January 3, 1997
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). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.
Research and Education
- Two New Resources from Berkeley Digital Library SunSite
- North American Integration Three Years After NAFTA: A Framework for Tracking, Modeling, and Internet Accessing the National and Regional Labor Market Impacts
- Gallery of Interactive Geometry
- Ariadne--Internet Issues for Librarians and Information Specialists
- A Web of On-line Grammars
- Mantovano-Virgil and His Influence Mailing List
General Interest
- A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce--from the Information Infrastructure Task Force
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Resources
- Piper US State Court Decisions Directory
- World Travel Guide
- Mediadome
- mb-list MicroBusiness Discussion List
Network Tools
Two New Resources from Berkeley Digital Library SunSite
California Heritage Digital Image Access Project
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CalHeritage/
The PATH (Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways) Database
http://www.nas.edu/trb/about/path1.html
The well known Berkeley Digital Library SunSite, discussed in the February 9, 1996 Scout Report, has recently added two new resources to its collection. California Heritage Digital Image Access Project is "a 'digital' archive containing photographs, pictures, and manuscripts from the collections of the Bancroft Library." The site is unique in that it "embed[s] digital representations of the primary sources directly within the documents--archival finding aids--created by the Bancroft Library's curators and archivists to describe the collections of which they are part." At present there are 39 finding aids linked to over 3,300 images, which are available for viewing in 3 resolutions. The browsable and searchable finding aids include "1934 International Longshoremen's Association and General Strike," "California Mission Sketches by Henry Miller, 1856," and "San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Stereographs, 1906," among others. For those unfamiliar with the structure of archival finding aids, the photos can be found under "container list." The PATH database, maintained by the Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library at the University of California, is "the world's largest bibliographical database pertaining to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)." It is searchable and browsable (Browse by ITS Thesaurus Term), and contains over 9,000 records and abstracts "including monographs, journal articles, conference papers, technical reports, theses and selected media coverage," dating back to the 1940s. [JS]
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North American Integration Three Years After NAFTA: A Framework for Tracking, Modeling, and Internet Accessing the National and Regional Labor Market Impacts
http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/NAFTA96/
UCLA North American Integration and Development Center
http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/
This report, provided by the North American Integration and Development Center at the University of California-Los Angeles, reviews "recent approaches that have been used to estimate changes in the pattern of trade and integration and their potential impacts on employment gains and losses," and proposes alternative methodologies for estimating trade patterns and employment impacts of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Among the key conclusions: "The overall pattern of US-Mexico trade and investment...has not significantly changed since the implementation of NAFTA"; "The lowering of tariffs through NAFTA has not had a significant impact on the rate of growth of imports or exports between Mexico and the United States"; and "Most previous studies on NAFTA have significantly over-estimated job displacements due to imports from Mexico and, to a lesser extent, the numbers of jobs supported by exports," among others. The NAID Center site provides information about the Center, including its publications and a NAFTA effects tracking database. [JS]
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Gallery of Interactive Geometry
http://www.geom.umn.edu/apps/gallery.html
The Geometry Center
http://www.geom.umn.edu/
Provided by the Center for the Computation and Visualization of Geometric Structures, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center at the University of Minnesota, the Gallery of Interactive Geometry offers users ten web-based applications that explore different aspects of geometry. "Build a Rainbow," for example, allows users to manipulate the light entering a prism to see the effects of changes in angle and wavelength, while "QuasiTiler" draws Penrose tilings and their generalizations. The user interface is as consistent as can be expected given the range of subjects covered; most applications present the user with a form, and return .gif files based on the parameters entered. Each application also offers background lessons on the concepts involved, as well as help with the application itself. The site is a good example of how powerful computing can be brought to the desktop through the web. [ML]
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Ariadne--Internet Issues for Librarians and Information Specialists
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/
Ariadne is "a Web and print magazine of Internet issues for librarians and information specialists" to aid in leading them out of the labyrinth. Written for a Higher Education UK audience, and issued bimonthly, Ariadne still has many tidbits for the non-UK crowd working with similar issues. These issues include specifics about and research into system development, conference updates, various technologies, regular columns and (self-titled) odds and ends. Searching is available. The electronic edition, which sometimes includes longer, fuller articles, may be updated after publication while the print edition is not. The electronic edition is free to all web users while the print copy is free "to various educational and research institutions." [ATW]
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A Web of On-line Grammars
http://www.bucknell.edu/~rbeard/grammars.html
Robert Beard, Professor and Chair of the Russian Program at Bucknell University, has compiled this page of links to online grammar resources for more than twenty languages. The criteria for inclusion is that the grammars "are accurate and useful for learning the language they describe." Most languages are represented by a single site, and only a few have two or three sites listed; each entry provides the name of the resource author, but no further information. The offerings range from "Survival Bengali" to "An Integral Dutch Course" to Professor Beard's own "On-line Russian Reference Grammar." Most of the sites were developed or are supported by university faculty around the world; some are still being completed, but most are fairly polished and inviting to the language learner. An additional page of morphology links connects to sites that will conjugate verbs, assist in declensions, and provide morphological analysis in response to user input. [ML]
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Mantovano--Virgil and His Influence Mailing List
Mantovano, the Virgil mailing list, exists to discuss: (1) the works attributed to Publius Vergilius Maro; (2) commentary on Virgil and his works; and (3) Virgil's influence on subsequent literature. [JS]
To subscribe send email to:
majordomo@wilsoninet.com
In the body of the message type:
subscribe mantovano
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A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce--from the Information Infrastructure Task Force
http://www.iitf.nist.gov/electronic_commerce.htm
The US President's Information Infrastructure Task Force (IIT) has recently released a draft of this report, which is concerned with "preparing a strategy to help accelerate the growth of global commerce across the Internet." Major policy recommendations include: "fostering the Internet as a non-regulatory, market-driven medium"; "ensuring a transparent and harmonized global legal environment"; and "allowing competition and consumer choice to shape the marketplace." The report is a joint effort of the Executive Office of the President, the Departments of State, the Treasury, Justice, and Commerce, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission. [JS]
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http://endangered.fws.gov/endspp.html
The US Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species Program web pages are highlighted by a list of endangered species in the US. This list is available by state and type of animal or plant. There is also a foreign species index. Links from selected species lead to more information about those species, including photos or reports. The site also contains a copy of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, selected endangered species policy documents, and tables of contents and selected articles from the _Endangered Species Bulletin_, a bimonthly publication of the USFWS. This is a no-nonsense site that allows interested Internauts to keep abreast of endangered and threatened species information. [JS]
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Piper US State Court Decisions Directory
http://www.piperinfo.com/pl03/statedir.html
Piper Resources, producer of the well known State and Local Government on the Net (discussed in the January 12, 1996 issue of the Scout Report), has added a directory of US state court decisions to its web site. Compiled by Nina Platt, Librarian at the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General, it contains information on sponsor, dates covered, and courts covered for each state. It is a no-nonsense pointer site to available state court decisions, and should be a useful resource for those interested in this topic. [JS]
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World Travel Guide
http://www.wtgonline.com/
With content provided by Columbus Press Limited and supported by AT&T and a variety of other corporate sponsors, the World Travel Guide aims to be "the most comprehensive and objective guide to the travellers' world." Users select a country from a world map or an alphabetical list, and are presented with an overview (including a relatively lengthy history) and links to specific information in the following areas: accommodations, addresses, business, climate, essentials (visas, etc.), resorts, social, and travel. The consistent organization from country to country is a help for the user interested in comparing destinations. The content is drawn from Columbus's printed materials, which results in a fairly serious limitation: the lack of links to further information available on the Internet. Many tourist boards, for example, have web sites that can give the traveler more detailed information. The exception to this rule is information for drivers, which is linked to a sponsoring car rental company's website. These limitations aside, the World Travel Guide should prove a useful resource. [ML]
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Mediadome [RealAudio, StreamWorks]
http://www.mediadome.com/
c|net and Intel have recently launched this new web site, which "merges today's hottest media properties with cutting-edge technology to create a brand-new experience in Web-based entertainment." It does this via "webisodes" (one every two weeks), which allow users to enjoy interactive entertainment (music, movies, etc.). The present webisode is San Francisco New Year's Eve, which includes live performances by Los Lobos (available now), Lyle Lovett, Super Diamond, and Chris Isaac (available shortly). Visitors to the site can listen to the performances (RealAudio), or watch them (StreamWorks). Future scheduled webisodes will revolve around the new movie Turbulence and the band The Fugees. [JS]
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mb-list MicroBusiness Discussion List
This list is for discussion of very small businesses, usually one to two people maximum. Topics of interest include guerilla advertising and marketing for small businesses, discipline in the home office, sales and lead generation, time management, and any other topic of direct relevance to small office/home office businesspeople. [JS]
To subscribe send email to:
list@virtualbusiness.net
In the subject line or message type:
SUBSCRIBE
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Netscape Communicator Preview Release
http://www.netscape.com/comprod/products/communicator/index.html
Netscape Corporation has recently made available the first preview of its new Netscape Communicator (or what might be called Navigator 4.0 beta). Available at present for Windows 95 and NT, it includes an upgraded Navigator (web browser), Messenger (email), Collabra (news reader), Composer (web publishing), and Conference (conferencing). Details on the upgrades are available at the site. The company advertises these components as being seamlessly integrated, and the upgrade is another salvo in the great browser war between Netscape and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. [JS]
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http://www.claris.com/software/software.html
Claris has recently released a free updater for registered users of its HTML editor Home Page. This product is available for both the Mac and Windows95/NT, and is one of the most popular and well-reviewed Web editors. The updater changes Home Page 1.0 to version 2.0. New features of Home Page 2.0 include: easier uploading of files to a Web server, support for QuickTime and Shockwave files, client as well as server site image maps, spell checking, multiple fonts, and color coding of HTML tags. The new version also allows users to view background images as well as to drag and drop tab-delimited text files from spreadsheets to easily create tables. [PJD]
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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.
Susan Calcari
Jack Solock
Matt Livesey--
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--Project Director and Managing Editor
Editor and Internet Librarian
Production EditorContributors: Pete DeVries
Amy Tracy Wells
Aimee Glassel
Eric Hazen
Teri Boomsma--
--
--
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--Internet Tools Specialist
Internet Librarian
Internet Librarian
Tech-support/listserv/web/graphic guy
HTML and Listserve Specialist
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