·http://home.web.cern.ch

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN, as an acronym from the French), founded 60 years ago by Niels Bohr and other European visionaries, has revolutionized our understanding of the universe. With over 10,000 scientists from more than 100 countries working together to unravel the mysteries of dark matter, the early universe, and antimatter through the utilization of the world’s most advanced accelerators, decelerators, and detectors, CERN is an unprecedented experiment in scientific cooperation. After perusing the CERN Updates mentioned on the site’s homepage, click About CERN to watch a cleanly produced, three-minute educational video about the institute’s work. The History of CERN, an interactive graphic, can also be found here along with various activities with Accelerators, Experiments, Physics, Computing, and Engineering. [CNH]

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·http://doaj.org

At the time of this writing, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) indexes and provides access to 1,720,260 articles in 9,986 journals from 134 countries. Dozens of fields are represented here, covering ten broad areas, including Medicine, Health Sciences, Biology and Life Science, Social Sciences, and Technology and Engineering. Think about starting with Latest News, where DOAJ lists updates and interesting tidbits. The heart of the site, of course, is its Search function, where readers can search by Title, Keywords, Subject, and other categories, as well as by Journal Language, Country of Publication, and Publisher. Anyone looking for access to high-quality, peer-reviewed, freely available research will appreciate this innovative site. [CNH]

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·http://nstacommunities.org/blog/

With the new school year underway, science teachers will find much to appreciate in the National Science Teachers Association blog. Loaded with resources and packed with research on science and how to teach it, the blog is broken down by category, including Early Years, Science 2.0, The Leading Edge, and nine others. The homepage features posts from all categories in chronological order, and that’s a good place to start for readers who are looking for what’s new. Also of interest, Ms. Mentor answers science teachers’ questions about everything from lecture styles to job placement. [CNH]

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·http://www.happinessresearchinstitute.com

For a more earnest look at happiness, check out the web site of the Happiness Research Institute, an independent think tank based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The fascinating articles here make large scale surveys and empirical projects sensical and relevant to anyone with an interest in well-being- for themselves, their communities, and their nation. From the homepage, click New Report to read about why Denmark is named among the happiest countries on earth, year after year. The Projects section highlights recent undertakings by the institute, including projects on Sustainable Happiness and reports on Happiness and work. While not all reports are available here, a number of them are ready for your consumption and can be read online or downloaded as a PDF. The Research section of the site may also be of interest as it covers “easily digestible” information on happiness from around the globe. [CNH]

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·http://americasmusic.tribecafilminstitute.org

America’s Music, curated by the Tribeca Film Institute, “uses documentary films and text to engage the public in a study of some of America’s most enduring popular music.” There are six sessions on display here: The Blues and Gospel Music, Broadway and Tin Pan Alley, Swing Jazz, Country and Blue Grass, Rock, and From Mambo to Hip Hop. On the site, click any one of the categories for an engaging topic essay, as well as a Filmography, Bibliography, Discography, and related Web Sites. For instance, under the Blues and Gospel Music, readers can peruse an erudite overview by Charles F. McGovern of the College of William and Mary, for tidbits on such greats as Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, and Memphis Minnie. Best of all, the Tribeca Film Festival has brought the exhibition on the road. Click Screening Locations to find a spot in your state to view America’s Music in person. [CNH]

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·http://fusedweb.llnl.gov

The sun, which is a pretty average star, produces 100 million times more energy in a single second than we, as a global population, manage to muster in a solid year. How? Fusion. In a nutshell, fusion is the process of combining light nuclei. It’s the process of converting mass into kinetic energy. This website from the Contemporary Physics Education Project seeks to demystify the obscurities of fusion through a variety of introductory and educational materials. Check out learned elucidations of Our Sun, Other Stars and Galaxies, Inertial Confinement, and Magnetic Confinement to start, then look into the CPEP’s Online Fusion Course. The Student and Teacher Resources section is another great facet of the site, featuring online and offline education resources for undergraduate and graduate students as well as teachers and scientists. Readers of all levels will walk away with well-rounded insight into the fascinating world of fusion. [CNH]

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·http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/

While the Grad Life blog is billed as a supplement to “the graduate student experience at McGill,” there is plenty of material here that extends far beyond the boundaries of one world class Canadian university. Take the post, “What is a post-doc for (and how to succeed in getting one?)” for example. Any of the tens of thousands of students slogging through a PhD (not to mention their loved ones) would do well to contemplate Dr. Pai’s five key points addressed in this thoughtful entry. For the most part, contributions come from grad students themselves, hailing from a variety of programs and disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering, Biochemistry, and Music Education. The site can be browsed at leisure, or by Categories such as employment, grad school experience, or tricks, tips, recommendations, and ideas. [CNH]

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·http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw/

David Foster Wallace, Pulitzer Prize-nominated novelist, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and professor of literature at Pomona College, died six years ago last week at the height of his intellectual prowess. By turns hilarious and high-minded, harrowing and opaque, DFW’s novels, short stories, and essays touched hearts around the world. The Howling Fantods may appear to be just another obsequious fan site, but upon closer inspection, a world unfolds. The Front Page features continually updated blogs from numerous Foster enthusiasts and DFW 1962-2008 leads to dozens of obituaries and remembrances from around the web. For readers unfamiliar with his work, New to DFW? provides a welcome overview of the author’s life and written projects. For old fans or new converts, there is plenty on this website to enjoy. [CNH]

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·http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an independent, international nongovernmental organization with offices in 21 cities around the world (and field posts in 20 additional countries). Founded in 1978, HRW seeks to enforce fair treatment of all citizens, regardless of country, through investigation and publication of abuses. Each year, the group puts out a comprehensive World Report, which can be downloaded from the web site free of charge. The 2014 report features updates on dozens of countries, as well as analyses of themes such as The Human Rights Case for Drug Reform. For an overview of this essential document, read the Keynote, delivered by Kenneth Roth. Links to Essays, Photos and Videos, and Publications take the reader deeper into the HRW’s recent findings. [CNH]

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·http://hpc.vcea.net

This project, a collaboration between the University of Bristol, University of Lincoln, the Institut d’Asie Orientale, and TGE-Adonis, “aims to locate, archive, and disseminate” the disparate photographs of modern China held in private collections around the world. This is a particularly compelling goal, as the bulk of the photographic archives of modern China were destroyed inside the country during the 1966-69 Cultural Revolution. Five extensive collections, including hundreds of portraits and landscapes from the National Archives Collection in London, are represented on the web site. Themes include Chinese Maritime Collections and the Shanghai Municipal Police. Each collection is accompanied by a helpful introduction and includes a title and date for each image. [CNH]

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·http://www.keckobservatory.org

The W.M. Keck Observatory, named for the oil millionaire whose foundation posthumously granted $140 million for the construction of the giant telescopes on the summit of Hawaii’s dormant Mauna Kea volcano, has some advantages over other telescope locations. First, thousands of miles of thermally stable seas. Second, a dearth of nearby mountain ranges that might roil the atmosphere. Third and fourth, no city lights and a clear, calm, and dry atmosphere. Lucky for those of us who don’t get to paradise all that often, the web site is also excellent. From the homepage, readers might like to click on Fans. From there, informative articles and eye-popping images abound. Also, the Virtual Tour, which takes viewers on a step by step excursion around the site and into the telescopes, is not to be missed. [CNH]

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·http://darmuseum.org.kw/dai/the-collections/

Regarded by experts as one of a handful of the most comprehensive collections of Islamic art in the world, the al-Sabah holdings in Kuwait feature 20,000 objects from geographically and chronologically diverse locations. Nine categories - Metals, Ceramics, Glass, Ivory & Wood, Jewelry & Hardstone, Numismatics, Rugs & Textiles, Manuscripts & Calligraphy, and Stone & Stucco - can be accessed from the collections page with the click of a mouse. Within each category, short essays contextualize the beautiful photographs of ancient, medieval, and modern Islamic art in a wide variety of mediums and styles. [CNH]

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·http://www.nist.gov/building-and-fire-research-portal.cfm

The National Institute of Science and Technology’s (NIST) building and fire research programs look to forecast the needs of the building and fire industries in the United States, and provide tools for innovative technologies. This web site is loaded with fresh ideas about net-zero energy high-performance buildings, construction productivity, sustainable infrastructure materials, fire protection, and disaster-resilient structures and communities. Read about Construction Integration, Cybernetic Building Systems, and Disaster and Failure Studies. Peruse the site by Instruments, Latest Publications, and News and Events. An especially interesting Related Link takes readers to the World Trade Center Disaster Investigation, a FEMA funded analysis of the building failures that contributed to the September 11, 2001 tragedy. [CNH]

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·http://www.loc.gov/collection/warren-harding-carrie-fulton-phillips-correspondence/about-this-collection/

As the 29th president of the United States, Warren G. Harding signed the first child welfare program into law, supported the 8-hour day in response to striking railroad workers, and prepared the first federal budget. Still, most historians regard Harding’s presidency as a flop. Who was this early 20th century politician? These letters, representing a fourteen-year correspondence between Harding and his married lover, Carrie Fulton Phillips, shed new light on this question. Start with the excellent Overview, which explains the court order that kept these documents from public view for over fifty years. Then take a look at the Collection Items, where the letters have been individually scanned. Lastly, Articles and Essays contains timelines for Harding, Phillips, and their relationship. [CNH]

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·http://autograph-abp.co.uk

According to its About page, "Autograph ABP is a charity that works internationally in photography, cultural identity, race, representation and human rights." To this end, Autograph ABP organizes exhibitions, public events, and publications as well as collaborates with artists and scholars. The Events and Exhibitions sections of the website list an ambitious program of events, mostly happening in London, with a few in Toronto and Arles, France. For virtual visitors, there's a nice collection of Multimedia, including interviews with a wide variety of artists and photographers, and documentaries, such as "The Olympic Move: The Relocation of Travellers in Hackney,” a short story about Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers who were relocated in 2007 to make way for the Olympics. A few areas of the site are under construction - One of Autograph ABP's stated initiatives is to license the images created during its events, exhibitions, and projects through its image bank. However, the new online image bank, slated to be released in autumn 2013, is not ready yet. Trying to click through to the archives gets the dreaded 404, file not found. These caveats aside, there's still an awful lot of good material to look at on Autograph ABP. [DS]

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·https://www.apple.com/icloud/find-my-iphone.html

Installing this free app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac could save you a lot of trouble. In addition to finding a lost device on a map, Find My iPhone allows you to sign in with the Apple ID you use for iCloud and remotely lock it, play a sound, display a message, or erase all your data. This helpful tool requires iOS 7.0 or later. [CNH]

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·http://www.lumosity.com

Lumosity is an extremely popular app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 6.0 and later). Developed by neuroscientists, the clean and user-friendly interface features a suite of games designed to improve cognitive processes in five areas: speed, memory, attention, flexibility, and problem solving. The games are fun and - who knows? - they might even make you smarter. One caveat: after a short free trial period, monthly subscriptions start at around $6.70 a month. [CNH]

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Water on Earth is older than the sun, scientists say
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-old-water-on-earth-20140923-story.html

Study finds solar system’s water older than the sun
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-space-water-idUSKCN0HK28320140925

Study Finds Solar System’s Water Is Older Than the Sun
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/study-finds-solar-systems-water-older-sun-n211726

University of Michigan: Astronomy
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/astro/research/overview

The ancient heritage of water ice in the solar system
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6204/1590.short

Water Vapor Found on Neptune-Sized Exoplanet
http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/water-vapor-found-on-neptune-sized-exoplanet-140925.htm

This week a team of astronomers from the University of Michigan made an astounding claim. Up to half of earth’s water, they said, is old. How old? Really, really old. Like, older than the earth itself. Older, actually, than the life-giving star, our sun, that birthed the solar system we call home more than 4.5 billion years ago. This finding has big implications. For one thing, it means that water might be common in young planetary systems, which might mean life in other, distant systems could be more possible that we thought. It also raises some big questions. For instance, if water hitched a ride to earth on asteroids and comets, as most theorists believe, than where did it come from? How did it form? Unlocking these questions may get us one step closer to solving other mysteries of the universe. [CNH]

The first link, from Deborah Netburn at the Los Angeles Times, provides a thoughtful overview of the study’s results. The second and third links, from Reuters and NBC News, respectively, deepen the narrative, with approachable explanations of the computer models the researchers used, as well as reactions from the scientific community. Follow the fourth link to the astronomy department at the University of Michigan, where you can read about the researchers who put forth this groundbreaking theory, and look into the work investigators are doing in the fields of Cosmology, Extreme Astrophysics, and Stars & Exoplanets. More ambitious readers may like to follow the fifth link to the original article, which can be digested in full on Science’s site. Lastly, have a look at a related story that has members of the astronomy community on the edge of their seats: water vapor on a far off exoplanet.