The Scout Report

April 3, 1998

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Science Department, University of Wisconsin

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
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/
Internet Scout Project European Mirror
http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/mirrors/scout/
Vol. 1, Number 14 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 six resources related to the 50th anniversary of the first tornado prediction. The Internet Scout Project, along with the SOSIG (discussed in the October 24, 1997 Scout Report) team of the Institute for Learning and Research Technology at the University of Bristol (UK), have established a European mirror site for ISP to enable ease of access to the project's services. [JS]
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End of Most of InterNIC Project
http://www.internic.net/
The US National Science Foundation's InterNIC Project, a five year cooperative agreement to provide directory and information & education services, officially expired on March 31, 1998. From the main InternNIC site, users can find information about which services will be retained, which will be supported by other organizations, and which will be terminated. The Internet Scout Project, originally a part of InterNIC I&E Services, is separately funded by NSF and is not affected by the termination of the InterNIC project. Note that the agreement to provide registration services continues until September 30, 1998. [JS]
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Posters American Style--SI [RealPlayer]
http://www.nmaa.si.edu/posters/
Less graphical entrance:
http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/posters/mainmenu.html
The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art has recently released this marvelous complement to a touring exhibit of the same name. It is highlighted by 137 posters in the topics of American Events, Designed to Sell, Advice to Americans, and Patriotic Persuasion at this time. Each poster contains a captioned image of the poster, with information about the artist, a hyperlink to a larger image, and one or more detailed images of part of the poster. There is also an introductory essay by Elizabeth Brown, director of NMAA, a how to section that demonstrates selected principles of offset lithography and poster making, a RealPlayer interview with poster collector Merrill C. Berman, and a section that discusses the impact of American culture on posters, using examples such as Franklin Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, Rock 'N Roll, and the Civil Rights movement, among others. This section is peppered with RealPlayer interviews and music selections. [JS]
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The IMS Metadata Specification--Educom
http://www.imsproject.org/md_overview.html
Instructional Management Systems Project
http://www.imsproject.org/
Educom recently announced the release of a set of specifications designed for the description of educational resources on the Internet by academic, commercial, and governmental organizations through the use of metadata. By embedding IMS metadata into a given resource, retrieval of the resource by search engines and software designed to interpret the metadata will be facilitated. The IMS Metadata Specification contains "a dictionary of fields and values [as well as] the organization of these fields and values into groups, or sets," some of which were adopted from the Dublin Core metadata element set. In addition to some of the already common metadata fields such as author, subject, and publisher, IMS metadata also includes learning level, users support, educational objectives, and price code, to name a few. The IMS project is a cooperative effort that is part of Educom's National Learning Infrastructure Initiative. [AG]
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Scientist Finds 2-in-1 Burster; Pulsar Goes Off Twice Each Orbit--NASA MSFC
http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast25mar98_1.htm
"Discovery of the 198 s X-ray Pulsar GRO J2058+42"--Preprint Article [.ps]
http://www.batse.msfc.nasa.gov/data/pulsar/pulsar_pubs.html
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center recently announced the discovery of GROJ2058+42, an accreting X-ray pulsar with no visible component. The discovery was made by MSFC scientist Colleen Wilson while she was reviewing data obtained from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE). The data showed that J2058+42 experiences two gamma ray bursts each orbit instead of the typical one burst. A paper describing the discovery will appear in the June 1, 1998 issue of the Astrophysical Journal. A preprint of the article is available in postscript format. [KH]
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Laws--Canadian Department of Justice
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/Loireg/index_en.html
The Canadian Department of Justice offers access to the Consolidated Statutes and Regulations of Canada. The statutes and regulations can be browsed alphabetically or by chapter number. In addition, they are browsable and searchable via a Folio database. Information is current as of August 31, 1997 at this time. In addition, the site provides Folio versions of an "annotated and consolidated version of the Constitution of Canada," and annual statutes for 1995 and 1996, among other features. All information is available in English and French. [JS]
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InfrastructureNet
http://www.roadsbridges.com/infrastructurenet.html
This site, provided by Scranton Gillette Communications, contains information on various types of infrastructures. It contains searchable archives of selected articles from four of SGC's publications (Roads & Bridges,Water & Waste Digest,Water Engineering & Management, and Water Quality Products). In addition, a supplier and product directory (unfortunately not searchable) are available. [JS]
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Crime and Justice Electronic Data Abstracts--DOJ BJS [.zip, .wk1]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dtdata.htm
The US Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics recently updated this massive database to include selected data through 1996. Lotus spreadsheets (.wk1) are available in 55 subjects covering crimes and arrests, criminal justice, and general demography. The data is "aggregated...from a wide variety of published sources" and presented in this format to facilitate further analysis. Data is available at the national, state, county, and city level. Currency varies by file. [JS]
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Explore Science [Shockwave]
http://www.explorescience.com/
Students will have far too much fun at this site to realize how much they are learning. University of Michigan physics instructor Raman Pfaff designed Explore Science, a site that features 34 Macromedia Shockwave interactive learning modules in the areas of mechanics, electricity & magnetism, life science, waves, optics, and astronomy. The captivating life science section challenges users to "reverse the field," and attempt to type a simple phrase on the shocked keyboard when the mouse behaves in an unexpected fashion. A two dimensional collision demonstration allows users to change such parameters as mass, initial velocity and table angle. The modules themselves are very entertaining, and Mr. Pfaff adds a deft and light instructional touch. [JS]
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General Interest

We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah--The Holy See [frames]
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_16031998_shoah_en.html
The Holy See's (Vatican--discussed in the April 4, 1997 Scout Report) Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews, a part of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has recently released this fourteen page document, eleven years in the making, at the Holy See web site. The document is historic in its attempt to come to grips with the amount of assistance that Christians gave to Jews during the Holocaust. It states: "Those who did help to save Jewish lives as much as was in their power, even to the point of placing their own lives in danger, must not be forgotten... Alongside such courageous men and women, the spiritual resistance and concrete action of other Christians was not that which might have been expected from Christ's followers... For Christians, this heavy burden of conscience of their brothers and sisters during the Second World War must be a call to penitence." The document is currently available in English and Italian. [JS]
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The World Factbook 1997--CIA [frames]
http://www.cia.gov/publications/factbook/index.html
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
http://www.cia.gov/publications/chiefs/index.html
The US Central Intelligence Agency has recently released the 1997 version of this annual series of country information reference books. Data is available for over 250 countries. For each country, map and flag, geographic, population, government, economic, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issue information is provided for the latest year available. There are also seventeen individual reference maps and eight appendices. Derived from several US sources, this information has proved to be an indispensable reference source for those who want quick, thumbnail country information. Note that this Factbook supersedes previous editions. In addition, the CIA's Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments site has recently been updated. [JS]
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Small Business Help for the Year 2000--SBA
http://www.sba.gov/y2k/
The US Small Business Administration provides this compendium of information on the well-known Year 2000 problem and small business. The Year 2000 problem is caused by the fact that many computers have two digit date fields for year, and when the year 2000 comes these computers may interpret the date as 1900 instead of 2000. This site, currently a work in progress, concisely defines the problem; it also contains links to other relevant information resources. Checklists for small businesses to use in preparing for the Year 2000 are included, as well as a brief yet informative list of steps to take to combat the problem. Also provided is a suggested query of the SBA Pro-Net database that enables small business people to find a variety of firms that can be of assistance with the Year 2000 problem. [JS]
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Medicare: The Official US Government Site for Medicare Information--DHHS HCFA
http://www.medicare.gov/
The Health Care Financing Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services provides this site--a consumer gateway to information about Medicare, a national health insurance program that covers 37 million Americans, mostly over age 65. Current highlights include a managed care section that contains Medicare Compare, an interactive database that allows users to compare (according to zip code or state) the benefits offered by Medicare managed care providers. Medicare Compare can also be downloaded as a Microsoft Access Database. The managed care section also contains a glossary of terms, frequently asked questions and their answers, and instructions on how to enroll and disenroll in a managed care plan. Users can refer to the overall site for general information on the Medicare program, fraud and abuse, and state contact lists, among other features. [JS]
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NewsReal Industry Watch [JavaScript]
Via CNNfn
http://cnniw.newsreal.com/
Via Infoseek
http://beta.newsreal.com/
CNNfn recently incorporated NewsReal Industry Watch into its web based news service. NewsReal Industry Watch has been available for some time via Infoseek. This powerful news service provides daily coverage of hundreds of stories in 20 categories via various wire services and newspapers, and presents this material in a unique, interactive format. When users click on a category from aerospace to utilities, a list of stories appears. Users can then simply move the mouse over a story for an executive summary of the story, which includes the source. One click on the story then brings up the full text, if available. This format allows quick scanning of many stories, a feature that can help the user decide which ones to investigate. The only drawback is that only five stories are listed at once and users must continually move to the next set of stories. A searchable archive is available. [JS]
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Whale-Watching-Web
http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/whale/
This metasite, by Rauno Lauhakangas of the University of Helsinki, Finland, includes a myriad of whale-related topics, some of which are scientific. The research-oriented sections include: Oceanographic Research (a collection of links to research sites, i.e. The Radio Acoustic Positioning and Telemetry Network -- a useful technique for monitoring whale/fish behavior); Cetacean's Rights (a section providing examples of legislation regulating whale-watching in Argentina, New Zealand, and elsewhere); and Bioacoustics (a section of links dedicated to Cetacean Research Technology). Educators will find useful information and compelling photographic images in the Cetacean Encyclopaedia (an introduction to whale species); Cetacean Pictures; and Virtual Whale Watching (a high-tech, state-of-the-art introduction to virtual whale-watching). [LXP]
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Little Explorers Picture Dictionary With Links [frames]
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/Dictionary.html
This picture dictionary, provided by Enchanted Learning Software, is not only an entertaining children's resource with over 1,000 entries, but also a hidden metasite, allowing children to explore the Internet to learn more about the words they have chosen. Access is via letter of the alphabet. Each entry contains a picture definition and a simple word definition. Many of the entries are also linked to outside sites that further develop the meaning of the word. The dictionary is available with translations into four other languages (although these dictionaries contain only picture definitions and links). [JS]
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Netscape Releases Source Code
http://www.mozilla.org/download.html
Netscape has begun to release its latest browser source code at its Mozilla.org (discussed in the Feburary 27, 1998 Scout Report) site. The compressed code is available for Macintosh, Unix, and Windows operating systems, and is between 8.8 and 11.9 Mb. Netscape strongly points out that this is source code, not executable programs, that it is of use to developers only, and that it "will be unstable." More information about the code, as well as selected build instructions, can be obtained at the site. [JS]
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XML.com [frames]
http://www.xml.com/
Seybold Communications and O'Reilly and Associates offer this "preview edition" of a site due to officially launch on May 1, 1998; it is designed to be a clearinghouse of information about Extensible Markup Language for both introductory and advanced web developers. It features an annotated version of the XML 1.0 specification, provided by Tim Bray, one of the authors of the specification. The frame-based annotated XML specification contains historical commentary, technical explanations, advice on how to use parts of the specification, examples, and other miscellaneous annotations. In addition, users can access the toolbox (featuring RUWF--are you well formed?--a syntax checker, at this time), and news and analytic articles about the specification from various sources, including the Seybold Report on Internet Publishing. [JS]
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OpenGL
http://www.opengl.org/
OpenGL is an up-to-date source for this software interface for creating 2D and 3D graphics developed by Silicon Graphics and governed by the Architecture Review Board. The site includes OpenGL documentation, industry news, sample source code, and links to OpenGL tools. The information provided is extremely helpful to graphics programmers involved in or experimenting with OpenGL programming and also to end users looking for OpenGL applications or hardware. [TH]
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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 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 Internet Scout Project provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. 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 or the National Science Foundation.

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

Susan Calcari
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The Scout Report - April 3, 1998

The Scout Report

April 3, 1998

New From Internet Scout

Research and Education

General Interest

Network Tools

General Interest

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