died. In between, he "visited five continents, steamed across the Atlantic twenty-nine times, and crossed the Pacific and Indian oceans as part of one complete round-the-world circuit." For Twain, travel was at times an escape, an inspiration for his writing, and a financial necessity. This exhibit from the Mark Twain Papers and Project, the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, makes good use of its extensive collection to examine the role of travel in Twain's writing and his life. Each section examines Twain's experiences in different locations, such as along the Mississippi, the American West, Europe, and Bermuda. Each section consists of images of photos and items such as letters, journals, and books, with explanatory text and some excerpts. The site would benefit from an index and the option to enlarge the images, but on the whole it offers an interesting glimpse into a lesser-known facet of this very American writer's life. [MD]
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the arms trade revealed: a guide for investigators and analysts
http://www.fas.org/asmp/library/handbook/cover.html
This new handbook, written by Lora Lumpe and Jeff Donarkski and published by the Federation of American Scientists Arms Sales Monitoring Project, examines the role of the United States in the global arms trade. According to the authors, the US accounted for more than half of all weapons exports in the 1990s; the majority of these weapons went to governments considered to be non-democratic or repressive. This book guides readers through the political and policy-making processes of American arms trafficking in six self-contained chapters, each of which addresses a different theme. The authors indicate at the site that their primary motivation in writing the manual was to empower like-minded activists with information and "to encourage greater activism against dangerous and wasteful US policies." However, less politically-motivated readers were also kept in mind, and academics, students, or journalists investigating America's role in the arms trade can find useful and educational information herein. [MD]
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Historic American Sheet Music
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/
Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music Project (HASM) presents digital images of 3,042 pieces of sheet music from Duke's collections, published between 1850 and 1920. Highlights of the collection include "antebellum Southern music, Confederate imprints, and Civil war songs." The search capabilities at the site are sophisticated, allowing users to look for music by publisher name, composer, title, performer, and many other terms. There is online help for searching and a glossary of subject headings. Much of the sheet music is illustrated, and it is possible to search for pictures by "illustration type" (theme), allowing access to the subjects of the illustrations as well as the music itself. It is also possible to browse all the cover illustrations. HASM was originally funded by Ameritech as part of the ongoing Library of Congress/Ameritech Digital Library Competition; it will soon be part of the American Memory Collections at the Library of Congress (described in the November 6, 1998 Scout Report). [DS]
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Consumers Digest Online
http://www.consumerdigest.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CD
This online magazine adds search power and display options to its product review print counterpart Consumers Digest. Readers may create product comparisons via Consumer Digest Online's database or browse archived articles on "shopping tips" or "best buys" by product type. The Issues and Investigations section addresses current topics of concern to consumers. Visitors can get advice in the Your Money section. Note: (free) registration is required for some Consumer Digest Online services, particularly the Compare Pad product comparison option. [MW]
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NMNH Virtual Tour of the Dinosaurs
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/dino/tourfram.htm
This new site from the National Museum of Natural History's (NMNH) Department of Paleobiology offers an enticing peek into the Smithsonian's large dinosaur collection. Users can browse for their favorite dinosaur alphabetically, by dinosaur groups, or by period, and view photos that are accompanied by brief commentary. A Special Tours section offers an Anatomy Lesson, clickable views of Dinosaur Hall, and a Behind the Scenes look at paleobiologists at work. Additional resources include a Geologic Time Scale and a collection of related links. [MD]
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Network Tools

@Guard v2.2
http://www.atguard.com/
@Guard v2.2, published by WRQ, Inc., is a piece of software that WWW advertisers and marketers would prefer that you not have. This highly useful software can help you keep your privacy, maintain the security of your PC, and speed up your Internet connection. Once installed, @Guard watches network connections both into and out of your PC and, based on your personal configuration, automatically disallows certain transmissions. The software allows you to block "cookies" (hidden pieces of information used to identify you and your browser) based on the source URL of the cookie. In terms of security, @Guard has a personal firewall that watches for incoming and outgoing network connections from your PC and can be configured to allow or disallow certain connections. The most useful aspect of @Guard is the ad blocking feature that blocks incoming advertisements such as "banner ads" based on part of the URL. Not only does this feature eliminate most advertisements from your Web browsing experience, but it provides the added bonus of speeding up Web page downloads. These powerful features would not be useful without a commensurately complex configuration, but @Guard also has relatively easy-to-use wizards to assist you with this set up. @Guard is available for the Win95/98/NT operating systems and is free to use for 30 days after which time it can be purchased for $29.95. [CL]
[Note: Resource(s)/URL(s) mentioned above is no longer available.]
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Analog [.zip or .tar.gz]
http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/analog/
Analog for the Mac [StuffIt]
http://www.summary.net/soft/analog.html
Analog Helper [StuffIt]
http://www.sigsoftware.com/analoghelper/
In addition to providing any number of web servicing capabilities, web servers are excellent at generating huge log files containing the details of their every activity. Analyzing these logs by hand is not practical. Fortunately, Stephen Turner has written Analog (first described in the March 21, 1997 Scout Report), a fast, freely-available, configurable tool for automatically analyzing log files. Versions of the program for Windows 95 & NT, OS/2, and BeOS are available at his site. Turner also provides the source code for the program so it can be run on many other platforms. Jason T. Linhart, author of the shareware log analysis tool, Summary, has ported Analog to the MacOS. Previous versions have required the user to edit a detailed configuration file to customize reports, but a new shareware tool, Analog Helper, provides a graphical interface for controlling Analog's hundreds of settings. A demo version of Analog Helper is available from the Sig Software Website; the licensing fee is $25 per copy. [PMS]
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The Mac: A CNet Topic Center
http://coverage.cnet.com/Content/Reports/Special/Mac/
With the introduction of the powerful G3 line, the warm reception of the innovative iMac, and two new OS's on the way, some computer industry analysts believe that the Mac may indeed be back. In response to the new found interest in the Mac CNet.com has introduced a new special topic center. Mac veterans, new users, or those considering trading in their PCs will find numerous items of interest at the site. Features include Mac News, resources and information on OS 8.5 and OS X, reviews of the iMac and several G3 machines, useful downloads, and price checks. Users will also find links to a variety of other Mac resources and Mac fan sites. [MD]
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Where Are They Now

Volume 2, Number 30, December 1, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/
Science and the Environment
http://www.voyagepub.com/publish/
These two long-standing K-12 sites have continued to offer quality resources to teachers and students since they were first reviewed. Kathy Shrock, a Technology Coordinator for a Massachusetts school district, has expanded her metasite to include 24 subject categories, a number of special category resources, and links to various Internet tools and search engines. Each entry is briefly annotated. The site also features a What's New section to trace new additions. Science and Environment Magazine, provided by Voyage Publishing, has continued under the same format since it was reviewed in the Scout Report. Each issue of this bi-monthly magazine features 80 articles under 8 headings, gleaned from an analysis of over 500 magazines, newspapers, and journals. The site also offers a mailing list for notification of new issues and subscription information. [MD]
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From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998.
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