June 28, 1996
A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Science Department, University of Wisconsin
A Project of 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. Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.
http://rs.internic.net/scout/report
Research and Education
- Environmental Impacts of Water Quality in the United States
- Rettig on Reference--reviews of reference works and sites
- Cyberbotanica: Plant Compounds and Chemotherapy, from the Indiana University BioTech project
- Education Place--Houghton Mifflin
- Pedinfo--pediatrics
- Media and Communications Studies
General Interest
- Selective Service System Home Page
- National Geographic Society
- Boston Review--A Progressive Journal of Politics and Culture
- Quotations Page--updated and redesigned
- folkwatch Discussion List
Network Tools
Environmental Impacts of Water Quality in the United StatesThis report, published by the Environmental Protection Agency, describes water quality in the United States using a set of 18 environmental indicators that measure progress toward national water goals and objectives. The report is available as a twenty-four page Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) document or as a set of HTML pages, and includes a selection of fact sheets about the individual indicators of water quality. Contents: Water Quality Objectives and Indicators; Water Resources; Human Activities and Their Effect on Water Quality; Water Quality Objectives and Indicators; and Water Quality Monitoring and Information Management. References are available.
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/indic/
Table of contents is located at:
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/indic/tblcont.html
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Rettig on Reference--reviews of reference works and sites
Rettig on Reference is a service of H. W. Wilson. Each month it presents reviews of approximately twenty new adult reference books and several Internet-based reference sources. Items reviewed are selected for their relevance to the North American library community. Online publication began in October 1995. This month's selection includes twenty-one books and one online source (a fairly typical proportion), with topics ranging from abortion to the Sierra Club to Miss Manners. Librarians and others interested in keeping current on reference materials can add this site to their bookmark list and get the benefit of James Rettig's perspective once a month. Includes index to titles reviewed in each year.
http://www.hwwilson.com/Rettig/Retind97.html
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Cyberbotanica: Plant Compounds and Chemotherapy, from the Indiana University BioTech project.
This site is intended to inform users about the uses of plant compounds in medical research and treatment. This first chapter focuses on the use of plant compounds in the search for more effective cancer treatments. It also includes a twenty-question quiz on the use of botanicals for the treatment of cancer, using a web form to evaluate the user's responses. Many of the scientific terms are linked by hypertext to the BioTech project's free online biotechnology dictionary. Other topics are in development, including plants used in bioremediation, fungi that produce antibiotics, and genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. "The information in this site is not a replacement for advice from licensed medical professionals, and people should not attempt to medicate themselves or others with the plants listed here. Many are poisonous, and some people may be severely allergic to the ones that aren't."
http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/botany/
Indiana BioTech project:
http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/
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Education Place--Houghton Mifflin
For teachers looking for new ideas, for parents trying to rescue children from summer boredom, and for kids who would like to try some new activities (and learn something along the way) Houghton Mifflin offers the Education Place. This web site includes a Math Center, a Reading/Language Arts Center, and a Social Studies Center. Each Center has activities, links to related web resources, suggestions for reading, and resources for teachers. Throughout the site are ideas for parents and kids, as well as resources that specifically instruct teachers on how to enrich their curricula.
http://www.eduplace.com/
Text-only index is available at:
http://www.hmco.com/hmco/school/main.html
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Pedinfo--pediatrics
This web site gathers pointers to Internet resources for pediatricians and others interested in pediatrics. As the editor of the site points out, the only criterion for inclusion in this index is, "Would this resource be of use to a pediatrician?" Sections include: conditions and diseases, subspecialties and areas of study, institutions, education, publications, software, Internet exploration, parenting, and information on the PEDINFO mailing list on pediatric medical informatics. A search engine for the entire site is available. A notable resource is the "Help" page, which is a guide to finding pediatric information on the Internet, not just on this particular site.
http://www.uab.edu/pedinfo/index.html
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Media and Communications Studies
This is a British-based gateway to Web resources useful in the academic study of media and communication. The pages use frames to provide a panel of navigational icons along the side of the browser window. As the server is located in Wales, the initial loading of the homepage may require some patience for those users located in other areas, but once the icons are loaded navigation is straightforward. The site is organized into sixteen areas, including film studies, media influence, textual analysis, and gender, class, & ethnicity. Several of the links are preformatted searches of the Alta Vista index, providing up-to-date information on media-related topics.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgc/media.html
A frameless version is available:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgc/medmenu.html
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The most important question is answered at the top of the home page: "How do I register with the Selective Service System?" There is also a "Who Must Register" chart for quick reference. Users will also find information about conscientious objection, the relationship between registration and federal government services and benefits, and "women and the draft." There is a link to the Consumer Information Center's "Information for Registrants" booklet, now available on the web. Those interested in further research will find a bibliography of books on selective service and the draft.
http://www.sss.gov/
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National Geographic Society
This site, updated daily, provides highlights from the Society's three print magazines: National Geographic, World, and Traveler. Also included: the Map Machine, which provides political and physical maps of the world; Flashback, which allows the viewer to see photographs and maps from the NGS archives; and Gold Mine, an archive of questions and answers from NGS members and others. Users may also send a virtual postcard with an NGS photograph to anyone with an email address. The site's search engine is not yet implemented, but there is the NGS Publication Index, which includes listings for National Geographic magazines, books, and videos. Registration, free of charge, is offered but not required to view the site.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/main.html
An index to the site is available:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/contents/
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Boston Review -- A Progressive Journal of Politics and Culture
Calling itself "a left center of gravity magazine of ideas," the Boston Review brings its bimonthly magazine to the Internet with this web site. The site includes the full text of the past three volumes of the magazine, prominent links to the most popular articles, and a comprehensive author index. Contributions range from highly topical articles (abortion, taxes) to interviews and "meditations," and, of course, include many reviews of current poetry, fiction, and books. "Past Hits from the Review" offers a selection of important features, fiction and reviews from recent issues.
http://www-polisci.mit.edu/BostonReview/
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Quotations Page--updated and redesigned
Sporting a new look and user interface, as well as five hundred new quotations (and a new URL, so check your bookmark file!), this site allows the user to search ten Internet quotation archives for keywords. A new advanced search page offers the choice to search by the text of quotations, author or subject, or all fields; users may search in more than one collection at a time on the advanced search page. The site also provides links to other quotation resources on the Internet, organized by topic. This site is not a replacement for a standard quotation reference source, but rather a constantly expanding selection of quotations available on the Internet.
http://www.starlingtech.com/quotes/
Random quotation page:
http://www.starlingtech.com/quotes/randquote.cgi
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folkwatch Discussion List
The folkwatch list is created to serve as a means of communication for the folk and traditional arts, dance and music community (the community). Appropriate topics for this list include but are not limited to: discussions of political, social and economic factors affecting the promotion and sustenance of the community; announcements and discussions of activities intended to create a stronger sense of unity within the community; and announcements and information regarding resources and events of interest to the community.
To subscribe send e-mail to majordomo@ac.net
in the body type:
subscribe folkwatch
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The "starting out" section of this site offers a basic overview of the Internet, a guide to subject indexes and search tools, and links to resources on "netiquette." In addition to covering the most commonly used Internet technologies, the "applications" section covers creating homepages, finding Internet software, and getting connected. Each page of resources is large, but the annotations will help the beginner find needed information quickly. Users may also participate in a forum on the Internet.
http://www.screen.com/start/guide/
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MUDs and MOOs as Educational Tools
>From Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in New York comes this collection of online resources dealing with MUD (Multi-User Dimension) and MOO (MUD Object Oriented) environments for teaching and learning. There are links to information about the theory behind MOOs and setting up a MOO, as well as FAQs and common MOO commands. If you have no idea what a MOO is, this is a good place to start.
http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/moo.html
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The Scout Report's Web page:
http://rs.internic.net/scout/report</ A>FTP:
ftp://rs.internic.net/scout/[Back to Contents]Copyright Susan Calcari, 1996. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison, the National Science Foundation, AT&T, or Network Solutions, Inc.
