The Scout Report - September 11, 1998

The Scout Report

September 11, 1998

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. 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.

New From Internet Scout

• Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics

Research and Education

• Noesis: Philosophical Research On-Line
• Internet Detective [frames]
• Dublin Core Metadata for Resource Discovery (RFC 2413)
• Internet Library of Early Journals (ILEJ)
• The State of World Population 1998: The New Generations--UNFPA [.pdf]
• New Additions to ERIC Digests Database
• CURRENT SCIENCE TITLES--Mailing List

General Interest

• Independent Counsel's Report to the US House of Representatives
• Death Penalty Information Center
• Faerie Lore and Literature
• The Motley Fool
• Alfred Hitchcock--Master of Suspense
• Mark McGwire Breaks Home Run Record [QuickTime, RealPlayer]
• Roller Coasters--Encyclopedia Britannica
• Glossary of Construction Terms

Network Tools

• 2nd State of the Onion--Larry Wall's Keynote Address at the Second Annual O'Reilly Perl Conference
• J-Track and J-Track 3D Beta 1

Where Are They Now

• Volume 2, Number 19, September 8, 1995

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 twenty-fifth 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 Sciences Report annotates ten resources on the recent economic and political upheavals in Russia. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates ten resources on the US stock market fluctuations. [MD]
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Noesis: Philosophical Research On-Line
http://noesis.evansville.edu/
Designed by the makers of Argos (discussed in the Scout Report for November 1, 1996) and Hippias (discussed in the Scout Report for September 26, 1997), this new search engine offers access to resources and works in progress by philosophy professionals. The editor, Anthony F. Beavers of Evansville University, describes the site as a "dangerous experiment" in that essays by scholars are not peer-reviewed, but rather evaluated according to the "accreditation model." Noesis will include works by authors holding PhDs or attending PhD programs. This model is used in the interest of bypassing the professional political motivations for publishing (e.g. tenure), and returning to the original ideal--the dissemination of knowledge. Regardless, the papers accessed through Noesis offer a useful cross-section of philosophy as it is being taught and written about today. Additional resources contained in Noesis include bibliographies, glossaries, chronologies, or developed lecture notes. Images, charts, maps, graphs and primary texts are all included based on their own merits. Users can search by resource type and keyword or browse the Author and Collection Indexes. Future additions planned include a topical index and customizable datasets. [MD]
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Internet Detective [frames]
http://sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html
A central concern of the Internet Scout Project and anyone who uses the Web as an information-gathering tool is quality. The ability to critically analyze Websites and evaluate their quality and usefulness is essential to successful and efficient surfing. The Internet Detective, an online tutorial developed by staff at The Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) at the University of Bristol (home of SOSIG), is an excellent resource for developing these skills. With clearly written overviews, interactive quizzes, and worked examples, the tutorial teaches users the key elements of quality Internet information and offers practical tips for evaluating a variety of online resources. Free registration is required to allow users to return to the site as necessary and work through the tutorial at their own pace. [MD]
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Dublin Core Metadata for Resource Discovery (RFC 2413)
ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc2413.txt
Dublin Core Metadata homepage
http://purl.oclc.org/dc/
This Request for Comments (RFC) is the first in a series of Informational RFC's to be produced by the Dublin Core (DC) Metadata Workshop Series. This first RFC provides an introduction to the Dublin Core, "a fifteen-element metadata element set intended to facilitate discovery of electronic resources." The RFC also presents the consensus reached by librarians, digital library researchers, content experts, and text-markup experts from around the world on the semantics of each of the fifteen elements (descriptors). The DC elements are title, author, subject, description, publisher, other contributor, date, resource type, format, resource identifier, source, language, relation, coverage, and rights management. Dublin Core metadata has been implemented in several ways, including as HTML metatags and as database elements, as it is used in the Scout Report Signpost (discussed in the June 20, 1997 issue of the Scout Report). Additional information about the Dublin Core Workshop Series, DC semantics and syntax, working papers, and projects that have implemented Dublin Core metadata can be found at the Dublin Core Metadata homepage. [AG]
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Internet Library of Early Journals (ILEJ)
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/
ILEJ is a joint project by the Universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford, conducted under the auspice of the eLib (Electronic Libraries) Programme (discussed in the Scout Report for September 20, 1996). The project has digitized selected twenty-year runs of three eighteenth- and three nineteenth-century journals and placed the images online at the site. Journals include: Annual Register (1758-78), Gentleman's Magazine (1731-50), Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1757-77), Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine (1843-52), Notes and Queries (1849-69), and The Builder (1843-9). Users can browse the journals by volume and section, conduct a standard search, or try a "fuzzy search" (limited availability). The project has considerable potential for scholars and students of British history and literature, although slow loading image pages may make it more useful as an online index to these journals. [MD]
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The State of World Population 1998: The New Generations--UNFPA [.pdf]
http://www.unfpa.org/SWP/SWPMAIN.HTM
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has recently issued its annual report highlighting new developments in world population. This year's report, The State of World Population 1998: The New Generations, focuses on the ramifications of the rapid increases in two segments of global population: youth less than fifteen years-old and elderly more than 65 years-old. This Website contains text and .pdf files of the report, graphs and charts of key facts and figures, press summaries outlining the report's contents and recommendations, and news features with photographs for promotional publication. [AO]
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New Additions to ERIC Digests Database
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/edo98b.html
ERIC Digests Index Page
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/
The latest quarterly update to the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Digest database features 67 full-text short reports aimed at education professionals and the broader education community. Each report includes an overview of an education topic of current interest and offers references for further information. Sample titles include Improving Ethnic and Racial Relations in the Schools, Libraries and Democracy, Social Identity and the Adult ESL Classroom, and A Paradigm Shift from Instruction to Learning. Users can search the entire ERIC Digests database from the index page. ERIC, part of the National Library of Education (NLE), is a nationwide education information system sponsored by the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). [MD]
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CURRENT SCIENCE TITLES--Mailing List
CURRENT SCIENCE TITLES is a new, free one-way distribution list from Science-Week (discussed in the Scout Report for June 27, 1997). Each week, subscribers will receive a listing of ten selected current articles "of broad and significant interest" to the scientific community. Each listing includes the subject of the article, the lead author, the author's affiliation(s), a complete journal reference, and available author contact information. [MD]
To subscribe to CURRENT SCIENCE TITLES, send e-mail to:
prismx@scienceweek.com
In the SUBJECT line of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE CST
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Independent Counsel's Report to the US House of Representatives
http://thomas.loc.gov/ICreport/
Mirror sites:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/icreport/
http://www.house.gov/icreport/
This morning Congress voted (363-63) to release the 445-page investigative report submitted to the US House Judiciary Committee by Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr. According to the Judiciary Committee, the document will be posted at the addresses above as soon as it is available. [AO]
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Death Penalty Information Center
http://www.essential.org/dpic/
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), a nonprofit organization operating out of Washington, DC, prepares analytical reports for the media, the public, and Congress on issues concerning capital punishment. Their fact-filled, frequently updated site supplies a wealth of full-text reports, briefs, and statistics examining all aspects of capital punishment. Topic sections analyze death penalty information in relation to public opinion, race, sex, age, mental competency, deterrence, innocence, and cost. A state by state listing clearly outlines and compares the legislation and the statistics for capital punishment nationally. A comprehensive list of links to other sources of information is also provided. [AO]
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Faerie Lore and Literature
http://faeryland.tamu-commerce.edu/earendil/faerie/faerie.html
An impressive compendium of faerie literature and information, this site is the project of Allen Garvin, an avid faerie enthusiast. Visitors can read faerie-inspired stories, poems, novels, and plays; view pictures; access bibliographies and related Websites; or look up terms in a browseable or searchable dictionary. Garvin casts his net wide to include not only the obvious classics such as Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but also lesser-known tomes like Joseph Ritson's 1831 Dissertation on Faeries. Later plans include scanning in selected titles, adding motifs to stories and dictionary entries to be cross-linked with the motif index already on-site, and adding a map of British fairy sites. This site is a boon for anyone with an interest--passing or abiding--in faeries. [TK]
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The Motley Fool
http://www.fool.com/
Founded by David and Tom Gardner in 1993, The Motley Fool provides amusing and educational investment information. Feature articles address topics of money management, investment ideas, and stock research, among others. A clearly arranged Info/Help! site index aids navigation. Current stock quotes, news, and an intriguing "Fool's School" of how-to short essays and key terminology round out this lively and colorful collection. [MW]
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Alfred Hitchcock--Master of Suspense
http://nextdch.mty.itesm.mx/~plopezg/Kaplan/Hitchcock.html
Created by Patricio Lopez-Guzman, a Mexican university student and unpublished novelist, Alfred Hitchcock--Master of Suspense is a terrific example of a fan's personal tribute to a famous artist. Lopez-Guzman believes that you can appreciate someone's personality by the lists they make, and he has made some good ones for this site: a Hitchcock filmography with titles, casts, plot highlights, Leonard Maltin ratings, and some images; a list of Hitchcock's cameo appearances in his films; and a list of collaborators: writers, actors, and composers who worked with Hitchcock, and younger directors influenced by his work, featuring portraits and biographies. The section of scholarly essays from standard reference sources and film critics gives visitors the opportunity for more in-depth Hitchcock analysis. [DS]
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Mark McGwire Breaks Home Run Record [QuickTime, RealPlayer]
majorleaguebaseball.com Story
http://www.majorleaguebaseball.com/nl/recmac62.sml
RealPlayer Recording of the Call
http://www.broadcast.com/sports/mlb/cardinals/mcgwire62.ram
Home Run Race
http://www.majorleaguebaseball.com/homerun/index.sml
On September 8, with two out in the fourth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire hit a home run--his shortest home run of the season, but one he will never forget. McGwire broke the record for home runs in a single season, perhaps the most magical of all individual sport records in America, and one held for 37 years by Roger Maris after he bypassed Babe Ruth. Users can read about the home run at the official site for Major League Baseball (discussed in the Scout Report for August 25, 1995), or listen to a recording of the call at Broadcast.com. The race for the home run record, however, is not quite over, as the Cubs' Sammy Sosa is hot on McGwire's heels with several games left to play. Major League Baseball's Home Run Race site offers lists of both players' 1998 home runs and QuickTime videos of the most recent (including the record-breaker). The site also contains a listing of Roger Maris' 61 home runs and a link to a RealPlayer career retrospective. [MD]
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Roller Coasters--Encyclopedia Britannica
http://www.lifthill.com/history/
This site chronicles a concise history of the "scream machine" from the Russian Mountain of the 1780's to Coney Island to a vision of what the future may hold. The timeline features prominent figures in roller coaster history including "the father of the gravity ride," La Marcus Thompson; inventor John Miller, who in 1919 patented the under-friction wheels that keep coaster cars locked on their tracks; and "the sovereign of steel coasters," Ron Toomer. A selective list of related links is provided. [JR]
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Glossary of Construction Terms
http://www.cacontractorreferral.com/text/glossary.html
Need to know what a cantilever is? Curious about screeding and Type II Moderate cement or cape chisels? Look no further than the Glossary of Construction Terms, provided by the National/California Contractor Referral and License Bureau. While by no means a definitive collection of construction terms, the glossary is fairly comprehensive in terms of the basics, offering short, clear explanations of tools, materials, and concepts. Topics include Carpentry, Concrete, Electrical, Heating and Air Conditioning, Painting, Plumbing, and Roofing, among others. [MD]
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2nd State of the Onion--Larry Wall's Keynote Address at the Second Annual O'Reilly Perl Conference
http://www.perl.com/pub/1998/08/show/onion.html
This page, part of publisher O'Reilly & Associates' Website devoted to the Perl language, contains a transcript of Larry Wall's keynote address at the second annual O'Reilly Perl Conference, which was held August 17-20, 1998, in San Jose, California. In his keynote address, Larry Wall, the original author of the Perl programming language, provides a thought-provoking (and entertaining) mix of philosophy and technology. Wall's talk touches on the future of the Perl language, the relationship of the free software community to commercial software developers, chaos, complexity, and human symbology. The page also includes copies of graphics used during the keynote. [MR]
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J-Track and J-Track 3D Beta 1
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/realtime/jtrack/
J-Track and J-Track 3D are Java applets created by the Mission Operations Laboratory of NASA to track and display, in real-time, orbits and other information about satellites circling the Earth. J-Track displays a Mercator Projection of the Earth with a selectable list of satellites to display. A simple click on a satellite of interest will show its path over the earth as well as detailed information about the satellite itself. J-Track 3D gives users a three-dimensional view of the Earth and orbiting satellites while providing informative capabilities similar to J-Track, but it also allows the user to rotate the display, zoom in and out, and view orbits in space as well as on the ground. Both J-Track and J-Track 3D are interesting applets providing both entertainment as well as useful information. The programs are free to use and work on almost any platform supporting Java; however, a computer with a 166 MHz or faster processor is recommended for use with J-Track 3D. [CL]
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Volume 2, Number 19, September 8, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
The Internet Classics Archive
http://classics.mit.edu/
When last reviewed, the Internet Classics Archive had recently undergone an extensive update, and it has continued to grow in the interim. One of the premiere online depositories of classical literature, the site now boasts 441 works by 59 authors, mostly Greco-Roman, but also including some Persian and Chinese authors (all in English translation). The site still contains a powerful search engine and has also added a reader comments section to each work page. Future plans for the site include mirror sites in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. [MD]
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Susan Calcari Michael de Nie Travis Koplow Aimee D. Glassel Todd Hanson Sheilah Harrington Kathryn Harris Christopher Lukas Andy Osmond Laura X. Payne Jeannine Ramsey Mike Roszkowski Debra Shapiro Geraldine Wanserski Megan Waters Amy Tracy Wells

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