·http://novel.utah.edu/

Crafted by a team of scholars from the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, the University of Utah, and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society, the Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library (NOVEL) is an open access repository of digital materials to be used for educational and research purposes. Visitors can browse through twenty different collections that are searchable by contributing educator or by organization. Additionally, visitors can use the search engine to look for specific items such as eye anatomy charts, information about eye diseases, and so on. If interested, visitors can even learn how to contribute education materials themselves or add to NOVEL's wiki. Feedback on the site is encouraged and those interested and able can also make a donation to help keep the project running. [KMG]

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·http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sao/

Created in 1890, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory has a rich history of space science research. Affiliated with Harvard University, the SAO moved from Washington, DC to Cambridge, MA in 1955. Today, the Observatory employs over 300 scientists working on broad programs of astrophysical research supported by federal appropriations and other funding sources. Its divisions include high energy astrophysics, theoretical astrophysics, and optical and infrared astronomy. First-time visitors might do well to look over the Research area, which contains research statements and detailed project information on the SAO's work on the solar system, galaxies, and stars. The Features area is quite a find and it contains profiles on the third dimensions of Cassiopeia A, the search for other Earths, and dozens of other subjects dating back to 2009. Within Education & Outreach, visitors will find links to curriculum materials and public outreach ideas like "Inside Einstein's Universe" and "Black Holes: Space Warps & Time Twists." Finally, visitors should look over the Opportunities area as it contains information for science researchers and those seeking postdoctoral fellowships. [KMG]

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·http://www.norc.org/Research/DataFindings/Pages/default.aspx

The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) was created in 1941 with a mission "to conduct high-quality social science research in the public interest." Its work is quite broad and includes studies of public school system performance, economic development projects, and other germane matters. On the Data and Findings page, visitors can peruse and explore hundreds of NORC's papers from past months and years. Interested parties can search through all of these documents as they see fit or perhaps just scroll through to find something that strikes some interest. Some recent titles include "Promising Practices to Improve Access to Oral Health Care in Rural Communities" and "The State of Our Nation's Youth." [KMG]

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·http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/fromdnatobeer/

What can we learn from studying DNA and beer? This is just the type of query that inspires the people at the U.S. National Library of Medicine. This online exhibit is meant to accompany a traveling exhibition and is full of information about key technological innovations that have involved the marriage between medical scholars and industrial professionals. Browsing the Learn More area, visitors will find interactive features about how insulin was made from recombinant DNA. Additional features cover the fermentation of beer and the creation of penicillin. The Digital Gallery contains nineteen fascinating items, such as catalogs celebrating Louis Pasteur, treatises on food adulteration, and animal chemistry. These archival items truly bring the history of medicine and innovation to the forefront. For those interested, the site is nicely rounded out with suggested readings and other complementary websites. [KMG]

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·http://stem.firstbook.org/

The goal of the Springboard to STEM program is "to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and provide training and classroom materials for teachers." On this website, visitors can take advantage of free educational materials like worksheets, lesson plans, and discussion questions. Visitors need to fill out a form on the site before they can access all of the materials, but this only takes a minute or two. Moving on, the News and Links area contains links to their work around STEM education and the project's Twitter feed. The Marketplace is another great feature of the site which contains links to high quality STEM-related resources, such as books and classroom DVDs, that are available for purchase. [KMG]

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·http://cslib.cdmhost.com/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15019coll7

Herbert Randall was born in Massachusetts and lived in Michigan before opening his own professional photo shop in New Haven, Connecticut in 1894. He was a student of the built environment, a poet, and was also fascinated with the history of the Nutmeg State. This nice collection from the Connecticut State Library brings together 141 black and white photographs that Randall took around New Haven between 1880 and 1920. Each photo has detailed information about the location where it was taken along with a brief description and some keywords. First-time visitors may wish to check out some of the sample searches which cover Banks, Schools, Theatres, and Transportation. The Hotels section contains some real gems including the old New Haven House and the celebrated Duncan Hotel which is still in operation today. [KMG]

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·http://digital.grinnell.edu/drupal/content/about-phpp

The Poweshiek History Preservation Project is a joint effort between the Grinnell College Libraries and the Drake Community Library to preserve the history of the people and places of Poweshiek County. Over the years, dozens of community members have brought in letters, photographs, scrapbooks, ledgers, and other documents that tell the area's history. This site contains over 120 items, including photos of roadwork construction, local churches, museums, and portraits of prominent community members. Most of the items here date from the late 19th and early 20th century and they provide a remarkable look into the changes throughout the community during this period. Additionally, the site contains several oral histories from locals who have lived here for decades. Visitors can search through the offering by date, type, or geographic coverage. [KMG]

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·http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=9538

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has created this website to bring together a range of educational materials for teachers. Given their wonderful work in oceanography and related fields, it makes sense that they have dozens of fact sheets, worksheets, classroom modules, and outreach projects to share. The materials are divided into six areas including Information Packets, Ocean Explorer Magazine, Ocean Instruments, and Citizen Science Projects. Within Ocean Instruments visitors can explore how a wide range of specialized ocean research instruments work, including gravity corers, marine magnetometers, and a towed camera system. Moving on, the Ocean Explorer section contains fascinating articles designed for young people. The pieces cover remote-sensing, plate tectonics, and wave motion. Make sure to check out the Citizen Science Projects as well, which covers sites created in partnership with a range of groups, including Zooniverse and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. [KMG]

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·http://www.newsecuritybeat.org/

The New Security Beat is the official blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. The site contains a cornucopia of content, including video updates, working papers, publications, opinion pieces, and other materials for scholars and policy enthusiasts. The materials are divided into seven areas, including Multimedia, Film, and Publications. One award-winning film, "Healthy People, Healthy Environment", presents an innovative approach to development in Tanzania that combines efforts to conserve natural resources with reproductive health services and sustainable economic opportunities. Within Publications, works such as "After The Disaster: Rebuilding Communities" and "Our Shared Future: Environmental Pathways to Peace" can be explored. Also, visitors can look over blog entries and scroll through recent updates from conferences, seminars, and international meetings. [KMG]

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·http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/scandocs/historical.htm

The New York State Library started digitizing a range of New York government documents in a wonderful online catalog and website. The collection covers a wide range of materials including government surveys, state census results, and first had descriptions of the Native American experience throughout the Empire State. In total, there are twelve collections here, including Laws of New York State and New York State Museum Publications. This last area contains a large set of publications created by museum staff members' investigations into geology, biology, anthropology, and history. Some especially noteworthy publications include "Earthquakes in New York State" and "Biological Diversity: The Oldest Human Heritage." Additionally, the New York State History-Towns and Counties section is quite a find, as it contains county and town histories from the 19th and 20th centuries of Albany, Corning, Troy and Rensselaer County. [KMG]

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·http://www.artic.edu/art-and-appetite-american-painting-culture-and-cuisine

In time for the holiday season of indulging, the Art Institute of Chicago presents this exhibition that documents the American fascination with food, using paintings and sculptures, as well as period cookbooks, menus, and posters, dating from the 18th through the 20th century. The online exhibition is presented in the form of a cookbook and includes historical recipes illustrated with works from the exhibition. Contemporary contributions from (primarily) Chicago chefs, restauranteurs, and a few amateur cooks are also featured. For example, an Andy Warhol tomato soup can decorates a recipe for Tomato Soup Cake from Anne Marshall's Cooking with Condensed Soups, 1950, while James Peale's Still Life: Balsam Apple and Vegetables, c. 1820s is paired with a recipe for pickled cauliflower or broccoli from a much earlier cookbook, The Cook’s Own Book, 1832. Modern recipes include Jason Gorman's Sweet Corn Spoonbread, Judith Barter's Candle Salad, and Paul Kahan's Lobster Thermidor Sausage. Hungry? Visit online to see and print the recipes, read all about the chefs, and see lots of pictures of food. [DS]

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·http://www.botanicalaccuracy.com/

Would you care if someone called a cat a mouse in the description of a medieval painting? What if books on plants were illustrated with the wrong plants? Botanical errors can be just as egregious as those involving art history, foodstuffs and other products. This delightful website looks at botanical mistakes in commercial and public venues and offers up educational information and commentary on such problems. The site includes a brief description ("What is Botanical Accuracy?") of their activities and then a listing of recent controversies and the like that they have addressed. Some of these recent entries include "Reindeer moss is a lichen, not a moss" and "Greening Singapore with temperate weeds?" Visitors can search around the entries by keywords and social media tools allow the posts to be shared easily. [KMG]

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·http://www.metazen.ca/

Metazen is an online journal from Canada that publishes short fiction and poetry by various authors. The whole enterprise got started in March 2009 and claims to "like odd stories and odd poems, but ones that touch you in a special way." New content is published every day and visitors with a literary bent will find it most lovely and wondrous. Visitors can look over sections including Interviews, Meta Micros, and Box of Secrets. This last area contains the site's blog, fan page, and a number of Easter Eggs for curious visitors to find hidden on the site. Some of the more engaging stories featured here include "In the Creases of Dead Maps" and "Minutes of Westminster Court Management Company Annual General Meeting 2013." Visitors can also subscribe to receive the Metazen's latest offerings via email. [KMG]

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·http://www.mndigital.org/

Minnesota is a large and vast state full of lakes. The Minnesota Digital Library is a large and vast website full of digitized photos of lakes and a great deal more. On their site, visitors can learn about projects which include the fascinating "Minnesota Reflections," a trove of over 135,000 photos and maps. As it is a large collection, the site also provides a few helpful user guides. In the section For Educators, interested parties can make their way through lesson plans and curriculum guides. Topics here cover a variety of Minnesota-specific lessons, including "Mining in Minnesota" and "The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota." Additionally, for library professionals interested in learning from the success of this project, the Digitizing & Metadata section provides great reports just for this purpose. [KMG]

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·http://opencityapps.org/

Are you interested in improving civic culture and knowledge with apps? If so, you will be delighted to learn about the Open City site. The Open City folks are a group of programmers, citizen activists, and policy types that create apps with open data in order "to improve transparency and understanding of our government." Chicagoans can stop by the Merchandise Mart to meet up and work with Open City in person. Everyone else can check out the Projects page to view apps like "Chicago Councilmatic," "How's Business?" and "Crime in Chicago." Each of these apps takes open source data from the city of Chicago and other organizations to create tools designed to help decision makers, journalists, and scholars with their various projects. The site also contains information about the people behind the organization and press releases about their work. [KMG]

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·http://www.nps.gov/NR/travel/massachusetts_conservation/index.html

Massachusetts has long been a leader in the conservation and preservation movements. From early attempts to create an Emerald Necklace around Boston to the battle to save the Old State House, the commonwealth has rich, fascinating tales and experiences. This wonderful travel itinerary was created by the National Park Service's Heritage Education Services in partnership with the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers. On the site, visitors can look over essays, a list of sites, maps, and external websites. The powerful essays include "Conservation and Landscape Planning in Massachusetts" and "American Conservation in the Twentieth Century." Checking out the List of Sites area, visitors can read a complete list of all the places mentioned in the itinerary (complete with details and photos) such as the Boston Public Garden, the Lynn Woods Historic District, and the Fruitlands Museums Historic District. [KMG]

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·https://secretink.co/

What if you could send a message that could only be read once? SecretInk can let you do just that. Visitors can type in a message and send it out via email or text message. Once the message is read, it disappears forever. It's a novel little device and it is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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·https://www.pdfstash.com/

Do you ever wonder where you put that last PDF you created? It can be a vexing problem, but with PDFstash you need wonder no more. The program allows visitors to put all of their PDFs in the cloud and then create bookmarks and folders that will keep things neat and tidy. Placing the PDFs in the cloud simply requires users to drag and drop documents. The free account option allows users to store 20 different documents per month and is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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California high-speed rail plans stopped in tracks
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Judge-s-rulings-halt-California-s-high-speed-rail-5011046.php

California's high-speed rail imperiled by court rulings
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_24600456/new-court-rulings-imperil-future-californias-high-speed

California's railways: Applying a brake to high-speed plans
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/11/californias-railways

California High Speed Rail Authority
http://www.hsr.ca.gov/

Florida High Speed Rail
http://www.floridabullettrain.com/fhsra/servlet/com.hntb.flhighspeedrail.web9a01.html?cmd=start

The Amtrak Vision for the Northeast Corridor
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/453/325/Amtrak-Vision-for-the-Northeast-Corridor.pdf

High speed rail is a tricky proposition in the United States, and in recent years skepticism has doomed many initiatives across the country. California's high-speed rail project was dealt a difficult blow this Monday as Judge Michael Kenny ruled that the state's plans to sell $8 billion in bonds did not comply with the terms of Proposition 1A, the ballot initiative that authorized state borrowing to build the line. Interestingly enough, the high-speed rail authority can use the existing $3 billion dollars in federal funds in hopes that the rest of the funds will be available relatively soon. Accordingly, the first 29 miles of track from Madera to Fresno have already been approved and will be laid as planned. Commenting on the matter, Dan Richard, the chairman of the board of directors for the rail authority noted that, "Like all transformative projects, we understand that there will be many challenges that will be addressed as we go forward in building the nation's first high-speed rail system." [KMG]

The first link is to a story from the San Francisco Chronicle that reports on this recent development involving this massive transportation project. The second link will take visitors to another great article on the subject from the San Jose Mercury News. Moving along, the third link will lead interested parties to a bit of commentary on the subject from this week's Economist. The fourth link will whisk users away to the official project homepage of the California High Speed Rail Authority. Here, visitors can learn about the route of the train, the project timetable, and so on. The fifth link will take interested parties to the homepage of the Florida High Speed Rail project, which seeks to connect Pensacola to Miami over the coming decades. The final link will lead visitors to the official Amtrak mission statement on crafting a plan for high speed rail in the Northeast over the coming years.