The Scout Report

April 24, 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 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 fifteenth issues of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. Each Report annotates over twenty new and newly-discovered Internet resources. The In the News section of the Social Science Report annotates seven resources on the proposed peace agreement in Northern Ireland. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates ten resources related to bank mergers. [JS]
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Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions (ARI) Project--OI
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/PROJ/ARI/ARI.html
The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago has recently added a new site, which is intended as "an electronic study edition of the inscriptions of the Achaemenid Persian kings in all of their versions--Old Persian, Elamite, Akkadian, and, where appropriate, Aramaic and Egyptian." The first stage of the project offers inscriptions from Persepolis and nearby Naqsh-i Rustam, where the Oriental Institute carried out excavations between 1931 and 1939. Users can browse the whole text of the inscriptions, browse versions by section, or browse the lexicon. A text and lexical search is available as is a catalog of all works referenced in the ARI project. Additional resources include a bibliography, photos and plans (under construction), as well as a list of related links. [MD]
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DOE Information Bridge--DOE, GPO [Frames]
http://www.osti.gov/bridge/
The US Department of Energy and Government Printing Office have combined to provide this resource, a searchable directory of "full text and bibliographic records of report literature produced by the DOE and DOE contractor research and development community." Reports are available since 1996 at this time and may be searched by three fields in the easy search and fourteen in the advanced search. Boolean AND/OR/NOT searching is available in the advanced search, and up to five fields can be connected this way (note that the Boolean connector choice is a drop down menu at the far right of the frame). Documents may be retrieved page by page or in their entirety (Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] page scans). One of the more useful features of the site is the ability to search within a document once documents are retrieved (bottom frame). Four page image viewers are available. Note that the legibility of publications varies by viewer and publication, and that the site is sometimes down form maintenance between 12:00 and 4:00 AM Eastern time. As the site grows, it will become a magnificent source of DOE sponsored research literature. [JS]
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Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities--Boyer Commission
http://notes.cc.sunysb.edu/Pres/boyer.nsf
The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University has recently released this report outlining ten major recommendations for changing undergraduate education. These recommendations are based on the Commission's conclusion that undergraduate education at America's research universities is in crisis, and that the record of research universities in this area is one of "inadequacy, even failure. Baccalaureate students are the second-class citizens who are allowed to pay taxes but are barred from voting, the guests at the banquet who pay their share of the tab but are given leftovers." The recommendations include research-based learning, inquiry-based instruction in the Freshman year, educating graduate students as apprentice teachers, and changing the faculty rewards system. Brief case studies accompany the recommendations. [JS]
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Science and Technology Metrics
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/kostoff/Metweb5_I.htm
Dr. Ronald L. Kostoff of the Office of Naval Research of the US Defense Technical Information Center provides this monograph, which is interesting in that it offers a justification for "the expanded use of metrics in the evaluation of science and technology." Even more useful than the document itself, however, is the accompanying bibliography, a compendium of more than 5,600 references (created by the author and six other contributors) that covers every conceivable aspect of the topic. [JS]
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Global Money, The Good Life and You [frames]
http://www.uiowa.edu/~erclog/webdex/
Enrique R. Carrasco, Professor of Law at the University of Iowa, collaborated with a group of students to create this electronic handbook on international finance and development. The main objective of the book is to help readers "gain a basic understanding of the operations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank and their roles in an increasingly globalized economy." The handbook explores the beginnings of development policy and the functions of the IMF and the World Bank. The changing concepts of development in the 1990s and the issues of globalization and development are also discussed using the Mexican and Asian financial crises as examples. [THN]
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Humanities Interactive Border Studies [frames]
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/borderstudies/index.html
The Texas Humanities Resource Center (THRC) presents Border Studies, electronic versions of exhibits on the history and culture of the lands and nations bordering Texas and the United States from the 15th Century to the present. This work-in-progress is part of the THRC's 4-year Internet Project, initiated in 1996. Border Studies includes images from a major exhibition from 1990 on the arts of Mexico, "Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries," and photographs from "Between Friends/Entre Amis," a 1976 exhibition documenting the people and land along the United States-Canada border, presented by the National Film Board of Canada for the US Bicentennial. Other sections include the Spanish Colonial era in Texas; historical prints from the Mexican War, 1846-1848; and early maps of Texas and the Southwest. Navigation of the site can be challenging, but the quantity and quality of content make it worth the effort. [DS]
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Sustainable Development Dimensions--UN FAO [.pdf]
http://www.fao.org/sd/
Potential Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on Populations and Agriculture
http://www.fao.org/sd/EIdirect/EIre0045.htm
Geographic Information Systems in Sustainable Development
http://www.fao.org/sd/EIdirect/gis/EIgis000.htm
Sustainable Development Dimensions, provided by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, serves as a gateway to FAO sustainable development information. This site is divided into four major categories: people, institutions, knowledge, and environment. Topics covered include women and population, land tenure, extension and education, and environmental policy. Sections link to specific selections or full text of FAO articles, studies, periodicals, and conference papers. The Land Reform section provides an information-rich example; in it resides the full text of Land Reform for 1996 and 1997 (1997 available in Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only at this time): eighteen articles discussing various aspects of the topic around the world. Recently, two special reports on the long term impacts of sea-level rise on population and agriculture, and geographical information systems have been added to the site. Note that SDD information may be available in multiple languages. [JS]
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The Wonderful World of Trees [frames]
http://www.domtar.com/arbre/english/
French version:
http://www.domtar.com/arbre/index.htm
Domtar Inc., a Canadian paper company, in cooperation with the Commission scolaire des Patriotes and the ministere de l'Education du Quebec, provides this entertaining and informative K-12 learning resource about trees. Interested users should first consult the help file (under the question mark) for quick site navigation cues. Content may be accessed through either of the main frames or through the graphic navigation icons; the Teacher's Room offers suggestions for using the site in a curriculum, and the Student's Corner links directly to the main content of the site. Perhaps the easiest access to the site is through the folder icon, which provides an overall site map. Visitors can learn about a year in the life of a tree, and the uses and protection of trees; they can play interactive games, perform experiments, or consult an online glossary and a photo album of selected North American trees, their leaves and seeds. Note that the entire site can be downloaded for later use. [JS]
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General Interest

HR 4796--Possible Birth of a Star System
JPL Press Release
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/hr4796.html
MIRLIN HR 4796 Page
http://cougar.jpl.nasa.gov/HR4796/hr4796.html
MIRLIN Star/Planet Formation Page
http://cougar.jpl.nasa.gov/HR4796/anim.html
Harvard/Florida HR 4796 Page
http://cougar.jpl.nasa.gov/HR4796/harvard.html
National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronomers, using the Keck II telescope in Hawaii, along with a team of scientists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the University of Florida, Gainesville, using the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile, "have discovered what appears to be the clearest evidence yet of a budding solar system around a nearby star." HR 4796, about 220 light years from Earth, "shows a swirling disk of dust around the star" that portends the building of a star system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory press release explains the meaning of the findings. The MIRLIN (Mid-InfraRed Large-well Imager) page contains photos, more explanations, and a link to theoretical images and explanation of how a star system forms. The Harvard/Florida HR 4796 page contains additional information and a link to another image of the disk of HR 4796. [JS]
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Israel at Fifty
Israel at Fifty--IMFA
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00050
Israel@50--Virtual Jerusalem [RealPlayer]
http://www.virtual.co.il/city_services/israel_50/index.htm
As Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary, interested Internauts can visit these two sites for more background and celebration information. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides the first site, a compendium of historical and cultural information. The highlight of the site is the availability of selected documents from the fifteen volume Israel's Foreign Relations. At present, the first four sections of Volumes 1-2 (1947-1974) and parts of Volume 15 (1995-1996) are available. The IMFA plans to eventually make the entire series electronically available. In addition, there are selected speeches from Israeli Prime Ministers, an annotated timeline of Israeli history from 1948-1997, a statistical glimpse of Israel (with a link to the 1997 Statistical Abstract of Israel), and a list of 50th anniversary events in Israel and around the world, among many other features. The Virtual Jerusalem site is highlighted by articles from the Encyclopaedia Judaica and a 26 minute RealPlayer broadcast of a Jewish Television Network (JTN) program on the current state of world Jewry (under "Future"). [JS]
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The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa: Secretary General's Report to the United Nations Security Council 16 April 1998 [frames]
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/sgreport/index.html
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in reply to a request by the UN Security Council, has produced this report on the causes and possible solutions to the endemic conflict in Africa. "By not averting these colossal human tragedies [as in Rwanda, Somalia and Liberia], African leaders have failed the peoples of Africa; the international community has failed them; the United Nations has failed them.... The United Nations stands ready to play its part. So must the world. So must Africa." The report first analyzes the historical, internal, external, and economic causes of the problem, and then proceeds to make recommendations with respect to arms trafficking, sanctions, refugees, development assistance, and international business practices. [JS]
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RateNet
http://www.rate.net/index.htm
RateNet was jointly developed by DataTrac, PR Newswire (discussed in the February 7, 1997 Scout Report) and IDC Financial Publishing. RateNet connects consumers to financial institutions on the Internet by providing a ranking service for the banking industry. Users may examine the current and historic interest rates of over 11,000 financial institutions from 175 markets across America. There are also 116 RateNet indices which monitor the deposit and lending rates for 776 of the largest institutions. [THN]
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The Commonwealth Yearbook 1998
http://www.tcol.co.uk/cyb.htm
The 1998 version of this annual yearbook has recently been made available by the Commonwealth Secretariat and Hanson Cooke, Ltd. The Commonwealth refers to the 54 countries that were originally bound by the fact that they were part of the British Empire. The Yearbook presents thumbnail sketches of each of the countries listed under Commonwealth Member Countries; information in eleven categories including geography, society, transport, history, traveler information, and the legal system is provided. In addition, visitors can obtain information on the Commonwealth, its beliefs, positions, and principles. [JS]
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Recovery Network News
http://www.recoverynetwork.com/news/
The Recovery Network, an organization whose mission is to provide "prevention and recovery information, interaction and support concerning substance use and abuse, addiction to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and behavioral and mental health problems," maintains this site which digests the latest news from over 1,400 sources (according to site). At this time, Recovery Network News contains approximately one week's worth of article digests from such sources as the Wall Street Journal,USA Today, the Washington Post, Reuters, the New York Times, and Investors Business Daily, among other sources. The news can be downloaded as a Microsoft Word file, and interested readers can also subscribe to a weekly email version. [JS]
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Skeptics Dictionary: A Guide for the New Millennium
http://skepdic.com/
Less graphical entrance:
http://skepdic.com/dictcont.html
Robert T. Carroll, a philosophy professor at Sacramento City College, provides this site, with a credo that says "the only thing infinite is our capacity for self-deception." It is highlighted by 250 skeptical definitions (in the form of short essays) on topics from acupuncture to zombies. Professor Carroll is eloquent and entertaining at debunking almost anything imaginable. The reader clicks with anticipation on a subject like alien abduction, anticipating the treatment it will receive. But Carroll also shows the deft touch of a surgeon with the "psychology" entry. Definitions are hyperlinked to related articles, and sources for further reading are also provided. For those who lack the time to savor the dictionary, the FAQ (which begins by questioning if skeptics can be skeptical of skepticism) gives a wonderful flavor for the site. Note that the dictionary is also available in Portuguese. [JS]
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Yahoo! Computers
http://computers.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! has recently opened this site, a gateway into that world of computers that combines topical entries from the original Yahoo! directory with other computer-related content. In addition to the familiar topically-based guide listing nine major categories including reviews, tech news, shopping, and net events, there are special features on various "product zones" such as desktops, digital cameras, and modems. These sections are organized into areas such as product reviews, top sellers, and product finders. [JS]
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CPU Info Center
http://infopad.eecs.berkeley.edu/CIC/
The CPU Info Center, maintained by Tom Burd, offers a range of interesting and useful technical information about current microprocessors. The site provides a selection of current processor-related press releases, numerous pointers to online resources, an interesting history of "Great Microprocessors" by John Bayko, and more. While much of the information is actually contained elsewhere, the site has selected many useful and well-organized URLs. This site provides an excellent starting point for finding information about current and future processor technology. [CL]
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Lava: The Java GUI Builder
http://www.hnet.demon.co.uk/products/lava/index.html
Lava is a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) Java GUI (Graphical User Interface) design system created by the hairNET group. The system provides a graphic user interface development environment where the standard AWT (Abstract Windows Toolkit) components can be laid out and their various properties edited. The system can then automatically generate the Java source code to implement the GUI. Lava also supports instant viewing of an interface design as well as several different layout managers. This useful, freely-available software runs on any platform supporting the JDK 1.1.1. [CL]
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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

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The Scout Report - April 24, 1998

The Scout Report

April 24, 1998

New From Internet Scout

Research and Education

General Interest

Network Tools

General Interest

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