The Scout Report

March 6, 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--March 1998
http://scout.wisc.edu/scout/toolkit/enduser/archive/1998/euc-9803
The twelfth 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 five resources related to a Scientific American special report on the future of oil. The March 1998 End User's Corner, Was Ranganathan a Yahoo!?, discusses the relationship of the classification scheme of the famed Indian librarian S. R. Ranganathan and Yahoo!. [JS]
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The Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia [frames]
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/bsuva/
Maintained by the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia Library, this site contains three electronic text resources of interest to scholars and educators. The first and most important of these is a recently released collection of the first 49 volumes (1948-96) of the Society's Studies in Bibliography, "a virtual encyclopedia of scholarly work on the history of books and editing over the past 50 years." The volumes are offered individually and as a full-text searchable database. The second resource, Shakespearean Prompt-Books, is an eight-volume collection of studies of the stage texts used in various seventeenth-century performances of Shakespeare's plays; the plays are also available individually or as a searchable database. The third resource, Attributions of Authorship in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1731-1868, is a searchable database containing well over 5,000 attributions of authorship for this popular magazine. Additional resources at the site include information on the Society and related links. [MD]
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GrantsNet--HHMI and AAAS
http://www.grantsnet.org/
This new database is the result of a collaboration between the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The database allows users to search for available grants in the biological and medical sciences. Users can narrow their grant search by specifying training level, type of application (individual or institution), or research area. More than 20 research areas are included in the database. Registration is required to use the database and to receive the email updates on new grants, but it is free. The New Awards section on the front page can be viewed without registering. [KH]
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Powering a Generation of Change--SI [frames]
http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/nmah/csr/powering/
Powering a Generation of Change is a Smithsonian Institution documentation project that is a response to the coming deregulation of the electric power industry in the United States and Canada. The site is interesting almost as much for its information on electricity and the history of electric power regulation, as for its information explaining deregulation and its societal impacts. One of the highlights of the site is the Visions of Power section, with in-depth interviews with Joseph P. Kearney of US Generating, Andre Caille of Hydro-Quebec, and William T. McCormick, Jr. of CMS Energy. Visions of Power offers numerous links to information provided by a variety of participants in the deregulation debate. The Powering the Past section provides a fascinating tour through the history of electric power, accompanied by images from various Smithsonian museums. A large bibliography on electric power is also available. [JS]
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The Tobacco Resolution [frames, NetShow Player, WaterMark WebSeries Viewer, .tiff]
http://www.tobaccoresolution.com/
This site, provided by Media On Demand, Inc., is meant to be an information clearinghouse on the ongoing tobacco litigation in the US. The Document Archive section highlights this work in progress; it offers links to search indexes for tobacco documents from six major companies or industry-related entities. The first of these documents were released to the public at the end of last week. Documents are accessible via various search mechanisms; explanations of search strategies and indexes should be studied carefully at each of the document sites before searching. Note that page image legibility varies. The site also contains a proposed resolution of the litigation, industry news releases, and industry produced issue briefs, among other resources. [JS]
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Celebrating Women's History Resource Center--Gale Research [frames]
http://www.gale.com/library/resrcs/womenhst/
The 150th anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement is commemorated with this site by Gale Research. New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Astronaut Shannon Lucid, and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright are just three of the newer additions to the list of over 60 brief biographies. Educators looking for ways to celebrate Women's History Month will find sixteen different activities described for various age groups, including round table discussions, public awareness campaigns, and reading. The Trials section provides background on ten trials of historical significance to women in the United States. Visitors can also test their women's history IQ in a 20-question quiz or scroll through a timeline of key events in women's history. [AG]
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A Dictionary of Ecological Epidemiology
http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/~js229/glossary.htm
Maintained by postdoctoral researcher Jonathan Swinton of the University of Cambridge's (UK) department of Plant Sciences, this site contains cross referenced definitions of hundreds of terms from acquired immunity to zoonosis. It is loosely based on the glossary by Watt, Dobson, et al, in Ecology of Infectious Diseases in Natural Populations. Sleek in design and spare but concise in definition, this is a useful site for anyone interested in quick reference to information on ecological epidemiology. [JS]
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The Ada Information Clearinghouse
http://www.adaic.org/
The Ada Information Clearinghouse (AdaIC), sponsored by the Ada Joint Program Office, provides a large amount of current, useful information about the Ada programming language. Information offered includes a quarterly electronic publication about Ada, a searchable database of on- and off-line Ada resources, an annotated database of Ada products and tools, recent Ada news, and lots more. While sometimes slow to process queries, the numerous search interfaces provide a handy alternative to the clear, hierarchical structure of the site. The information provided tends toward the industrial user, but there is still plenty to engage people ranging from Ada novices to those interested in software engineering or compiler design. [CL]
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ENTERWeb: The Enterprise Development Website
http://www.enterweb.org/
ENTERWeb, provided by Jean-Claude Lorin of the Canadian International Development Agency, is an annotated and rated metasite concerning small and medium sized enterprise development in both developed and developing countries. Sites are listed in 24 topical categories including entrepreneurship, incubators, and microcredit. They are available geographically or via an alphabetical index. Though small for a metasite, each of the several hundred resources is carefully annotated and rated from average to outstanding (rating criteria or process is not given). Resources include both original content and other metasites. Users can view the site in English or French. [JS]
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State-level Casualty Lists from the Korean Conflict (1951-57)--NARA
http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic/kcas.html
The Center for Electronic Records of the US National Archives and Records Administration (discussed in the June 10, 1994 Scout Report) provides this set of US casualty lists from the Korean Conflict. The list covers "persons who died as a result of hostilities in Korea, 1950-57, including those who died while missing or captured." CER has created state casualty lists from the larger list. The lists can be browsed by state, and then alphabetically by last name or "'home of record,' as identified by the serviceman upon last entrance into military service." Army casualties list home of record by county within state. The other three branches of the military list by city/town within state. Each record contains the soldier's name, rank, branch of service, home city/town or county, state, date of death, and cause of death. At present the database contains 33,642 names. Unfortunately, the list is not searchable at this time. [JS]
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9th National People's Congress (NPC) & Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) [frames]
http://www.china.com/npc/english/index.html
Chinese version:
http://www.china.com/npc/index.html
China Internet Corporation and the Xinhua News Agency provide coverage of the 9th NPC and CPPCC. At the site, users can find news coverage of the Congress, explanations of both the NPC and CPPCC, and a photo archive. The NPC is China's "highest organ of state power and a unicameral legislature." The CPPCC is an "institution for multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China." [JS]
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Great '98 Backyard Bird Count
http://birdsource.tc.cornell.edu/gbbc/
During the weekend of February 20-22, 1998, thousands of birders participated in the first-ever simultaneously recorded (via Internet) continent-wide back yard bird count. A massive effort co-sponsored by Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the Great '98 Bird Count's goal is to "provide a detailed picture of how bird populations compare region-by-region, as counted by ordinary citizens at the time of year when most migratory birds are just getting ready to head back north from their wintering grounds." The site contains summary data on the number of observers reporting (by postal code, state, and hour), the total number of birds recorded (by species), and--of greatest value--color maps of species distributions (including all locations surveyed). In addition, 10-year trends from Project Feeder Watch are provided for comparison. Note that "raw data" maps and summaries are currently being added to provide immediate access to data; charts have not yet been checked for accuracy. [LXP]
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National Governors' Association State-of-the-State Addresses
http://www.nga.org/Releases/1998sos.htm
The US National Governors Association provides a wonderful value added service in this site, a one stop shopping source for 41 State-of-the-State messages that were given in January and February 1998. Analysis of the general themes of the speeches, along with the states that emphasized those themes (see "Bold Vision for the Future") is available. While the addresses are, in some measure, pep talks and partisan rationalizations of policy, they also provide a microcosm of economic and social trends in America. [JS]
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CNN Audio Select [frames, NetShow, RealPlayer]
http://cnn.com/audioselect/help.html
The Cable News Network and AudioNet (discussed in the March 15, 1996 Scout Report) have collaborated to provide live audio news feeds of five of CNN's program offerings. Via NetShow or RealPlayer streaming audio, users can listen to CNN, CNN Headline News,CNN International,CNN/SI (discussed in the July 18, 1997 Scout Report), and CNN en Espanol (Spanish Language news for Latin America). Selected on demand reports from CNN radio are forthcoming. [JS]
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The Myth of the Melting Pot--Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/meltingpot.htm
The Washington Post has recently launched this site, which will be the home for a series of occasional articles about racial and ethnic divisions in the US. The first article in the series, "One Nation, Indivisible: Is it History?" by William Booth, is currently featured. The article discusses the "second great wave of immigration" into America, which greatly differs from the first wave of European immigration in that it is mostly fueled by Asian and Latin American immigrants. The site contains selected ethnic shift graphs and charts, a link to a WP article on US immigration policy, and a link to selected US Census data. [JS]
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National Opportunity NOCs: Nonprofit Organization Classifieds
http://www.opportunitynocs.org/
The Management Center of San Francisco, California provides this site, the web counterpart of a weekly jobs and information publication by the same name. The heart of the site is an interactive nonprofit job search. Jobs can be searched by region, state or keyword. Job postings contain job descriptions and application information. Users can also view job postings made in the last week, two weeks, or month. In addition, briefly annotated links to information about the nonprofit sector are available. Note that while the job searching is free, there is a fee for organizations who wish to post nonprofit jobs. [JS]
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"Market Power and Structural Change in the Software Industry"--US Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Senate Judiciary Committee
http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/wlfulm3.htm
C|net Radio [RealPlayer]
http://www.news.com/Radio/Features/0,155,149,0.html
On March 3, 1998, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Gates, Sun Microsystems President and CEO Scott McNealy, Netscape Communications President and CEO Jim Barksdale, Dell Computer Chairman, President and CEO Michael Dell, Great Plains Software Chairman, President and CEO Doug Burgum, and New Enterprise Associates Venture Partner Stewart Alsop testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing on "Market Power and Structural Change in the Software Industry." Interested Internauts can make their own analyses of this much publicized hearing at these two sites. The first is the official Senate Judiciary Committee site, and contains transcripts of the prepared testimony of the six witnesses, along with statements by Senator Orrin G. Hatch and Patrick J. Leahy. C|net (discussed in the July 28, 1995 Scout Report) provides the second site, which contains RealPlayer versions of the statements and testimony as well as the questioning by Senate Judiciary members. The files are conveniently split for ease of locating testimony of interest. [JS]
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"Weaving a Better Web"--Byte
http://www.byte.com/art/9803/sec5/sec5.htm
The cover story of Byte's March 1998 issue contains several articles on the future of web publishing techniques. The articles begin with the proposition that Hyptertext Markup Language (HTML) is no longer able to keep up with the development of dynamic web content. They then discuss the future of web markup, with particular emphasis on the advantages of the newly emerging Extensible Markup Language (XML). Examples are provided. [JS]
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Astound WebMotion--Animation Tool
http://www.astound.com/products2/webmotion/webmotion.html
Astound WebMotion offers an easy means to create animated gifs and interactive Java powered animations with sound. There is no need for programming knowledge or a browser plug-in, although viewers must use Java enabled browsers (Netscape Navigator 2.01+ or Internet Explorer 2.0+). A trial version of WebMotion is available. Included in the download are a library of animations and clip art. Since there is no real tutorial or quickstart guide, these ready-made animations offer users an easy way to familiarize themselves with the program. The Mac version of WebMotion requires QuickTime 2.5 for importing graphics. WebMotion is a commercial product of Astound, Inc. and is available for Macintosh and Windows 3.1/95. [TB]
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Volume 1, Number 44, March 3, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
CIC Electronic Journals Collection
http://ejournals.cic.net/
This Committee on Institutional Cooperation (Big Ten universities plus the University of Chicago) gopher site was announced in the March 3, 1995 Scout Report. At the time, this e-journal collection was just beginning, and was specifically designed to be distinct from an already existing (and now defunct) e-serials collection. It attempts to track all free scholarly ejournals. Accessible via title or subject browsing, as well as searching, the collection (which is cataloged by CIC member libraries) today contains nearly 150 journals in seventeen topics. Both the level of cataloging and the fact that this is a free full text academic e-journal clearinghouse are the heart of this site's sustained value. [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.

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The Scout Report - March 6, 1998

The Scout Report

March 6, 1998

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