The Scout Report - July 28, 1995

July 28, 1995

A Service to the Internet Community Provided by the InterNIC


The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators, the InterNIC's primary audience. However everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML) or visit the Web version of the Scout Report on the InterNIC server:http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/

Additional information and detailed access and subscription instructions are included at the end of each Scout Report.

Highlights In This Week's Report:

World Wide Web

  • The 1995 International Plowing Match & Farm Machinery Show in Ontario, Canada has a site of the Web. The IPM is a non-profit organization of volunteers which annually organizes Canada's largest farm machinery show. The event is commercial and educational. Thousands of school children and educators attend and participate in organized educational activities.
    http://www.plowingmatch.org/
  • The At-Risk Institute, A new national institute devoted to improving education for at- risk students has just unveiled its home page on the Web. Dozens of studies, four national research centers, & experts on at-risk issues are featured in this new area created by the At-Risk Institute. Formally known as the National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students, this institute is to serve as a focal point for *what is known* about improving education for students who are considered at risk of educational failure (because of limited English proficiency, poverty, race, geographic location, or economic disadvantage).
    http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/At-Risk/
  • "c|net central" is a Web site, weekly programming newsletter, and a TV show. Probably the first Web site to have its own TV show (or is it the TV show that has the Web site? ) c|net central is a good site for selected technology news, columns, reviews, sites to see, and more. The TV show is broadcast several times weekly on the USA and Sci-Fi channels (times are listed on the Web site and in the email version) and offers stories about the events and culture of the 'Net. You don't have to register to use the Web version, but registering will allow you to search the site, enter contests, and receive Digital Dispatch, an emailed weekly preview of the weekend TV show and Web site updates.
    http://www.cnet.com/
  • The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago now offers an interactive tour of the newest public exhibit, DNA to Dinosaurs, including moving images and sound. If you have a Silicon Graphics workstation you can also view in 3-D.
    http://www.bvis.uic.edu/museum/
  • Global Schoolhouse(TM) Project update: Global Schoolhouse is very much alive and well - and growing. The concept for a "global schoolhouse" originated in 1985 when teachers in San Diego linked their students to classrooms on the east coast. With a grant from the National Science Foundation in 1992, the Global SchoolNet Foundation (GSN) launched the official Global Schoolhouse Pilot Project that showcased live video-conferencing over the Internet. Global SchoolNet Foundation is very interested in identifying schools, organizations, businesses, and individuals who want to become partners in expanding the concept of the Global Schoolhouse. This is an international effort to encourage "change agents" to work together to improve education and to support lifelong learning. Visit the newly updated Web site and enter the WWWeb Contest to win free software and other prizes by answering the "questions of the week." You can also join two new mailing lists which distribute information about K-12 collaborative projects, training materials, the CU-SeeMe video conferencing software, and more. (See the email section below for mailing list information)
    http://gsn.org
  • Urban Education Web (UEweb) offers manuals, brief articles, annotated bibliographies, reviews, summaries of outstanding publications, and conference announcements in urban education. UEweb is an integral part of the National Parent Information Network and AskERIC, an educational organization with years of experience providing information over computer networks. The site serves educators, parents, and others interested in this important topic. Many items in UEweb are published by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education and are available for free or a nominal charge, as described in its publication list.
    http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu
  • Yahoo!, acclaimed by many as one of the best search tools on the network, has been updated and re-organized for easier use. There are fewer top-level categories to browse, and the most popular second-level categories are visible from the top page so you can access more directories with a single click. If you use the Netscape Navigator 1.1N browser the directories are displayed in two columns, resulting in less scrolling. Newsfeeds from Reuters are available and selected articles are highlighted on the top page. The search form is conveniently accessed, and be sure to select "options" to focus your search. Graphics have been added, but they are small and easy to download as a service to the 14.4 jockeys out there in 'Net land. And a text-only version is still available. Plans are to switch to the new service overnight on July 31, keeping the same address.
    http://www.yahoo.com/

Gopher

  • The Agricultural Trade and Marketing Information Center at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers publications on global marketing issues and links to related sites.
    [Note: Originally reviewed as a gopher site; gopher site has been replaced by web site.]
    http://www.nalusda.gov/atmic/index.html
  • CapAccess, The National Capital Area Public Access Network, Inc. is a non-profit organization which operates a public-access education and information system for the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
    www.CapAccess.org:80/hGET%20/
    [Note: Originally reviewed as a gopher site; gopher site has been replaced by web site.]
  • The Minnesota Extension Service gopher is provided as a service to the public and offers news releases, brochures, publications, and other material produced by MES. In addition there are pointers to other state Extension Services and other resources at the University of Minnesota.
    http://www.extension.umn.edu/
    [Note: Originally reviewed as a gopher site; gopher site has been replaced by web site.]

Electronic Mailing Lists

  • The Global SchoolNet Foundation is hosting two new mailing lists. (See WWW section above for more details.) * globalschoolnet-watch@gsn.org This list provides periodic updates of collaborative projects, training materials, and special events focusing on using the Internet to make education more effective.
    send email to lists@gsn.org
    in the body of the message type:
    subscribe globalschoolnet-watch your.first.name your.last.name * cu-seeme-schools@gsn.org This list connects K12 schools around the world who have the capability to do CU-SeeMe video conferencing over the Internet. The list is used to announce upcoming special events and opportunities for schools to participate in live videoconferences with schools, scientists, authors, government, business, and community leaders.
    send email to lists@gsn.org
    in the body of the message type:
    subscribe cu-seeme-schools your.first.name your.last.name
    • The bookmarket mailing list provides an ongoing discussion of copyright issues and is run by a publishing professional. Informational messages are also posted.
      send email to majordomo@ttx.com
      in the body of the message type:
      subscribe bookmarket your.email.address.here
      • The Global Diversity Forum is a discussion list for individuals engaged in human resource management, education, social work, training, and anyone else in a group-leader/managerial capacity. Diversity Forum is offered through the Institute for Global Communication, a US member of the Association for Progressive Communications and is hosted by the National Association for Diversity Management. The main purpose of Global Diversity Forum is to provide a platform of cross-disciplinary communication on a global level with a focus on aspects of human relations in business, education and social work. In addition to the global dialogue the mailing list serves as a resource for up-to-date information on conferences, books in print, professional publications and reviews of articles and research papers. Broad participation is sought, with contributions from practitioners, researchers, and consultants in the fields of education, human resource management and social work/science, especially from our colleagues in the Republics of Russia, Africa, South and Central America, SE Asia and China.
        send email to: MAJORDOMO@IGC.APC.ORG
        in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE DIVERSITY-FORUM

      NetBytes

      • As of June 30, 1995, there were 67,677 commercial domains registered with InterNIC compared with 29,202 at December 31, 1994. 7,554 domains were added in the month of June 1995. Although the gain was impressive, it represents a falloff from the May 1995 pace when over 10,000 domains were registered. (As reported by Mike Walsh of Internet Info)
        http://www.webcom.com/~walsh
        [Note: When last checked by the Internet Scout team, this site URL was no longer available.]
      • A Windows '95 home page is available with "hot news", documentation, and a long, long list of upcoming books on the topic. Links to dozens of other Win '95 pages are provided.
        http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/win/Window95.html

      Weekend Scouting

      • The Adventures of Wells Fargo Web page offers authentic stories from the days of the Gold Rush and stagecoach travel, including "What a Way to Go" -- a list of "Hints for Plains Travelers" as published by the Omaha Herald in 1877. The hints include where to sit and what to wear for the most comfort, and how to act. A favorite is "Spit on the leeward side of the coach." Other articles and photos describe the classic coach, a "cradle on wheels" as named by Mark Twain, and the customs of stagecoach travel. Fun to visit. And sho 'nough, you can do some banking while you're there.
        http://wellsfargo.com/about/stories/
      • Fashion Net, "The Global Meeting Point for the World of Fashion" offers pointers to a dozen or more of the better on-line magazines with a slick look and sections on fashion, style, entertainment, and whatever else has been declared cool on a given day. Sites meant for the general public are under "Fashion and Style" while services for the industry are kept under "Fashion Industry". You can link to the Elite modeling agency, agent to some of the worlds top models, or check-out the scene in Paris, London, and Italy. Designs schools are included as well as a yellow-pages and an employment bulletin board.
        http://www.fashion.net/

      About the Scout Report

      The Scout Report is a weekly publication offered by the InterNIC to the Internet community as a fast, convenient way to stay informed about network activities. Its purpose is to combine in one place selected new (and newly-discovered) Internet resources.

      A wide range of topics are included in the Report with an emphasis on resources thought to be of interest to the InterNIC's primary audience, the research and education community. Each resource has been verified for substantial content and accessibility within a day of the release of the Report.

      The Scout Report is provided in multiple formats -- mailing lists for both a plain text and HTML version; gopher; and World Wide Web. The gopher and World Wide Web versions of the Report include links to all listed resources. The report is released every weekend.

      In addition to the plain text version, the Scout Report is distributed in HTML format allowing sites to post the Scout Report on local WorldWideWeb servers each week. The result is faster access for local users. You are welcome and encouraged to re-post and re-distribute the report. Note that copyright statements appear on all versions of the Scout Report, and we ask that these be included when re-posting or re-distributing.

      If you haven't yet subscribed or told your friends and colleagues, now is the time. Spread the news by word-of-net. Join 20,000 of your colleagues already using the Scout Report as a painless tool for tracking what's new on the 'Net!

      Comments and contributions to the Scout Report are encouraged and can be sent to scout@cs.wisc.edu

      -- Susan Calcari
      InterNIC Info Scout

      Scout Report Access Methods

      • To receive the electronic mail version of the Scout Report each Friday, join the scout-report mailing list. You will receive one message a week -- the Scout Report every weekend.

        Send email to: majordomo@dstest.internic.net in the body of the message, type:

        subscribe scout-report
        to unsubscribe to the list, repeat this procedure substituting the word "unsubscribe" for subscribe.
        • To receive the Scout Report in HTML format for local posting, subscribe to the scout-report-html mailing list, used exclusively to distribute the Scout Report in HTML format once a week.

          Send mail to: majordomo@dstest.internic.net in the body of the message, type:

          subscribe scout-report-html

          Resource Addressing Conventions

          After each resource in the Scout Report one or more network addresses are listed. Every attempt is made to use the same convention in each listing for the network address of each resource. It is assumed that users recognize the type of address and know how to use it. However, for those users unfamiliar with the Internet we provide here the order in which addresses are listed (by network tool) and instructions for accessing additional information in the InterNIC InfoGuide about each network tool. A brief explanation of one tool, WWW is included below.

          The four network tools referenced most often in the Scout Report are World Wide Web, gopher, email, and FTP. Occasionally WAIS and Telnet addresses are also listed.

          After each resource at least one address is listed, and sometimes more. This is because some resources are available using multiple network tools. The network tool addresses are always listed in the same order after each resource:

          • World Wide Web (WWW)
          • Gopher
          • FTP
          • Email
          • Telnet
          • WAIS
          A WWW address is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and always begins with a string of characters followed by a colon and two forward slashes. For example:

          http://www.internic.net/
          gopher://gibbs.oit.unc.edu:70/11/research.d/grants.d
          ftp://ftp.digex.net/pub/access/hecker/internet/slip-ppp.txt

          To access the resource through the WWW you can use a WWW browser installed on your desktop computer, or a "command-line" WWW client on your local Internet host computer. Web browsers are available for all major computer platforms, including Macintosh, PC, and UNIX. Check with your local support center or your Internet Service Provider for more information about Web browsers installed on the Internet host computer or for your desktop computer.

          Copyright Susan Calcari, 1995.

          Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice, this permission notice, and the two paragraphs below are preserved on all copies.

          The InterNIC provides information about the Internet and the resources on the Internet to the US research and education community under the National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material.

          Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, AT&T, or Network Solutions, Inc.