The Scout Report

October 24, 1997

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
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.

Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/
The third issues of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics, each of which annotate over twenty new and newly discovered Internet resources, are available. The In the News section of the Social Science Report annotates five sites related to the European Monetary Union and the EURO, and the Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates six options resources. [JS]
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Science and Technology Centers (STC) Integrative Partnerships Program Solicitation--NSF
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/start.htm
STC Integrative Partnerships
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/stc/
The US National Science Foundation Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure has announced a new program solicitation. The STC Program "fund[s] important basic research and education activities and... encourage[s] technology transfer and innovative approaches to interdisciplinary program[s]. Science and Technology Centers build intellectual and physical infrastructure within and between disciplines, weaving together knowledge creation, knowledge integration, and knowledge transfer." NSF expects to grant eight to ten awards. Proposal information, eligibility guidelines, size and duration of the awards, and proposal deadlines are available at the site. The Integrative Partnerships site contains more information about the Program, as well as links to twenty-five existing STCs. [JS]
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Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) Expanded DEA Site
http://www.trac.syr.edu/tracdea/index.html
TRAC, a nonpartisan "data gathering, data research and data distribution organization" located at Syracuse University (discussed in the August 8, 1997 Scout Report) has updated its widely respected Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) site (free registration required). Under New Findings, users can view a summary of TRAC's latest analyses of the DEA's performance during the last five years. Users can examine findings and data graphics organized into three sections: Enforcement Trends Over Time, DEA at Work, and District Enforcement (for 1992-1996). Additional information is available on criminal statutes enforced by the DEA, as well as the sources of TRAC's data and the operation of the Clearinghouse itself. The updated DEA site is another excellent effort by this nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing valuable information to concerned citizens, the press, and legislators. [MD]
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County Business Patterns 1995--US Census Bureau [.pdf]
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html
Adobe Acrobat Reader
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html
The US Census Bureau has made available the state publications for the 1995 version of its annual County Business Patterns 1995 series (Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only). Data available include employment, payroll, and number of establishments by Standard Industrial Code category. Establishments are further broken down by nine employment size classes ranging from 1-4 to 1,000 or more. The US volume is forthcoming. Complete 1993 and 1994 (also .pdf format) series are available at the site. [JS]
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Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG)
http://sosig.ac.uk/
SOSIG, part of eLib (Electronic Libraries Programme) and ROADS (Resource Organization And Discovery in Subject-based services), is one of the UK's finest social science resource metapages. The SOSIG catalog links to thousands of social science research and education resources, selected and described by a librarian or subject specialist. Users can browse by subject or search by title, description, keywords, country, or language. Librarians may also be interested in SOSIG's subject guides, which can be downloaded for free from the document archive. An additional and invaluable feature is the What's New section, which provides weekly updates on the latest quality social science resources on the web. [MD]
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National Center for Health Statistics [.pdf]
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nchshome.htm
NCHS is the Federal Government's principal vital and health statistics agency. The web site provides "data on vital events as well as information on health status, lifestyle and exposure to unhealthy influences, the onset and diagnosis of illness and disability, and the use of health care." Data available include: tobacco use, life expectancy and long-term illnesses. News releases and fact sheets provide information about the latest health research. Note that many of the publications are available in Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only. [THN]
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Electronic Component News Online--Chilton Company
http://www.ecnmag.com/
This site, a product of the Chilton Company, features the Electronic Industry Telephone Directory (EITD), a browsable and searchable list of "over 30,000 sources of electronic products and services and more than 3,000 product categories." A no-nonsense search interface allows user entry into the database via product or company (Boolean AND and phrase searching only are supported at this time and there is no geographic searching). Address and contact information is provided. Information on whether companies are product or service vendors, as well as whether they are manufacturers, distributors, ISO 9000 certified, or meet mil-spec may also be indicated. The ECN Online site also contains a product library, news of the electronics industry, software demos (registration required), and an interactive forum, among other features. [JS]
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Romantic Circles
http://www.inform.umd.edu/RC/
Romantic Praxis
http://www.rc.umd.edu/praxis/
Romantic Circles, edited by three professors of English a the University of Maryland, Delaware, and Loyola University (Chicago), along with a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is a site devoted to the younger Romantic authors. It is highlighted by Romantic Praxis: Theory and Criticism. RP is "devoted to using computer technologies for the contemporary critical investigation of the languages, cultures, histories, and theories of Romanticism." RP is being released as a series of "volumes," three of which are presently available. Early Shelley: Vulgarisms, Politics, and Fractals, contains five articles on the English poet. The Last Formalist, or W.J.T. Mitchell as Romantic Dinosaur features a long interview with Mitchell, a University of Chicago professor and editor of Critical Theory. Romanticism and Conspiracy contains five essays originally conceived at a 1996 Conference of the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism. Seven more volumes are currently in preparation. RC has also recently added an anthology resource and a Mary Shelley hypertext to its collection of Romantic resources. [JS]
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Agricultural Genome Information System--NAL
http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/alldbs.html
This site, provided by the Genome Informatics Group, includes members from the University of Maryland-College Park, Texas A&M University, and the National Agricultural Library. The project is funded by the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, and National Genetic Resources Program. Databases at the National Agricultural Library section contain data in the following areas: Plant Genome, Livestock Animal Genome, Other Organism Genome, Plant Reference, and Insect Reference. The databases can be browsed or queried. This site is excellent not only for the wealth of data it contains, but also for its multiple searching options. [TB]
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President Clinton's Address to the National Geographic Society on Global Climate Change [RealAudio]
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/society/ngo/events/97/clinton/
Transcript of President Clinton's Speech
http://www.whitehouse.gov/Initiatives/Climate/19971022-6127.html
White House Initiative on Climate Change
http://www.whitehouse.gov/Initiatives/Climate/
Less graphical entrance:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/Initiatives/Climate/main.html
On October 22, 1997, President Clinton addressed the National Geographic Society on the issue of global climate change and global warming. This site contains the President's speech, along with a speech by Vice President Gore (in RealAudio format). Together, the speeches take a bit over thirty-six minutes. Note that the President's remarks begin at about 10 minutes and 50 seconds into the recording. For those without audio capabilities, the speech can be accessed from the White House Initiative on Global Climate Change site, which also contains other related information on the initiative. [JS]
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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [.pdf]
http://www.unfccc.de/
President Clinton's remarks to the National Geographic Society were particularly interesting in that they were made at the time of the Bonn meeting of the UNFCCC. The UNFCCC site contains information about this meeting, along with a limited amount of information about the upcoming COP-3 meeting in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. The site provides sections on global warming, emissions data, a large bibliography of technical reports, books, journal articles, and conference reports on the topic (CC:Info Technology Database), country information on ratification, and (selected) lists of activities on climate change. Much of the information at the site is available in Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only. [JS]
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Two Space Sites
Hubble Reveals Stellar Fireworks Accompanying Galaxy Collisions [Quicktime]
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/97/34/
International Space Station [mpeg, Quicktime]
http://station.nasa.gov/
The Space Science Telescope Institute and National Aeronautics and Space Administration have made these two space-related resources available. NASA's Hubble Telescope has photographed the results of the collision of the Antennae galaxies: the eruption of over a thousand bright young star clusters. At this site users can view a number of striking images in a variety of resolutions. The official press release and fact sheets are also available, as are several Quicktime movies. Building on the success of their popular Mars Pathfinder site, NASA has created a site to keep the world informed on the design and progress of the International Space Station (ISS), the first piece of which will be launched in June 1998. At this site, users can learn about the assembly sequence and timeline, science and research planned for the station, crews and training, and partner nations and their various roles. A Reference section provides answers to FAQs, an ISS factbook, and the history of the Space Station. In addition, the Gallery offers a number of images and video segments in mpeg and Quicktime formats. [MD]
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Riskview.com [Java]
http://www.riskview.com/
Riskview.com, a Java based site (free registration required), is jointly developed by Infinity Financial Technology, Dow Jones & Company and IBM. It aspires to allow investors to examine their returns and estimate the risk of those investments by providing a "free source of global equity data and risk analytics." Investors may obtain historical returns and volatilities, risk-return analysis, forecast volatilities and correlations, portfolio performance analysis, market summaries and Value at Risk (VaR) calculations. This can be done on an individual stock or a user-selected portfolio of stocks. Investors can build their portfolios with US stocks or international stocks. Further, investors can examine the value of their stock portfolios in a variety of currencies. [THN]
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Automotive Learning On-line [Java]
http://www.innerbody.com/innerauto/
Informative Graphics, creators of Human Anatomy On-line (discussed in the August 8, 1997 Scout Report), have built this site dedicated to automotive education. Using the same Java animation techniques as in Human Anatomy On-line, this site provides hundreds of illustrations and animations to teach users about the components and workings of ten different automotive systems. These include braking, electrical, cooling, exhaust, fuel, suspension, drivetrain, AC/heat, engine, and exterior/body. Descriptions of each system include an overview, an underside view, and a number of relevant sub-topics for each. [MD]
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Two Halloween Sites
Haunted America [ShockWave, ShockWave Flash]
http://hauntedamerica.com/
UNICEF Halloween Fun [Java]
http://www.supportunicef.org/halloween/
Halloween revellers may want to visit these two sites. Nightscape Productions presents Haunted America, a flashy Halloween site which is highlighted by the Haunted Pages, a state listing of selected Halloween attractions (mostly haunted houses). Note that users should carefully read the disclaimer at the top of the "other attractions" section for every state page. The Haunted, a "cyberfanzine," currently features an interview with John Astin. It also contains artwork and tips for makeup and props, among other features. The Nightscape contains several spooky shockwave animations. The United Nations Children's Fund provides a Halloween site that allows children and adults to send Halloween tricks (riddles and desktop animations) or treats (a screen saver, desktop wallpaper, an animation, and a Java based pumpkin coloring activity) to a friend via email. The friend receives a URL and a password to open the trick or treat. [JS]
[Note: Resource(s)/URL(s) mentioned above is no longer available.]
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GUITARIST-L Mailing List
The GUITARIST-L mailing list is meant as a discussion forum for guitarists, both amateur and professional. Topics can include instruments, amps, mixing, effects, or anything else related to the art of playing the guitar. [JS]

To subscribe send email to:
LISTSERV@MANA.LANDOFHAZE.COM
In the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE GUITARIST-L YourFirstName YourLastName
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RealPlayer 5.0 Beta
http://www.real.com/products/player/
Features Discussion and Demos
http://www.real.com/showcase/tech/index.html
RealNetworks, formerly Progressive Networks, has recently released the 5.0 Beta version of its RealPlayer streaming audio and video software. Enhanced features, in addition to improved sound quality, include a larger screen size and RealFlash streaming animations, among others. [JS]
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WebEQ 2.0--HTML Mathematical Markup
http://www.webeq.com/webeq/
WebEQ 2.0 is a package of Java applets that allow the user to easily incorporate complex mathematical notation into HTML documents. The package supports the WebTeX mark-up language which is similar to LaTeX, but based on MathML, the proposed HTML mathematical mark-up standard. The language is easy-to-learn, especially for those who have had LaTeX experience. The WebEQ engine will be able to process MathML so that documents written using WebEQ should be compatible with this coming standard. There are versions for Unix, Windows 95/NT, and Macintosh, however no special software (beyond a Java capable browser) is necessary to view the math notation. The software is free to students, faculty, and staff of educational institutions for educational uses. It is available for a fee to others. [CL]
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cooltype--A Resource for Adobe Photoshop Tips and Tricks
http://www.webpedia.com/
Cooltype provides an excellent, well organized collection of Adobe Photoshop tips and tricks from Nick Ustinov and others experienced in using Photoshop's features. Although maintained by Mr. Ustinov, the website is sponsored by Thunder Lizard Productions. The tips and tricks are all listed on the main page by type of effect, with the most recent additions being tagged with a gif entitled "new." Effects include glass, chrome, stone, oil, etc. Each technique for achieving a particular effect is detailed in a step-by-step fashion and is accompanied with graphical examples that facilitate learning. [TB]
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Volume 1, Number 26: The Scout Report for October 21, 1994
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/10-21-94.html
The White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html
Mosaic Communications Corporation (MCC) Netscape
http://home.netscape.com/
When the White House site was announced on October 20, 1994 by Vice President Gore, it was known as "Welcome to the White House: An Interactive Citizens' Handbook." It contained "information about the President and Vice President and their families, a virtual tour of the White House, detailed information about Cabinet-level and independent agencies, a subject-searchable index of federal information, and a map of Washington, D.C.," among other features. Today the White House site is the focal point of the Executive Branch's web presence, as well as one of the best-known government servers. The Interactive Citizens Handbook portion of the site is now a complete section, with links to major Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branch servers. There are also sections with access to commonly requested federal services (benefits, science, health, travel, and consumer protection, among others), social and economic statistics briefing rooms, a searchable library of White House documents, and a White House for kids section. One of the least recognized but most appreciated features of the site is that it is mirrored in its entirety as a text only site, allowing better access for those with slower connections. Mosaic Communications Corporation announced the 0.9 Beta version release of its web browser, known at the time as Mosaic Netscape. The name clearly indicated that the new browser was being developed by the creators of the University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications Mosaic web browser, the software that changed the Internet forever. Today, Netscape has long since dropped the name of its ancient ancestor from its browser, the latest of which is known as Netscape Communicator (4.0). It is the most popular web browser in the world, but faces a stiff and ongoing challenge from Microsoft's Internet Explorer, a relatively recent player in the browser game. Mosaic ceased development in January of 1997 (as discussed in the February 28, 1997 issue of the Scout Report) [JS]
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Copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-1997. 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.

The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout

Susan Calcari
Jack Solock
Jeannine Ramsey
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The Scout Report - October 24, 1997

The Scout Report

October 24, 1997

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