·http://www.instantanatomy.net/podcasts.html

There might not be such a thing as "instant" anatomy, but this nice site does offer up some podcasts on the matter that can provide a pathway to anatomical enlightenment. The site was created by Robert Whitaker, a professor of clinically applied topographical anatomy in the United Kingdom. Visitors can wander through a range of useful instructional materials here, and the nine free podcasts are some of the best items available. The titles include "Surface Anatomy," "Classification of the Joints," "Venous Drainage of the Limbs," and "Principles of Movements at Joints in the Upper Limb." Also, users have access to several free podcast apps, including a series of flashcards and embryology diagrams. [KMG]

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·http://tse.unl.edu/trc/lesson_plans.php

Created by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Mid-America Transportation Center, this resource center for teachers contains several hundred lesson plans for educators working in grades 6-12. Many of the upper level plans are even suitable for introductory college courses and visitors can filter the plans by subjects. Subjects include math, industrial technology, science, and engineering and visitors can search by keyword, category, and grade level as well. Interested parties can also submit their own lesson plans for possible inclusion in this database. [KMG]

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·http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/

Launched in 2010, the Iris is the Getty's online magazine, written by staff, volunteers, scholars, interns and other specialists at the Getty's Los Angeles campuses. The goal of this publication is "to offer news, stories, and discoveries about art, conservation, research, and philanthropy and to provide an entertaining and substantive behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Getty." On the homepage, visitors can look through nine different sections, including Behind the Scenes, Art, Conservation, Publications, Research, and Voices. This last area features first-person perspectives from members of the Getty community. These posts include observations on conservation science, graffiti art, and pointed pieces like "Does Text Still Matter?" Lastly, the Philanthropy area features thoughts on the Getty's work through strategic arts education initiatives. [KMG]

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·http://bokcenter.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do

Named after a former president of Harvard University, the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning was established in 1975 to enhance the quality of undergraduate education at Harvard College. The site contains information specifically for affiliates of Harvard, much of which can be broadly applied to college instruction at other institutions. In the Resources & Advice area visitors can look over sections that include Syllabus Design, Course Assessment, Lecturing, Diversity in the Classroom, and Leading Discussions. In the materials section interested parties can look over tip-sheets and in-house videos on college teaching. Perhaps the most intriguing area is the "Harvardese" glossary. Here you will find teaching terms that provide insight into the lingua franca deployed within the ivy-covered walls of this august institution. [KMG]

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·http://www.bioedonline.org/videos/content-presentations/tools-and-techniques/science-safety/

Created by specialists at the Baylor College of Medicine's BioEd Online team, the Science Safety site brings together videos, pamphlets, and other instructional resources designed to help students and educators learn about lab safety. The site contains three key videos: "Tools and Equipment of Science," "Using a Bright Field Light Microscope," and "Using a Micropipettor." Demonstrators include scientists and teachers from around Texas and the tone of the films is erudite, age-appropriate, and accessible. Additionally, the site includes links to Lesson Demonstrations, which address subjects such as ecology, forces and motion, and microorganisms. [KMG]

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·http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/148sewallbelmont/148sewallbelmont.htm

In 1929, the National Woman's Party set up headquarters in the Sewall-Belmont House on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Their leader, Alice Paul, was a tireless advocate for woman's rights, well known for drafting the first Equal Rights Amendment in 1921. This lesson plan from the National Park Service explores this historic home and Paul's work through primary documents, maps, images, and classroom activities. The Table of Contents area contains a number of sections, including Locating the Site: Maps, Determining the Facts: Readings, and Visual Evidence: Images. The site is rounded out by classroom activities, which include explorations into oral history and investigations into the history of liberties denied and enjoyed by various groups of citizens. [KMG]

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·http://www.archaeological.org/education/lessonplans

Archaeology is a fascinating subject and the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is committed to getting young people enthused about this area of human inquiry. This website contains useful lesson plans designed to bring the "fascinating material culture and methodological approaches of archaeology into their classrooms." The materials here are intended for use with K-12 students, but a number of them can be adapted to work with college students as well. Currently, there are over a dozen lesson plans and projects on the site. Visitors will find brief descriptions of each item and their goals. The titles covered include “Aztec Codex,” “A Greco-Roman Feast: Dining and Reclining,” and “Cargoes from Three Continents: Ancient Mediterranean Trade in Modern Archaeology.” [KMG]

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·http://ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu/

Started by the Chicago Public Schools and the University of Chicago, the eCUIP Digital Library Project brings together a range of materials related to Chicago history, international studies, dinosaurs and archaeology for K-12 students and educators. The site offers a variety of materials, including Articles, Multimedia, Interactives, Reference Links, and Lesson Plans. Two of the highlights here include the "Chicago: City of Neighborhoods" and "Hyde Park Houses" links. Both of these sites are great ways to have young people engage subjects like urban history, architecture, and geography. One gem that should not be missed is the interactive map of the Columbian Exposition, which might inspire a trip to Chicago's South Side for some 21st century wanderings. [KMG]

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·http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/resources/invent/

How do you measure the innovative spirit of a place or region? Perhaps you might look at the number of patents filed in a given period. Public policy folks have looked at the number of patents filed in the Silicon Valley and other high-tech nodes for decades. Similarly, this rather intriguing site, crafted by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, brings together the patents issued to persons residing in that area from 1814 to 1873. Visitors can browse through the entries alphabetically if they are so inclined, or they can also use the search engine. For new visitors, the "H" patent listings are quite rich, as they contain a number of hand printing presses, hand corn huskers, and hoisting apparatuses. [KMG]

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·http://www.coastal.la.gov/

The Coastal Protection & Restoration office provides material support and research on the wetlands and coastal areas of Louisiana. Their work includes a long-term master plan for protecting these unique resources, information on flood insurance, and materials for teachers. On their homepage, users will find links to Projects, Teacher Resources, Deepwater Horizon, and News. First-time visitors may wish to look over the Louisiana's Coastal Crisis area to get a sense of the grave problems faced by the state. The Teacher Resources area includes basic definitions of terms such as "coastline" and "shoreline," along with a creative rap about coastal erosion, and several presentations crafted by the agency. Additionally, the site's Library area contains the agency's annual plan and ten different coastal study reports, such as "Vegetation Response to Hurricane Rita in Southwestern Louisiana Marshes." [KMG]

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·http://www.nsta.org/publications/interactive/nerves/

How does the nervous system work? It is a question that has engaged the minds of scientists, doctors, and others for centuries. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has created this tour of the nervous system for teachers and students. First-time visitors can start with the Explore a Nerve Cell area, which goes over the membrane, nucleus, axon, dendrites, and the synapse in exquisite detail with interactive graphics. Moving on, The Basics area provides summaries of the operation of the nervous system and a rather illustrative area named Ouch! The site is rounded out by the Nervous Systems Explorations section, which has some nice simulations covering Brainstorms and Simple Reflexes. [KMG]

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·http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_history/

If you know someone who is fascinated with the history of Pennsylvania, they will want to explore this site in great detail. Created by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the site brings together primary documents, photographs, and a timeline of Keystone State history. The sections here include People, Places, Events, and Things. Users with a penchant for material culture will love the Things area, as it features topical sections covering Canals, Archaeology, Railroads, and Roads. The Places area provides meditations and narrative essays on the Governor's Residence and the long-gone French Asylum on the Susquehanna River, which was actually more of a utopian outpost of sorts. Also, the People area profiles well- and lesser-known individuals who left their mark on the state, including William Penn, Ida Tarbell, and noted military man, Henry Bouquet. [KMG]

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·http://www.whatwasthere.com/

Have you ever walked by a busy street corner and wondered what was there 20, 30, 50, or 60 years ago? If you have, the WhatWasThere site may be able to provide you with answers. The premise of the site is simple: the team at WhatWasThere has provided a platform where anyone can upload a photograph with two tags (location and year) so that others can learn more about the built environment. Visitors can Navigate Through Time to look around at different cities or they can use the Explore Photos area to do that in more detail. Over 30,000 photos and sites are available here and the coverage is particularly strong in San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, and the Northeast. [KMG]

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·http://trn.trains.com/

Trains magazine is billed as "THE magazine of railroading," covering short line and Class I railroads, along with details on the business side of operations, and details on equipment, policy news, and information on tourist railroads. New users will note that some of the materials here are for subscribers only, but much of the site is available to the general public. The News Wire area is a great place to get caught up with regulatory changes, services modifications, and information about intergovernmental affairs affecting railroad operations. Moving along, the Railroad Reference area features great maps like "Top Intermodal Lines in North America, 2004" and "Norfolk Southern's Predecessors." The Interactive area contains interviews with railroad insiders, a 24-hour train webcam from Rochelle, Illinois, and web exclusives. The site is rounded out by the Tourist Train Guidebook area, which offers up-to-date information on the operations of tourist trains around the United States and Canada. [KMG]

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·http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/

The ExploreKY History site is a bit of a "twofer" as it contains both a full-fledged interactive site about Kentucky history and an iPhone application. The site notes that it "takes the stories behind our community-driven historical markers, adds related items from the Kentucky Historical Society and combines it into a historical tour of our Commonwealth." The historical markers are crafted by the Society and placed around the state in locations that include the Samuel May House and Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home in Knob Creek. Additionally, the site includes thematic tours of Danville, the University of Kentucky, and the War of 1812. Finally the Stories area allows visitors to browse through an alphabetical list of all the markers from the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery to the Battle of Augusta. [KMG]

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·http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2013/passing_landscapes/

This exhibition from the Smithsonian American Art Museum consists of a slideshow of 48 B&W images that present a somewhat darker view of the American landscape than what we are accustomed to seeing. For example, Elaine Mayes's pictures show roadside views of America from Massachusetts to California, some taken through the window of a moving car. Steve Fitch focuses on roadside attractions, and the signs advertising them - like the "Thunderbeast" in Chiloquin, Oregon; motels including the Wigwa in Holbrook, Arizona featuring 1,2, and 3 bed teepees; and drive in movie theaters. Robbert Flick's works are 100-image grids of sequential shots of intersections in Los Angeles in 1980. Also posted to the site are articles about the exhibition from Time magazine, PBS and Smithsonian.com, and a short video interview with the curator, Lisa Hostetler. [DS]

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·http://import.io/

The Import iO application helps interested parties find an online source for their data, regardless of whether it's a single web page or a search engine. After retrieving the data, visitors can use the application to analyze the data or to import it into their preferred spreadsheet program. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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·http://planetary.bloom.io/

Could there be a place where artists are stars? Albums are planets? Tracks are moons? Yes, yes, and yes. It is called Planetary 2.0 and it is a beautiful way to explore a music collection. Visitors can use this application with their music collection to create a series of wonderful visuals based on the planets, the stars, and various astronomical phenomena. Albums orbit around their artist star, the planet surface is derived from album cover art and the tracks are moons that orbit at a speed based on the length of the track. This version is compatible with all iPads running i0S 5. [KMG]

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SF Bay Bridge re-opens with new “quakeproof” span
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/03/san-francisco-bay-bridge-reopens/2756741/

Bay Bridge made to withstand major earthquake
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Bridge-made-to-withstand-major-earthquake-4778622.php

Hundreds of Bay Bridge workers celebrate at bash
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hundreds-of-Bay-Bridge-workers-celebrate-at-bash-4781964.php

Bay Bridge Info
http://baybridgeinfo.org/

Golden Gate Bridge: Construction Information
http://goldengatebridge.org/research/construction.php

The World's 18 Strangest Bridges
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/architecture/4335705

After waiting eagerly for a number of hours, excited motorists crossed over the new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge this past Monday evening. To the great relief of California officials and the driving public, this new bridge replaces a structure that was damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The 2,047-foot span is designed to withstand the strongest earthquake estimated by seismologists to occur at the site over a 1,500 year period. It's a major step forward in the long-term planning for the physical infrastructure of the Bay area. Steve Homing, the executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, noted that "despite the journey's length, it has been completed before the arrival of our next big earthquake." Some were more sanguine, including James Ghielmetti, a member of the California Transportation Commission, who observed "California must do a better job going forward on all of our public works projects." [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to an article on the new Bay Bridge span from this Tuesday's USA Today. The second link will take interested parties to a piece from this Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle about the measures taken to ensure that the new bridge can withstand a major earthquake. Moving on, the third link will take users to a great article from Monday's San Francisco Chronicle discussing the public celebration for the bridge, which included a reading from California's poet laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera. The fourth link whisks visitors to the official homepage of the Bay Bridge. Here visitors can learn about the project's budget, technical details, and timeline of events associated with this major undertaking. The fifth link will take users to a great site that tells the story of how the nearby Golden Gate Bridge was built, along with poems from the project's chief engineer, Joseph B. Strauss. The final link leads visitors to a site created by Popular Mechanics, telling the story of the 18 most curious bridges from around the world.