The Scout Report -- Volume 26, Number 38

From song and dance to STEAM and dance, Ok Go Sandbox reminds users that learning can, and should, be fun. Using music videos from the group Ok Go as a launching point, the site provides "an online resource for educators," with "guided inquiry challenges allowing students to explore various STEAM concepts." Under the Lessons tab, readers will find six educational units. Each curriculum page features an embedded music video and corresponding lesson plan (or plans, in some cases). For example, Upside Down and Inside Out, a video exploring physics and gravity, provides math, science, and art lesson plans. Lessons are labeled with the appropriate grade level and common core state standards. In addition to the educational materials, the site has some fun bonus features. On the More page readers will find behind-the-scenes content from Ok Go, and the Ask Ok Go tab features a series of "question and answer" style videos with the group. Ok Go Sandbox is sponsored by Google, Morton Salt, and Cognizant. [EMB]

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Composed of stakeholders from several continents, the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) supports "inclusive international development and humanitarian action with a special focus on the full and effective enjoyment of human rights by all people with disabilities." Before delving into the website's resources readers should note the icons in the upper-right-hand side of the page adjust viewing formats. For example, clicking on the eye-shaped icon (labeled "Panel") allows users to change the screen color and font size, and the button below links to an easy-to-read version of the site. Those looking for topical materials may enjoy the COVID-19 and Disability Inclusion section, found on the Our Work page. Here, readers will find research, reports, and guidelines for inclusive health and education systems. The Our Work tab also highlights the IDDC's other projects, past and present. These include BRIDGE CRPD-SDGs (a training program for disability rights advocates and organizations) and Bridging the Gap II (a project "support[ing] the development, implementation and monitoring of disability inclusive sector policies and services in a participatory manner,"). Readers can stay up-to-date on the IDDC's latest projects and publications on the Newsroom page, and the Events page highlights interactive opportunities (mostly virtual). The Library page catalogs written materials, and the Category box on the right-hand panel makes it easy to filter by type (e.g. policy brief or toolkit). Looking for a job focused on inclusivity? The Jobs page features a list of opportunities in the IDDC network. [EMB]

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Created "to address the skills shortage in emerging technologies, including data science, AI, big data, cloud computing and blockchain," Cognitive Class offers free courses on data science and cognitive computing. Several "learning paths" are available, which group together multiple courses into a cohesive and topical unit. Each unit is labeled with a suggested audience, learning level, and estimated time. A full list of options is available on the Learning Paths page, including Big Data Fundamentals (introducing users to data analysis tools and trends), Spark Fundamentals (a beginner's guide to the Apache Spark framework), and Hadoop Fundamentals (exploring this open source software for processing big data). Readers can also complete individual courses (available on the Courses tab). As a reward for learning efforts, users can earn badges commemorating these new skills. Most courses are in English, but select courses are available in Japanese, Spanish, and Russian. Readers will want to create a free account to track their learning progress. [EMB]

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Celebrate National Cybersecurity Month with Cybersecurity Circus. Created by Texas A&M University's Division of Information Technology (readers may remember another one of their cybersecurity games, Aggie LIFE, from the 07-10-2020 Scout Report), this game is both fun and functional. After all, as many aspects of our life transition online, cybersecurity is increasingly important. Modeled after a traditional circus or carnival, the site lets visitors choose from four game options: Balloon Pop, Horse Race, Hoop Shoot, and Plinko. Through each game, users receive questions and challenges to "test cybersecurity knowledge and teach useful tips for staying safe online." For example, Horse Race quizzes users on malware infection and identity theft protection, and Hoop Shoot tests players on smart social media practices. Though the bonus prizes and coupons (since closed) were only available to Texas A&M students and staff, anyone can continue to play the game online. And, the real prize is the "cybersmarts" knowledge gained along the way. [EMB]

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Roots of Change (ROC), an organization that works primarily in California to change U.S. agricultural policies in order to promote the health and well-being of farmers, food producers, and consumers, presents the Flipping the Table podcast. About two years of episodes (dating back to January 2019) are available on the site, and can also be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. Installments vary in length and readers should note that episode duration is more easily discerned using one of the various podcasting services than on the site linked above. Episodes include an interview with Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm and author of Farming While Black (see the June 25, 2019 episode) and a nearly hour-long conversation with Berkely restaurateur Alice Waters (see the March 26, 2020 episode) taped near the start of pandemic lockdown where Waters discusses the effects of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry and school food. In addition to the podcast, the Our Work tab offers information about Roots of Change's other Projects and a Blog on various food-related issues. Visitors can learn more about the organization's goals and alignment by reading the pages under the Positions tab. [DS]

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How has the United States' biggest city "built" and changed over time? Urban Layers provides a first-hand look. Using data from PLUTO and the NYC Building Footprints, Urban Layers tracks New York's evolution from the 1700s to 2013. The interactive map invites users to "navigate through historical fragments of the borough that have been preserved and are currently embedded in its densely built environment." As visitors will find, certain periods were monumental for the growth of New York's "built environment." Upon entering the site, pop-up boxes provide users with basic navigation instructions. For example, the sliding bar at the top of the site adjusts the time period, and the color-coded legend in the bottom-left-corner helps decipher the date and era of each building. Urban Layers is an award-winning project of Morphcode, "an architectural practice working at the intersection of design and technology." Check out the About tab for details on the project's creation and team. Readers interested in dabbling in their own data mapping projects may enjoy Morphcode's online Mapping Urban Data course, linked in the Learn section (readers should note that there is a fee to enroll in this class). [EMB]

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Launched in 2014, the UN-Habitat's Global Urban Lectures series provides open-access discussions on "cities and urbanization," for academics and the general public. Ana Falu leads this talk, "Gender perspectives in urban planning," which focuses on "gender omission" in traditional planning processes. Falu is an architect, professor, and researcher at the National University of Cordoba and the Coordinator of the UN-Habitat UNI Gender Hub. Her lecture opens by noting that "women are omitted or have little participation in decision-making related to cities, housing, and planning decisions." In the remaining 14 minutes, she considers accessibility and equality, presenting both problems and proposed solutions. At the link above, readers can access a YouTube recording of the talk (originally aired in 2016). To view additional readings and resources for Falu's talk, as well as other lectures from UN-Habitat, visit the Global Urban Lectures section of the UN-Habitat website (following the URL included in the video description). For easy browsing, lectures can be sorted by Theme (including: environment, planning and design, and social inclusion). [EMB]

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What is the relationship between racism and real estate? The association is shaped, in part, by redlining, "the practice of denying loans in certain neighborhoods because of socioeconomic characteristics rather than physical, design, or structural characteristics." Inspired by his time as an urban planning graduate student at the University of Louisville, Joshua Poe created this story map to explore redlining's impact in Louisville, Kentucky. He relied on historical data from Home Owner's Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps and 2010 Census data to craft the project. The About and Timeline tabs provide useful background information before diving into the data. As the About section explains, housing values were based largely on the racial and socioeconomic makeup of a neighborhood, leading to "systemic devaluation and disinvestment," in majority-minority communities. The resulting housing segregation is made visible by this project's sub-sections. Several points of comparison (including race and socioeconomic status) are highlighted at the top of the page, and the menu button in the right-corner provides other sorting options (e.g. "Compare Property Values" and "Compare Zoning"). Additionally, the map key (found in the pop-up box in the left-hand corner) will help users understand the data. [EMB]

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Urban Planning provides those with an academic interest in the field open-access to peer-reviewed research. Relatively new to the academic publishing scene, the journal is committed to "advancing understandings and ideas of humankind's habitats," and hopes "to promote progress and quality of life." Under the Archives tab readers can browse the more than 25 issues released from 2016 to the present. A core theme centers each issue. For example, Volume 1, Issue 3 focuses on "Sustainable Planning and Technologies," and Volume 5, Issue 3 is titled "Cities of Inclusion: Spaces of Justice." Readers should stay tuned for upcoming issues, including Volume 5, Issue 4, "The City of Digital Social Innovators" (scheduled for release in winter 2020). The Next Issues tab has more information, including a release schedule. Readers interested in submitting a manuscript will find instructions on the For Authors page. The journal is led by Editors-in-Chief Luca D'Acci (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy), Andrew Hudson-Smith (University College London, UK), and Steffen Lehmann (University of Nevada, USA). [EMB]

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Westernized discussions of land planning are often disingenuous to the Indigenous voices and experiences that protected "the land despite generations of attempted and forced genocide, removal, and assimilation." On the Land re-centers these voices and stories. The podcast is a project of Deenaalee ("a Deg Xit'an Athabaskan and Supiaq womxn," whose pursuits include podcast production, public policy advocacy, and protection of natural resources), and Micheli Oliver (a "descendent from the Niitisapi (Blackfeet) people," who uses her photography talents as a vessel for "decolonization and social justice [and] Indigenous sovereign rights,"). So far, On the Land has released its inaugural season, Xilegg: Our Arctic Presence, which uplifts "the voices of Indigenous people from throughout the Arctic," and hopes to inspire "non-Indigenous scientists, policy makers, allies, government officials, and citizens from the north and beyond," to follow the advice of "Indigenous Knowledge holders who are our Experts." Listeners should begin with the Xilegg trailer, a short introduction to the season and its focus, before diving into the episodes. Each episode presents an in-depth discussion, ranging from forty to eighty minutes, on topics including community care and land and climate justice. Though the show went on a brief hiatus over the summer, episodes are back and will be released monthly moving forward. In addition to the podcast, the website highlights several other resources (for example, the Toolkit/Shownotes section links to readings, multimedia projects, and advocacy tools). Listeners should check back soon for updates to the Glossary and Syllabus sections. [EMB]

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Freelan is VPN software that provides a virtual LAN that connects computers anywhere in the world as if they were on the same network switch. Many of the VPN options previously covered in the Scout Report (for example, Psiphon in the 02-16-2018 issue, ProtonVPN in the 08-17-2018 issue, and TunnelBear in the 03-11-2016 issue) act as encrypted proxies that hide users' network traffic and make their computers appear to be located somewhere that they are not. However, these VPNs do not allow multiple machines connected to the service to talk to each other. In contrast, computers connected to a Freelan network can see and talk to each other. So with Freelan, geographically disparate machines can play LAN-only games, access shared drives (for example, from a NAS device), access network printers, access home automation devices, and perform any other network tasks as if they were all in the same location. A number of configuration examples are provided on the Freelan front page that demonstrate the different modes in which the software can operate. The Downloads page provides installers for Windows and macOS desktops. Users of Linux and BSD systems can find Freelan in their package repositories. [CRH]

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The Kiwix developers describe the software as an "offline reader for online content like Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg, or TED Talks." The goal of the project is to disseminate online information to people with "no or limited internet access." The Kiwix website provides a large number of "Content Packages" in the ZIM file format. This format was created by the openZIM project and is designed for the offline storage of Web content. The openZIM project was launched by Wikimedia Switzerland and receives ongoing support from the Wikimedia Foundation, among other partners. Most commonly, users select the content packages they wish to download from within the Kiwix Reader software while they have an internet connection. Alternatively, users may manually download ZIM files using the "Content Packages" link under Downloads section in the footer of the Kiwix site. Then, they can use Kiwix-Serve to share ZIM files on their computer via http with any other computer on the same network, a setup that can work nicely for a computer lab. Kwix Reader is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux desktops as well as iOS and Android devices. Kiwix-Serve is available for Windows and Linux computers. [CRH]

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How do social ideals and structural ideals combine to transform our cities and spaces? As this article last featured in the 09-06-2019 Scout Report concludes: "From ancient Rome to modern Atlanta, the shape of cities has been defined by the technologies that allow commuters to get to work in about 30 minutes."

For many people, commuting to work is an almost ubiquitous daily occurrence that most strive to keep to a reasonable length. But is this a uniquely modern difficulty, or did workers in past eras have similar commuter struggles? That question is the focus of this August 2019 CityLab article written by Jonathan English, a PhD candidate in urban planning at Columbia University. The article opens by introducing what is known as the Marchetti Constant, an idea coined by the Italian physicist Cesare Marchetti, which English describes as stating that generally "people have always been willing to commute for about a half-hour, one way, from their homes each day." English goes on to explore examples of how this principle has tended to hold true throughout the centuries, noting that "the average speed of our transportation technologies does more than anything to shape the physical structure of our cities." Examples range from pre-Industrial Rome and Paris to 19th-century railway and streetcar cities like London and Chicago, and culminate in the expressway systems that enabled the rise of suburbia and car commuting that are common today. This article, which includes several illustrative maps and images, offers readers a quick overview of the history of transportation and urban development.

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