·http://ltrc.vassar.edu/writing-center/

Even if you can't make it to Poughkeepsie, you can still benefit from the resources offered by the writing center at Vassar College. On its site, visitors can learn how to become a more creative writer, compose a thesis, and also look over formal academic courses of study. In the Resources for Writers section, visitors will find writing guides, odes to the importance of good sentence structure, and the in-house journal, The Oak Door. Moving along, the Videos area contains remarks by professors, writing center staff, and others on how writing matters. The site also contains links to external resources from York University, Rio Solado College, and other institutions passionate about the written word. [KMG]

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·http://www.library.ca.gov/calhist/travel/

For centuries, ?California, here I come!" has been a popular rallying cry for fortune seekers setting course for the Golden State. This collection from the California State Library brings together a dozen travel brochures from 1870 to 1940 that document this most alluring state. Each resource is presented as a Flash flipbook that uses fun page turning effects, an engaging element that readers of all ages will enjoy. First-time visitors might wish to start with Los Angeles To-Day, which was originally published in 1924 to promote all aspects of the Southland. Another remarkable item is the 40-page pamphlet, The Jewel City: San Francisco, 1915 that offers an intimate look at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It's a wonderful collection of primary sources that might inspire a trip or two way out West. [KMG]

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·http://pudl.princeton.edu/collections/versailles2

During the reign of Louis XIV, a number of prints and books were created to celebrate the cultural activities of France. One of the most unique documents produced during this period was the 1676 Description de la grotto de Versailles. Engraved chiefly by Jean Le Pautre, these plates represent an architectural grotto built in 1666 adjacent to the palace. Visitors will note that these remarkable plates depict the iconography of sea-nymphs, tritons, and the sun god. There are 18 of these excellent plates in this collection from the Princeton University Digital Library. Visitors can browse or search the collection and a wonderful zoom feature allows for particular areas of interest to be explored in detail. [KMG]

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·http://prudolph.lib.umassd.edu/

Born in Elkton, Kentucky in 1918, Paul Rudolph became one of the most well-known American architects in the post-WWII period. His most ambitious work was the campus of Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute (now the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth) and he did much to showcase his various talents in this project. After studying under Walter Gropius at Harvard, he later accepted the chairmanship of the department of architecture at Yale University. On this site, visitors can learn about his projects around the United States, view models and drawings of his work at UMass-Dartmouth, and also look at a detailed bibliography of his writings. The Building Images area contains a vast raft of photos that document notable works in Alabama, New York City, and dozens of other locales. The site is rounded out by a great Quotes section that offer observations from the master himself. [KMG]

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·http://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/dawn-the-smart-city-perspectives-new-york-ahmedabad-s?o-paulo-and-beijing

Are we in the age of the smart city? Will everyday existence be transformed by big data and its broad scale application to a range of public services and other central issues? This thoughtful set of meditations was released in June 2014 by scholars at the Wilson Center's Urban Sustainability Laboratory. The cities profiled in this report are New York, Ahmedabad, Sao Paulo, and Beijing, and scholars with first-hand knowledge of each metropole present their own findings in this 24-page report. There's much to think about here as the scholars make reference to public space transformation, urban agriculture, and economic development strategies of note. [KMG]

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·http://www2.stetson.edu/mahjongchem/

Stetson University and AT&T have teamed up to create this rather engaging mahjong mashup to help budding chemists hone in on their skills. From this website, visitors can access this game which helps them learn about correct oxidation numbers and compounds. Visitors will note that the program reshuffles the slides each time, which is a nice way to keep things interesting. On the top of the page, visitors can scroll through the different iterations of the game and they can also click on the Show Hint tab if things are getting tough. [KMG]

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·http://content.lib.washington.edu/pnwlaborweb/index.html

The Everett Massacre on November 5, 1916 was a tragic end to weeks of social unrest and general upheaval between labor and management around the world. This digital collection from the University of Washington Libraries documents labor's perspective on the event, also known as Everett?s Bloody Sunday, through newspaper articles, postcards, photographs, and fliers. First-time visitors might wish to start with the essay titled, "What Happened That Day in Everett.? Visitors can browse the complete collection or check out the sample searches, such as "Everett Defense Newsletters" and "Seattle Union Record.? [KMG]

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·http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/alvins-animals

Alvin's Animals is just another fabulous scientific offering from the talented people at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The "Alvin" in question is one of its deep sea exploration vehicles and this collection offers up high-quality engaging images of the various benthic-dwelling creatures it has found during its travels. Here, visitors can look over these items by topical heading such as "Benthic Life,? "Sharks & Other Fish,? and "Underwater Vehicles.? Clicking on one of these headings brings up dozens of images, organized by date. Each image contains detailed bibliographic information, and in some cases, short essays that provide additional context. [KMG]

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·http://www.loc.gov/collection/spanish-american-war-in-motion-pictures/about-this-collection/#overview

This collection from the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress brings together 68 motion pictures, produced between 1898 and 1901, of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Revolution. In a very real way, the Spanish-American War was the first United States war in which the motion picture camera played a role. Visitors can look over the "Featured Items" to get a flavor of the works here, which include Roosevelt's Rough Riders and Pack mules with ammunition on the Santiago Trail, Cuba. In Articles and Essays, visitors can read though thoughtful meditations such as, "The War in Cuba" and ??Remember the Maine?: The Beginnings of War.?

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·http://cdm16313.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15140coll12/

In 1857 Andrew D. Lytle arrived in Baton Rouge from Cincinnati with a gleam in his eye and a camera under his arm. Over the next half century, he managed to photograph hundreds of people and places around this fair town, including scenes of naval vessels, Federal encampments, student activities, and much more. This digital collection brings together 800 of his images, courtesy of the Louisiana State University Digital Collections group. Clicking on the Browse all Images section will give interested parties access to all of these items, which include photographs of the steam ferry Irene, the grounds of the capitol in 1900, and other bits and pieces of the not-so-distant past. [KMG]

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·https://archive.org/details/computersandtechvideos

This particular corner of the Internet Archive brings together a variety of videos about computing and technology, paying special attention to two television programs from the 1980s and 1990s: Computer Chronicles and Net Cafe. Computer Chronicles was hosted by Stewart Cheifet and it was produced from 1983 to 2002. Visitors can watch many of these episodes and might start by looking at a profile of Bill Gates from 1998 and a rather interesting show on the possibilities of virtual reality. Visitors can also look over the rather cool Staff Picks area where they can watch shows on the Commodore 64 and MIDI Music. Net Cafe was produced from 1996 to 2002 and visitors can watch archived episodes of it as well. [KMG]

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·http://www.ology.amnh.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/the-power-of-poison

This striking new exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History explores the cultural, historical, and biological powers of poison. Designed to complement an in situ exhibit, visitors can learn about poison in nature, myth, and legend. A video introduction to the exhibit is a great place to start and visitors can also meet the curator, Dr. Mark Siddall. In the Poison in Nature area, users can learn how poison is used by tree frogs and other species to defend their territory. The Villains and Victims area includes profiles of notable people in history who have used poison in a nefarious fashion. Additionally, this area contains a free app that features three poison "mysteries" for interested parties to solve. Finally, visitors should be sure to check out the Poison for Good area, which contains information about how treatments from the yew tree (which is quite poisonous) can be used as an anti-cancer medicine. [KMG]

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·https://www.eff.org/deeplinks

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has crafted this great resource for people interested in the world of online rights and privacy matters. A quick glance through the site will reveal a range of key commentaries on issues of copyright, moral privacy rights, and government intervention. Visitors can scroll through recent posts and then look over some of their additional projects, which include Bloggers' Rights, and HTTPS Everywhere. Also, visitors can offer comment and search posts by keywords, such as "International,? "Copyright,? and "Free Speech.? It's an exciting new project and one that will be of great interest to policy aficionados and others. [KMG]

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·http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_uic_7sh.php?CISOROOT=/uic_7sh

The social and cultural history of settlement houses is fascinating and this digital collection from the University of Illinois at Chicago provides excellent visual documentation. Of course, there are materials from Jane Addams' Hull House, but visitors can also learn about the Bethlehem Community Center and five other key institutions. Together, the items present a wonderful mix of photos, attendance sheets, aid applications, and other bits and pieces from the past. It's a fascinating way to learn about Chicago history and the ways in which different organizations attempted to assimilate new groups of immigrants arriving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [KMG]

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·http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/

Created by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET) is a fine resource for searching databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases. On the site, visitors can look over the Most Visited databases to get started, or are welcome to use common popular searches. All told, there are over a dozen high quality databases assembled here, including those dealing with genomics, household product safety, occupational exposure to chemicals, and animal testing alternatives. Another fun way to explore the databases is to conduct a search by chemical name. [KMG]

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·http://fetchtext.herokuapp.com/

Looking for a new way to share articles in your emails? Fetch Text can lend a hand. By simply forwarding a link to the email address provided on the site, visitors will receive a response email of just the main text pulled from the link. It?s easy to use and is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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·http://www.mymeetingtime.com/

Trying to plan a meeting for folks in Bangalore and Birmingham? That can be a challenge, but worry no longer: myMeetingTime is here. This handy site can help groups and organizations coordinate synchronous meetings all over the world. Visitors just need to type in their location and they can use the time zone converter and other tools to share possible meeting times with participants. It's much easier than chains of emails and the like. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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Updated Earthquake Map Shakes Up Risk Zones
http://www.livescience.com/46855-earthquake-map-us-risk-zones.html?cmpid=514645_20140717_28029266

Earthquake Maps Reveal Higher Risks for Much of U.S.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140717-usgs-earthquake-maps-disaster-risk-science/

Risk of earthquake increased for one-third of US
http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2014/07/17/earthquake-risk-increased-for-one-third-of-us

Did you feel that? USGS releases new earthquake hazard map
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-earthquake-map-20140717-story.html

Documentation for the 2014 Update of the United States National Seismic Hazard Maps
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1091/

Natural Hazards Image Database
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazardimages/

A new report released from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has really shaken things up in terms of earthquake hazard zones in the United States. While California is notoriously known for its earthquakes, the report?s new maps show geologists? latest predictions of where and how frequently earthquakes may occur over the next 50 years- and it may be surprising. In addition to West Coast shakings, the maps indicate South Carolina, Illinois, and Missouri as hotspots of increased seismic risk. Elaborating on developments since the last report was released in 2008, the new maps were drawn using data collected over the past few years as well as improved computational modeling. Commenting on the results, Mark Petersen, chief of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping project, noted, ?The general patterns of earthquakes across the U.S. have not changed significantly, but lots of the details have changed. These maps are refining our views of what the actual shaking is.? In total, parts of 16 states have been identified as high risk areas for earthquakes, so wherever you live, it might be time to revisit your earthquake preparedness plans. [CBD]

The first link will take readers to a great piece by Live Science?s Laura Geggel on the revised earthquake risk zones. Next up, National Geographic delivers an informative piece on the new USGS maps, providing a great illustration on the change in estimated risk since 2008. The third and fourth links will take readers to write-ups from the U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times, respectively. Interested parties will find the complete 243-page report, published by USGS this past Thursday, by following the fifth link. Finally, the last link features the National Geophysical Data Center?s trove of national disaster images. This image database can be easily searched and sorted by type of disaster, such as earthquake, tsunami, or volcano.