NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/nsdl-reports/met/2003/met-030523.html
The eleventh issue of the second volume of the MET Report is available. Its Topic in Depth section offers Web sites and comments about electronic surveillance.
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Deep Impact [QuickTime]
http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/
Comets have fascinated humans for hundreds of years, and most recently with the idea of creating a "deep impact" upon a comet in order to study the interior composition and makeup of these bodies. With this scientific mission in mind, a team of researchers (including participants from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Maryland) will send an impactor spacecraft into the Comet Tempel 1 on July 4th, 2005. The data collected from this fascinating experiment will help answer many questions about comets, and should be of interest to research scientists and the general public alike. The site itself contains quite a few helpful sections, including one dedicated to explaining the science behind studying comets. A technology section offers detailed explanations behind much of the flight system, the launch vehicle, and the various instruments on board. The gallery section has some nice animations that show how the mission will encounter and impact Comet Tempel 1. Overall, this is very engaging and well thought out site that explains this mission in jargon-free language. [KMG]
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Higher Education Resource Hub [pdf]
http://www.higher-ed.org/
Developed and maintained by James Forest, the Higher Education Resource Hub is a fine source of information about the field of higher education within the United States and around the world. Most of the site's sections can be reached from the home page, and deal with such topics as assessment in higher education, news, and recent publications that feature research on higher education. Another helpful feature is a collection of links to the syllabi for courses at the college and graduate level that address the topic of higher education. The history of higher education is particularly helpful, as it contains a number of primary documents including the text of the GI Bill, the Morrill Land Grant Acts, some rather trenchant commentaries from John Henry Newman, and Thorstein Veblen's scathing critique of American higher education published in 1918. The site also has a section devoted to job resources in higher education, and is completed with information about the reference work, "Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia," which is co-edited by Mr. Forest and Kevin Kinser of SUNY-Albany. [KMG]
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The Crisis of the Union
http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/abolitionism/
Created and maintained by the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image at the University of Pennsylvania Library, this online document archive contains material related to "the causes, conduct, and consequences of the US Civil War." The collection is largely comprised of books, broadsides, cartoons, pamphlets, and other printed ephemera from 1830 to 1880. Drawing heavily on materials held by the Library Company of Philadelphia, the documents include speeches by Charles Sumner, cartoons by Thomas Nast, and promotional material from the Know-Nothing Party. The entire archive can be browsed by author, date of publication, title, or subject. Using a built-in viewer, each document can also be viewed in its original format, and visitors can zoom in or out on discrete areas. Finally, visitors can also search the entire archive by keywords, subjects, graphic elements, or date. [KMG]
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Shakespeare: Subject to Change [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://ciconline.org/bdp1/
Developed to show the potential use of broadband cable in the classroom, this demonstration project from the Cable in the Classroom group details how the words of the immortal bard have been transformed and interpreted by a host of different individuals. After a brief multimedia introduction, viewers can go on to two sections: "Pen to Print" or "Stage to Screen." The "Pen to Print" section contains a number of fun and educating areas, including Shakespeare's Language, Altered Texts, and The Writing Process. In Shakespeare's Language, visitors can listen to hear some of the now-common expressions (such as "into thin air") coined by him. Equally revealing is the ability to learn about how proof-readers and correctors transformed almost all of Shakespeare's works. The "Stage to Screen" area is also quite fine, as viewers can watch two different interpretations of Hamlet's legendary soliloquy. The screen version is from 2000 and is performed by Campbell Scott, and the stage version is performed by the masterful Richard Burton, under the direction of Sir John Geilgud. All in all, the site is a nice example of how this technology may be used in the classroom. [KMG]
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The Jean-Baptiste Lully Collection
http://www.unt.edu/lully/welframe.html
Jean-Baptiste Lully was perhaps the most noted French composer of the 17th century and the inventor of the French operatic tradition. Born in Florence, Lully moved to France at the age of 14 and, at the age of 21, was appointed to the position of "composer of instrumental music for the king" for the court of Louis XIV. The University of North Texas Music Library has digitized 23 17th- and 18th-century scores of operas and ballets by Lully and his sons, and placed them online for public perusal. Here, visitors can look over the scores for works ranging from his 1684 opera Amadis to his Le Triomphe de l'Amour. There is also a great deal of background material located on the site, including an extended bibliography, discography, and essays on French music printing techniques in the 17th century. [KMG]
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Dumbarton Oaks Electronic Texts [pdf]
http://www.doaks.org/etexts.html
Located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, Dumbarton Oaks was donated to Harvard University in 1940 as gift from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss. Currently, the Dumbarton Oaks Center offers a number of fellowships in its three areas of academic inquiry, which include Byzantine studies, pre-Columbian studies, and landscape architecture. The organization is also well known for their numerous edited volumes, which deal with the aforementioned research topics. Some of those volumes can be downloaded from this site, and cover a wide array of subjects, including pieces of Byzantine-period gardens and works on gender in pre-Hispanic America. Divided into the center's three main research areas, the lists of works contains a brief abstract about each volume and links to each chapter in the work. [KMG]
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High School Hub
http://highschoolhub.org/hub/hub.cfm
Developed by Wanda G. Wojcik and Dyann K. Schmidel, the High School Hub is an omnibus of links designed to be of assistance to high-school students looking for any number of online resources ranging from school subjects to reference works. Many of the links are quite topical, such as the daily news quiz (provided by the New York Times) or the Today in History feature, provided by the Library of Congress's American Memory project. The Homework Help section will be one that students will want to return to multiple times, as it is organized around academic subject; and each one contains several dozen links to features like an online table of chemical elements and famous American trials. Finally, the site also contains some pastimes and diversions, such as word puzzles and a typing challenge. [KMG]
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A Conceptual Design for the Space Launch Capability of the Peacekeeper ICBM [pdf]
http://www.asdl.gatech.edu/publications/pdf/2002/AIAA-2002-5854.pdf
The Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile was originally intended for military use, but this paper considers how minimal modifications could transform it into a "rapid resupply system for the International Space Station (ISS)." A detailed overview of many important facets of the conceptual Peacekeeper Space Launch Vehicle is given. Possible propulsion configurations, ISS interfacing equipment, and payload characteristics are compared. An analysis of each of these items is shown and a final recommendation is made based on the goal of achieving maximum payload. The importance of this research could be much greater in light of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. This site is also reviewed in the May 23, 2003 NSDL MET Report. [CL]
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National Constitution Center [RealOne Player]
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
On July 4, 2003, the new National Constitution Center will open in a brand new facility within Independence Historical Park in Philadelphia that will help it pursue its mission of "increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance." Visitors will want to take the virtual tour available online, which moves through the building's Great Hall, the Kimmel Theatre (which will be used for museum orientation programs), the DeVos Exhibit Hall, and the rest of the building's different areas. As might be expected, the Web site has an online version of the complete Constitution (in English and Spanish), along with helpful educational resources such as lesson plans for grades K-12. The site is rounded out by information for visitors and a "Save the Bill of Rights!" educational game where students help recover the Bill of Rights by looking for clues in a series of graphic images depicting each right protected by this important document. [KMG]
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Cool Antarctica
http://www.coolantarctica.com/
Paul Ward, the designer of this site, spent over two years in Antarctica as a marine biologist with the British Antarctic Survey. Currently a teacher at a community college in Britain, Ward decided to develop this site to provide information about Antarctica's history, wildlife, and the various explorers who have traveled across the continent. The section featuring Ward's photographs is quite compelling, featuring hundreds of pictures of wildlife, the area's mountains, and icebergs. The historical pages are quite detailed, particularly those about the legendary Ernest Shackleton and his amazing Trans-Antarctica Expedition of 1914 to 1917. Persons looking for material about visiting Antarctica will find a section dedicated to helping people prepare for a visit to the area, including information about various cruise operators and what type of clothing is most suitable. [KMG]
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HIV at Work [pdf]
http://www.hivatwork.org/
Addressing the question of HIV and AIDS in the workplace remains a subject that many employers (and employees) may have difficulty dealing with. This Web site developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers some valuable resources to counteract this problem. Persons viewing the site for the first time may want to take a 10-question interactive quiz that deals with basic information about AIDS before browsing at length. One of the centerpieces of the site is the HIV/ AIDS Resource Guide, which contains fact sheets and other resources to help labor leaders conduct HIV/ AIDS prevention programs and raise general awareness about these conditions. The other sections of the site contain material for employers looking to develop an in-house awareness program, and material on legal issues in the workplace as they relate to HIV/ AIDS. Finally, the site also features a search engine, allowing users to quickly look for information on specific topics. [KMG]
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The National Museum of American Illustration
http://www.americanillustration.org/
Founded in 1998 by Judy A. G. Cutler and Laurence S. Cutler, The National Museum of American Illustration is housed at Vernon Court (Newport, RI), a mansion designed 100 years previously by the firm Carrere and Hastings, architects of other notable buildings such as New York Public Library and the Frick Collection. Portions of the six acres of grounds surrounding Vernon Court were originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead. At the Web site, visitors can view a sampling of works by artists such as N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, and Elizabeth Shippen Green. Probably the best way to see the museum online is to take the virtual tour. Starting at the floor plan, click any room to see orientating photos and artworks arranged as they are on the walls. There are also images of murals and sculptures, as well as some furnishings, site plans for the gardens, and aerial views of the exterior of the house. [DS]
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The Supreme Court Historical Society [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.supremecourthistory.org/
Dedicated to "the preservation and dissemination of the history of the Supreme Court of the United States," the Supreme Court Historical Society was founded in 1974 by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. The Society has a number of public outreach programs, including an annual series of lectures by distinguished scholars. Serving as the online presence of the Society, their site contains a number of helpful features that will be of use to students studying the Supreme Court, or persons looking for background information on the court's history and various justices. Visitors will want to take a look at the Timeline of the Justices, an area devoted to providing biographical sketches of the chief and associate justices beginning in 1789 when the Court held its first session. Information about the current Court justices is also available here, along with a detailed history of the Court and its major decisions during the tenure of each Chief Justice. For students, several quizzes are provided, along with a multimedia presentation on the Supreme Court packing controversy that transpired during President Franklin Roosevelt's second term. [KMG]
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Nikon Web Magazine: Nikon Digital Archives
http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/d-archives/
While the 1970s and 1980s saw an exponential growth in high-tech imports from Japan to the United States, there was another product that had been popular in the States for several decades before this period. Beginning in 1946, the Nippon Kogaku Company decided to bring a popular, low-cost camera to the United States, as their research noted "a big demand can be expected if we make a reasonably-priced camera." Certainly, many companies have various product histories available, but this detailed history of the Nikon camera from 1945 to 1964 is quite fascinating. The site should be of interest to those studying the history of technological innovation, or simply for amateur or professional photographers. Along with the long-form essay on the camera's history (divided into 8 shorter sections), there is an online photo gallery of the cameras themselves and their different lenses, complete with their dimensions, dates of manufacture, and original prices. [KMG]
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The Taj-Mahal Virtual Tour [QuickTime]
http://www.taj-mahal.net/
One of the most instantly recognizable buildings in the entire world, the Taj Mahal is a place that millions of people visit each year from around the world. The building and its grounds were built as a monument to Mumtaz Mahal, the young bride of Shah Jehan, the fifth Mughal emperor. Located in Agra, the complex took 22 years to build and represents the labor of over twenty thousands laborers and craftsmen. For those unable to visit the grounds in person, this virtual tour, provided by the Armchair Travel Company, is an enlightening way to find out more about this lovely building and its history. Along with viewing 360 degree views of the grounds and the various structures located there, visitors can view short films that relate the story of how the Taj Mahal was built and current efforts to preserve the area. The site is available in a number of languages, including English, Hindi, Japanese, and French. [KMG]
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MacDICT 2.8
http://www.bainsware.com/macdict/
This handy little application gives users the ability to quickly connect with eleven databases while online, including Webster's Dictionary and the World FactBook. Additionally, MacDICT 2.8 provides access to translation services on the Web for over ten languages. The application also allows for access to Wikipedia, the multilingual, open content, Web-based encyclopedia. This version of MacDICt is compatible with all systems running Mac OS X and higher. [KMG]
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Express Webpictures 1.85
http://www.express-soft.com/webpics/
This application gives users the ability to download all of the images on a given Web site without selecting each desired item individually. Some of the features include the ability to set the minimum size of image files to be retrieved and a built-in image viewer. The application also contains a slideshow feature, and an option that allows users the option of utilizing any download image as monitor wallpaper. Express Webpictures 1.85 is compatible with all systems running Windows 95 and higher. [KMG]
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College Commencement Addresses Spark Controversy
Democracy, Civility Debated at College [RealOne Player]
http://www.rrstar.com/localnews/your_community/rockford/20030521-4971.shtml
Text of the Rockford College Graduation Speech by Chris Hedges
http://www.rrstar.com/localnews/your_community/rockford/0521hedgesspeech.shtml
About 80 Santorum Protestors Walk Out
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/5892391.htm
Santorum is All Talk, Not Much Listening
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/opinion/local1/5864694.htm
Clinton: Fight for Rights
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0305/19/m01.html
George F. Will's Commencement Address at Boston University
http://www.bu.edu/photo/WillSpeech/
Winston Churchill: "The Sinews of Peace"
http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/sinews1.html
The Speeches of Winston Churchill Sounds Page: Post-WWII Speeches [Media Player]
http://www.earthstation1.com/wcpowwii.html
As the month of May passes along, many colleges and universities begin celebrating the time-honored ritual of the commencement ceremony. This year (as with most years), there has been a certain degree of contention surrounding the remarks and ideological beliefs of several commencement speakers. At a graduation ceremony this past Saturday in Rockford College in Illinois, Christopher Hedges, a Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times journalist, was booed from the dais during his address, in which he made critical remarks about the United States' recent involvement in Iraq. On Sunday, other students and protestors walked out of the graduation ceremonies at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia to protest Senator Rick Santorum's appearance at the school. Santorum has recently been criticized for his comments that equated gay sex with polygamy, incest, and adultery. In protest, many students and professors elected to wear rainbow tassels on their mortarboards.
The first link leads to a story about the recent speech by Christopher Hedges at Rockford College from the online edition of the Rockford Register-Star. Embedded within the piece are links to an audio stream of the speech and a rather interesting online forum about the community's reaction to his remarks. The second link leads to a transcript of his remarks, including notations of actions taken by various audience members during the speech. The third link leads to an article from the online edition about Senator Rick Santorum's visit to Saint Joseph's University from the Philadelphia Inquirer. The fourth link is to a recent impassioned opinion piece about Santorum's remarks from Melina Waldo, the parent of a gay son. The fifth link leads to a news article from the Clarion-Ledger about former President Bill Clinton's recent speech at Tougaloo College's commencement ceremonies this past Sunday. The fifth link leads to a transcript of George F. Will's recent commencement remarks at Boston University, which not surprisingly, incorporated both baseball and politics. The sixth link will take visitors to a transcript of what is perhaps one of the most famous addresses given at an American institution of higher education, namely Winston Churchill's "Sinews of Peace" speech, given at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. The final link leads to an audio recording of that speech, where visitors can listen to Churchill utter that now-famous phrase, "an iron curtain has descended across the Continent." [KMG]
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