The Scout Report

January 9, 1998

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.

An Acrobat .pdf version of this report is available for printing and distributing locally. For information on Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe site.

Scout Report for Science & Engineering, Addition to the Scout Toolkit
Scout Report for Science & Engineering
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/
End User's Corner--January 1998
http://scout.wisc.edu/scout/toolkit/enduser/archive/1998/euc-9801
The eighth issue of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. It annotates over twenty new and newly discovered Internet resources in the physical & life sciences and engineering. The In the News Section annotates twelve resources concerning the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 1997, discussed in the December 19, 1997 issue of Science. The January, 1998 End User's Corner, The Internet Scout Project Year in Review: 1997--A Year of Growth and Development, documents the development of the project in 1997 and discusses some of the Project's future initiatives. [JS]
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Recent Advances in Manufacturing--Nottingham Trent University and EEVL
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/ram/
The Library and Information Services (LIS) Department at the Nottingham Trent University (UK), and the Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library (EEVL--discussed in the September 20, 1996 Scout Report) (UK), provide this bibliographic records database. Updated monthly, this database contains information on articles about various aspects of manufacturing culled from "over 500 niche and mainstream journals and magazines, and also details of books, videos and conference proceedings." At present over 24,000 records are available, going back to 1990. The site supports Boolean searching, fielded searching (ten fields), and word truncation. [JS]
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Thesaurus of Geographic Names--Getty Information Institute
http://shiva.pub.getty.edu/tgn_browser/
The Getty Information Institute offers this massive browsable and searchable "structured vocabulary" of almost one million place names and 900,000 places around the world. Information in the thesaurus is derived from such Getty projects as "the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA), the Foundation for Documents of Architecture (FDA), the Getty Center Photo Study Collection (GCPS), and the Getty Information Institutes Vocabulary Program (VP)." Each entry contains latitude and longitude, place names and types, and sources of information (usually standard reference sources). Names are arranged in an hierarchical structure of world places. One of the most powerful features of the database is the availability of variant and historical names for places. [JS]
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LINK Alert--Springer-Verlag
http://link.springer.de/alert/
Springer-Verlag Journals Preview Service (discussed in the September 17, 1997 issue of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering) has been integrated into Springer-Verlag's LINK service. This free service provides users with the most recent tables of contents and abstracts from more than 200 journals retrievable via LINK. Each new table of contents, with links to respective abstracts, is sent automatically to you via e-mail as soon as it becomes available electronically. To subscribe, users select one or more journals from an alphabetical list or click on an area of interest. Once an email address is entered, subscribers receive a confirmation message. Note that LINK Alert replaces SVJPS. [DF]
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Just the Arti-facts--Chicago Historical Society
http://www.chicagohs.org/AOTM/jta.html
The Chicago Historical Society has created an online program for teachers and students that highlights several artifacts each month from their collection of over 20 million objects as a means of teaching about Chicago history. December, 1997 focused on toys (bicycles, tinkertoys, dolls, trains) and January, 1998 will showcase children's clothing. Images of artifacts and stories behind their historical significance are provided, as are additional photographs and occasional audio selections. From the bottom of each page there are links to different "Resources for the Classroom" that contain worksheets and suggested activities related to both the artifacts displayed and the monthly themes. Links to previous months are also available. [AG]
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Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 1996--NSF [.xls, .pdf]
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf97329/start.htm
The US National Science Foundation has recently released this report (NSF 97-329), which "show[s] trends in doctorate awards by science and engineering (S&E) field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients." It is based on data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). The document is highlighted by six annual time series tables (1987-1996) and four detailed snapshot series for 1996 (Microsoft Excel format). The entire report is also available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. [JS]
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The Python Language Home Page
http://www.python.org/
The Python Language Home Page is hosted by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), Reston, VA. Python is an "interpreted, interactive, object-oriented, extensible programming language." It is both clear and versatile, freely available, and it runs on Unix, PC, and many other systems. Python was developed in the early 1990s at CWI in Amsterdam (the Netherlands); it has seen continuing development and widespread use since then. The site contains the official Python source code distribution, binaries, documentation, and conference proceedings. It also hosts a collection of contributed code and contains links to organizations and mailing lists that provide technical support for Python users. There are links to various projects that are using Python as well as to a number of special interest group (SIG) mailing lists. The SIGs are working to extend and enhance Python. [MR]
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1996 Supplement to The Annotated Constitution--GPO, CRS [ASCII, .pdf,102p.]
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/constitution/index.html
Adobe Acrobat Reader
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html
The US Congressional Research Service and Government Printing Office recently posted the 1996 Supplement to the 1992 Edition of The Constitution of the United States of America Analysis and Interpretation: Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States (discussed in the January 17, 1997 Scout Report). This searchable and browsable supplement adds cases decided to July 1, 1996. Like the 1992 edition, the Supplement contains annotated references to Supreme Court decisions in their constitutional context, and is available in both ASCII text and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. [JS]
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Two from the Association of American Medical Colleges
AAMC Listservs
http://www.aamc.org/findinfo/infores/listserv/
US Medical School Faculty, 1996 [.pdf, 39p.]
http://www.aamc.org/findinfo/infores/datarsc/facros/frspubs/usmsf96/start.htm
Association of American Medical Colleges
http://www.aamc.org/
The Association of American Medical Colleges has recently added two information resources. The first is a new web page that consolidates information about AAMC's fifteen mailing lists. Topics include AAMC activities, faculty affairs, resident affairs and medical education software, among others. Each list contains a brief description, information on eligibility requirements to join the list, and subscription information. The second resource is a compilation of general statistics about the makeup of US medical school faculty (available in Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only). It contains ten figures and nineteen tables that provide an overall snapshot for 1996. The AAMC site offers information about the organization and its mission. [JS]
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FEC Disclosure Reports
http://www.fec.gov/finance/images.htm
The US Federal Election Committee site (discussed in the November 1, 1996 Scout Report) has recently begun to add page images of over 7,500 reports filed by "House Campaigns, Party Committees, and Political Action Committees." At present the site contains reports from 1997; reports going back to 1993 are forthcoming. Reports can be searched by FEC ID number, committee name, state, political party, or committee treasurer. To retrieve all reports at once for browsing purposes, users can click on "get listing" without entering any search criteria in basic search mode. Retrieved reports are available for viewing/printing on a page by page basis. Note that Senate campaign reports are not available. [JS]
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Lunar Prospector--NASA [RealPlayer, Java, VRML]
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/
On January 6, 1998, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched the Lunar Prospector, NASA's first moon mission in 25 years. A key element of the mission is the search for water ice on the moon. Interested Internauts can follow the progress of the mission at the Lunar Prospector site. This work in progress offers much useful information about the moon and the mission. Included are an annotated timeline of US, Soviet, and Japanese lunar missions since 1959; a partial lunar gazetteer and information about Prospector instruments (under Science); Java-based real time data visualization tools; and an archive of images and one Realplayer movie. Audio clips, more movies, artwork, documents and VRML models of the moon and the spacecraft are slated to be offered in the future. [JS]
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Voices from the Dust Bowl--LOC [RealAudio, .wav]
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html
This outstanding new addition to the US Library of Congress American Memory Collection is an online presentation of a contemporary ethnographic field collection that documented the lives of Dust Bowl migrants living in Farm Security Administration (FSA) camps in California in 1940-41. The highlight of the site is a very large collection of audio titles (334 in all), available in both RealAudio and .wav formats. Users can browse a list of over 100 song titles that includes links to each song's full text and recordings made in an FSA camp. Other audio titles include interviews, recordings of camp meetings, and more songs (without text). Users can also browse the audio collection with the performer/interviewee index or they can use an internal search engine. Additional features at this site include a collection of 23 photos, a sampling of dust jackets from recording discs, a bibliography, and print material from the collection including a scrapbook, newspaper clippings, camp newsletters, radio scripts, and correspondence between the ethnographers and LOC officials. [MD]
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1998 TIIAP Grant Announcement--US Department of Commerce
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/
The US Department of Commerce is now accepting applications for the 1998 round of the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program. TIIAP "provides matching grants to non-profit organizations such as schools, libraries, hospitals, public safety entities, and state and local governments. Grants are used to fund projects that improve the quality of, and the public's access to, education, health care, public safety, and other community-based services. The grants are used to purchase equipment for connection to networks, including computers, video conferencing systems, network routers, and telephones; to buy software for organizing and processing all kinds of information, including computer graphics and databases; to train staff, users, and others in the use of equipment and software; to purchase communications services, such as Internet access; to evaluate the projects; and to disseminate the project's findings." The deadline for submitting applications is March 12, 1998. For more information about TIIAP, send email to: tiiap@ntia.doc.gov [JS]
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Investor Words
http://www.investorwords.com/
Webfinance Inc. provides this site, a cross referenced glossary for over 4,000 relevant terms from 1040 to ladder strategy to zoning. Each term is briefly described. In addition to cross references in the descriptions, there are also "opposite of" cross references. The main drawback to the site is that it lacks an overall search interface. However, the number of entries and cross references (claimed to be over 15,000) makes this a useful site for interested Internauts. [JS]
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Alternating Currents--American Art in the Age of Technology [RealAudio]
http://www.sjmusart.org/AlternatingCurrents/
A joint production of the San Jose Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, this site examines the interplay of technological advances and American art over the past 30 years. The site is "arranged into three thematic sections, each one exploring a significant aspect of the role that industry and technology have played in postwar American art." Industry and Consequence features works that explore the impact of mechanization and industry on society. Challenging Perceptions looks at artists who have abandoned traditional materials in favor of new technological devices. Message and Narrative focuses on artists' use of found objects combined with video and digital media. Users may examine each gallery individually or take a guided tour with RealAudio narration, enlarged photos, and texts. [MD]
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Britannica Sporting Record: The Winter Games
http://winter.eb.com/
Encyclopaedia Britannica's Olympic Winter Games site offers detailed Olympic information and history. Offerings include an overview of the Olympic movement, histories of each of the past seventeen Olympic Winter Games, articles about the events included in the Winter Games, biographies of past competitors, and a searchable Olympic Record database. This well-researched site provides an interesting backdrop for this year's Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The site is free to the public until March 1, 1998. [CL]
[Note: This site is no longer available for free; subscription fee(s) required.]
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IE 4.0 for Macintosh
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/ie/
Microsoft has released its Internet Explorer 4.0 web browser (discussed in the October 3, 1997 Scout Report) for the Macintosh. Full installation is approximately 14 Mbytes, while the minimum installation is approximately 4 Mbytes. Supported features include subscriptions that inform the user when a site has been updated, offline browsing, Java support, and security zones that allow the user to determine sites that can be viewed. [JS]
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GROUP '97. Proceedings of the International ACM SIGGROUP Conference on Supporting group work: the integration challenge, Nov. 16-19, 1997, Phoenix, Arizona [.pdf]
http://www.acm.org/pubs/contents/proceedings/cscw/266838/index.html
Adobe Acrobat Reader
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html
The full proceedings of the Association of Computing Machinery Groupware Special Interest Group (SIGGROUP) Conference on Supporting Group Work, held November 16-19, 1997, are now available at the ACM web site. The proceedings include the full text of more than 40 papers (Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only) on collaborative tools, virtual classrooms and communities, knowledge management, collaborative filtering and workflow, and process automation. Index terms and subject headings are included for each paper. [MR]
[Note: This site is no longer available for free; subscription fee(s) required.]
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Mind & Machine--New York Times Cybertimes
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/surf/indexsurf.html
Mind & Machine is a weekly column provided by Ashley Dunn for the New York Times Cybertimes that discusses topics related to computing, technology, and the Internet. Recent columns have addressed the topics of the development of Internet telephony, possible futures of user interfaces, the history of technology and standards, and the Internet as a vehicle for community. Articles are well written, opinionated, and thought provoking. Mr. Dunn is a free lance writer who has written for such papers as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the South China Morning Post. Note that the site is available only upon registration and is free of charge only in the US. [JS]
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Copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-1998. 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
Teri Boomsma
Michael de Nie
David Flaspohler
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The Scout Report - January 9, 1998

The Scout Report

January 9, 1998

New From Internet Scout

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