The Scout Report - December 18, 1998

The Scout Report

December 18, 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


NOTE: This will be the final Scout Report for 1998. See you on January 4, 1999. Happy Holidays to all!

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-981215.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/1998/be-981217.html
The seventh 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 seven resources on the Impeachment debate in the US House of Representatives. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates ten resources that analyze holiday shopping on the Internet. [MD]
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Research and Education

Harvard Institute for International Development [.pdf]
http://www.hiid.harvard.edu/
Founded in 1974, the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) is an interdisciplinary center at Harvard University whose mission is to assist the economic growth of developing nations. Publications on-site include an extensive compilation of Development Discussion Papers (1974-present) with selected full text on agricultural and food policy, education, taxation, economic reform, and environmental issues (1995-present), as well as research stemming from the Consulting Assistance on Economic Reform project (CAER) and International Tax Program. Recent HIID book reviews are also available, and interested parties may examine compilations on the East Asian Financial Crisis and the External Debt Problem in Central America at the Research page. [MW]
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New Additions to NAIL Database -- NARA
http://www.nara.gov/nara/recdata.html
The fifteenth batch of digitized documents and photos was added to the National Archive and Record Administration's (NARA) Archival Information Locator (NAIL) (last described in the Scout Report for October 31, 1997) on December 7. These new additions include 194 photos related to the Vietnam War, 52 multi-page documents concerning the fall of South Vietnam, a number of selected files from desegregation and discrimination cases, Joint Chiefs of Staff Central Files 1962-1963, and maps Relating to the Civil War, among other items. A brief description, sample image, and searching instructions are provided for each of the collections. [MD]
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Irish Serials in the Boston College Libraries
http://www.bc.edu/irishserials
The Boston College Library system has placed online a searchable database of its noted Irish Serials collection. Researchers can now browse and search the list of over 1,400 newspapers, magazines, and journals that originate from or pertain to Ireland before deciding on whether to take a trip to Boston. The Libraries' holdings "range in date from 1685 to the present and cover Irish history, literature, politics, art, archaeology, economics, genealogy, music, and law." Users can search by title keyword, date range, or microform series. Search returns provide complete holdings information and a legend denoting microfiche or microform series. For example, NIPL denotes the Northern Ireland Political Literature series and IPRN (POST CW REP.) the Post Civil War Republican/Fianna Fail series. [MD]
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Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy -- Boston University
http://www.bu.edu/iscip/
Boston University's Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy (ISCIP) studies the political and security developments of "conflict-prone societies in crisis, particularly Russia and other post-Soviet republics." ISCIP analyzes the "destabilizing factors" of these republics to inform and advise US policymakers. This Website features ISCIP publications written by research specialists studying the political transformations in the Russian Federation and the Newly Independent States. The full-text editions of Editorial Digest, a biweekly review of current events, and Perspective, a bimonthly scholarly journal of regional analysis, are posted at the site for current and archived issues. In addition, the site provides abstracts, reviews, and tables of contents for policy books published on post-Soviet nations. ISCIP also provides access to its document database, which contains the text of over 60,000 items collected by institute researchers. Although the document database is searchable, the search facility is unwieldy, and users are advised to read the detailed search instructions provided. [AO]
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Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
http://thorpe.ou.edu/
A cooperative effort from the University of Oklahoma Law Center, the National Indian Law Library (NILL), and Native American tribes, this site offers access to the full texts of selected legal documents. Among these are Constitutions, Tribal Codes, Charters, Indian Land Titles, and summaries of recent US Supreme Court cases that have involved or affected Native Americans. At present, the Project provides only about 30 documents total, but scholars and users with an interest in Native American legal issues will want to monitor the site. [MD]
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US EPA History Office
http://www.epa.gov/history/
Twenty-eight years ago this month, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established to implement Federal laws protecting the nation and its people from pollution. In 1992, the Agency established a history program to preserve and organize documents related to its institutional memory. To further this mission, the Agency recently created this site, which offers useful information to potential researchers of the 200 cubic feet of EPA historical documents. The heart of the site is the Collection section, which offers abstracts and finding aids for the 90+ collections held at the History Office. Additional resources at the site include the full text of two booklets on EPA history, abstracts and ordering information for other historical publications, a collection of FAQs, and an internal search engine. [MD]
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New Directions from the Field: Victims Rights and Services for the 21st Century -- USDOJ [.pdf, 448p.]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/new/directions/
This recent report from the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) outlines a comprehensive plan for improving the rights of and services for crime victims in the US. While making some 68 recommendations for improvement, the report also notes the advances that have been made in recent years, highlighting some of the hundreds of "innovative public policy initiatives and community partnerships that are revolutionizing the treatment of crime victims in America today." Users may download the full report in ASCII or .pdf format or view individual chapters in HTML, ASCII, or .pdf formats. [MD]
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Electronic Theses and Dissertations in the Humanities
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ETD/ETD.html
This site was first created in 1996 by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, a PhD student specializing in electronic media, humanities computing, and post-print culture. Now in version 3.0, the site continues to serve as "a clearing-house for online information related to electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) in the humanities." The core of the site is a directory of Humanities ETDs currently in progress, listed by subject. All exist solely or primarily in digital form, and most seek to exploit the unique capabilities of electronic publishing. Each entry includes an abstract and contact information. The site also supplies a collection of links to articles and reports on ETDs and annotated links to ETD initiatives. Graduate students contemplating producing an ETD and faculty advising such students will benefit most from the site, although anyone interested in the potential future of academic publishing will find numerous items of interest. [MD]
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General Interest

CWRU Nassau Station Robotic Telescope (Beta)
http://astrwww.astr.cwru.edu/nassau/nassau.html
Previously, most if not all online telescopes were designed for use only by professional astronomers. However, Case Western Reserve University's Nassau Astronomical Station has begun a program which will accept requests for images of astronomical objects from the general public. Currently in beta phase, the program will accept requests on a first-come, first-served basis, and then send an email with a link to the image. After free registration, users can fill in an online form indicating the specific object for which they would like an image and its coordinates. Help is offered on filling out requests, but users with no background in astronomy or physics may find it difficult. Amateur astronomers, however, will certainly appreciate this new program and the free access it offers to CWRU's Robotic Telescope. [MD]
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Sublime Anxiety: The Gothic Family and the Outsider
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/gothic/open.html
Visit this virtual exhibition, based on the University of Virginia's Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Books, for an introduction to Gothic books, the pulp fiction of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The exhibition traces the history of the genre from the 1790s to the present. Book dealer Michael Sadleir set out to acquire first editions of everything in the Northanger Canon, a list of the defining books of the Gothic craze in England in the early nineteenth century, compiled by Jane Austen and set down in her book, Northanger Abbey. Sublime Anxiety starts with the Northanger Canon and includes sections on women Gothic authors, vampires, the origins of the detective novel, and modern Gothic author Anne Rice. Images of book covers and illustrations are accompanied by descriptive captions. [DS]
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AIDS epidemic update: December 1998 [.pdf, 18p.]
http://www.unaids.org/publications/documents/epidemiology/surveillance/wad1998/wadr98e.pdf
This new update from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by the end of the year 33.4 million people will be infected with HIV, ten percent more than one year ago. Almost every country in the world has seen new infections in 1998, but new cases have been concentrated in the developing world, home of 95% of all HIV-infected people and 95% of AIDS fatalities. As this report reveals, AIDS and its repercussions, such as declining life expectancy, increased orphanhood, and overburdened health care systems, now pose one of the most serious threats to development. [MD]
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dancebot
http://www.dancebot.com
A world dance search engine created by Nik Brown and Silicon Tribe Interactive, dancebot is primarily intended for dancers themselves, especially those looking for contacts and possible work. However, dance fans of all stripes may find the engine a useful way to discover individual dancers, performances, and other related information. The engine does not search the entire Web, but rather a database composed mostly from submissions. Users can search the database by keyword, perform a relational search, or browse by category. Future plans include film and book databases, Sherlock plug-ins (discussed in the October 16, 1998 Scout Report), and more advanced search options. [MD]
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Exploring Chocolate [RealPlayer]
http://www.exploratorium.com/chocolate/index.html
"More than a food but less than a drug." From the San Francisco-based site Exploratorium (described in the February 21, 1997 Scout Report) comes a yummy compendium exploring chocolate from bean to bar and beyond. Divided into topical sections, the site examines everything from the processing of the cacao beans into chocolate to the chemical makeup and possible health benefits from indulging. Video and audio clips highlight the text, including video shot in the Amazon showing the process of cutting open and tasting cacao fruit and audio interviews with a chocolate researcher. There is also a tour of a chocolate factory, a great bibliography, and a quick lesson in tempering chocolate to make candies. So if you're looking to improve your temper during the hectic holiday season, indulge yourself for a few minutes at this site. But be warned, by the end of your visit, you'll probably find yourself yearning for something more than a virtual indulgence. [REB]
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Five Holiday Sites
Christmas Recipe.com
http://www.christmasrecipe.com/
NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site [Quicktime]
http://www.noradsanta.org/
Jewish Communication Network Hanukkah Page
http://www.jcn18.com/default.asp?content=article703
Online Kwanzaa Resource Guide [RealPlayer]
http://www.itskwanzaatime.com/
Guide to a Hassle-Free Holiday -- Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org/news/holiday/
The winter holidays are fast upon us, and these sites will help users celebrate, learn, and survive. The first site is yet another offering from All Recipes.com (see the November 20, 1998 Scout Report ). Like its sister sites, Christmas Recipe.com offers a large number of holiday recipes, browseable by category or alphabetically or searchable by keyword. The site also features a Glossary, Top Ten Recipes, Hints, Recipe Exchange, and a Recipe Roulette. Users anxious to chart Santa's progress from the North Pole to their chimney can visit NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), which has redirected its formidable radar arrays on Christmas Eve for the past 42 years. The site will offer up-to-the-minute location briefs on Christmas Eve. In the meantime, users can read up on NORAD's analysis of Santa's secrets, including the Milk and Cookie Theory, as well view technical data on Santa's sleigh, "a versatile, all weather, multipurpose, vertical short-take-off and landing vehicle." There are a few days of Hanukkah left, and users can visit the Jewish Communication Network Hanukkah Page to learn Hanukkah history and How-To, pick up some recipes, and spin the Virtual Dreidel. The site also provides a number of related links. The Online Kwanzaa Resource Guide addresses some of the deeper issues behind the holiday and its rituals. The site offers text and RealPlayer clips from scholars addressing the meaning and observance of the holiday (including Dr. Maulana Karenga, who created Kwanzaa in 1966), an overview of debates over the commercialization of Kwanzaa, RealPlayer music samples, and a listing of Kwanzaa events in the Chicago area. Finally, Consumer Reports Online provides a special holiday section with tips on gift delivery, shopping, and avoiding overspending; reviews of educational toys, kitchen knives, and greeting card software; information on charitable giving; and a report on buying online. [MD]
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Victory City -- The City of the Future
http://www.victorycities.com/
For the past 40-odd years, Orville Simpson II has been pursuing a dream, his vision of a city of the future, a Victory City based on reason and efficiency. Victory Cities would be entirely self-contained under one roof, ideally consisting of seven linked buildings -- each 102 stories -- containing residences, offices, industry, and retail space. Although the idea of snap-out modular walls, furniture bolted to the floors, and no kitchens (residents will be transported to the cafeterias by Ferris wheels) does not appeal to everyone, Simpson must be given credit for the depth and breadth of his vision. Users reading the Residents Guide will find that few details have been overlooked. Simpson addresses issues such as the money and food systems, education, postal service, transportation, security, recreation, pets, healthcare, ecological issues, and so on. Users can view numerous floor plans and conceptual drawings in the Victory City tour, review his arguments for the city in the Purpose/Benefits section, and read a collection of newspaper and magazine features on the man and his city in the Media Coverage section. Simpson is, by the way, still seeking investors. [MD]
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Network Tools

The MacFixIt 1998 Toolbox Awards
http://macfixit.com/extras/awards98.shtml
Recently honored by Yahoo! Internet Life as one of the "Best of the Best Sites for 1998," MacFixIt has long been a quality source for Macintosh troubleshooting information. The Toolbox Awards, new this year, are given to utilities "most essential for inclusion in a troubleshooter's toolbox." To be considered for the award, a utility has to have demonstrable troubleshooting or problem solving capabilities. One winner and four honorable mentions have been awarded in two categories: commercial and share/freeware. This year's winners include a wide array of tools: utilities for disk repair, file navigation, extension management, network monitoring, and more. [PMS]
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Visual Basic Web Directory
http://www.vb-web-directory.com/
The Visual Basic Web Directory is a highly useful collection of categorized and annotated links to Websites containing information about Visual Basic. The site contains a fairly complete and easy-to-use hierarchy of resources for the Visual Basic user that range from tutorials to job listings. Beyond the resources, the site also provides summaries of recent Visual Basic news, an online bookstore linked to Amazon.com, and other interesting tidbits. In addition to the hierarchical organization of records, the site provides a simple mechanism for searching the collection. The Visual Basic Web Directory is a nicely organized Website that should prove to be a useful resource for anyone interested in Visual Basic. [CL]
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QL'98 - The Query Languages Workshop -- W3C
http://www12.w3.org/TandS/QL/QL98/Overview.html
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (last mentioned in the November 27, 1998 Scout Report) has recently placed online the Program and Position Papers from the December 2 Query Languages Workshop in Boston, Mass. Ninety-one participants heard 60 position papers on querying XML and RDF data. Users can view a participant list and the full texts of the papers at the site. [MD]
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Where Are They Now

Volume 2, Number 32, December 15, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
Inter-Links -- Internet guide, tutorial, and resource locator
http://alabanza.com/kabacoff/Inter-Links/
Created by Robert Kabacoff and provided as a public service, this site continues to serve as an excellent gateway and resource center for a wide range of Internet services. Designed primarily as a guide and tutorial, the site will most benefit newer users. In contrast to many sites reviewed in this section, this one has slimmed down rather than expanded in the intervening years. However, the links provided have been hand-selected for maximal utility, ease of access, and minimal hype or advertising. [MD]
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