The Scout Report -- Volume 26, Number 23

In this commissioned piece from the Whitney Museum of American Art, a live video stream from multimedia artist Michael Mandiberg's studio shows the artist "painting portraits of the 56 people who have worked for them over the last 15 years." Each portrait will be painted twice, one for sale (priced at the total wages Mandiberg paid the sitter) and the other gifted to the subject. The portraits are sized according to the number of hours the person worked for Mandiberg, resulting in canvas sizes ranging from a 4x5 inch miniature to 4x5 feet. In doing this, Mandiberg hopes to reveal the many, many hours contributed to the art-making enterprise by interns and assistants, debunking the stereotype of the lone artist at work in their studio. By clicking the "Enter Project" button, readers can view each hour-long video of Mandiberg at work. Close to 300 videos are available as of this write-up. Mandiberg began the year-long project in July 2019 and will continue "as long as it takes...to make over 120 paintings of the 60+ people who have helped them sustain their art practice for the past two decades." [DS]

Comment on or rate this resource

Are you looking for fun science resources for young people in your life? Let Wow Science do some of the leg work for you. Wow Science is a platform "searching out the best primary science activities," and cataloging them in an easily searchable database. These resources are categorized into six sections: Games, Activities, Apps, Videos, Experiments, and Websites. Each of these media forms can be further filtered by difficulty level and time to complete using the Sort Results By dropdown menu. Users can also search using the query bar at the top of the page. The site uses symbols to clarify the intended audience (see the About page for an explaination of what each symbol means). For example, the hourglass icon represents the expected time for each activity and the number of brain icons represents the difficulty (one for easy and three for difficult). The majority of activities on the site are free, and all free activities are tagged accordingly. Educators may want to click the Teachers tab at the top of the page to see lesson plans and activities meant for use in classrooms. For additional content, check out the Blog section. Wow Science is a collaboration between Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) and Learning Science Ltd. All materials listed on the site are approved by PSTT (evaluated for "quality and suitability"). [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Friday, June 19 is Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating Emancipation Day. This holiday is an important part of U.S. history and, as host of Noire Histoir Natasha McEachron notes, "Black history is a part of global history and ... [should be] studied and celebrated all 366 days of the year." The Noire Histoir podcast (and related blog, newsletter, videos, and social media channels) launched in 2017 and spans themes of pride, excellence, and power "across the Black diaspora." The podcast has various episode formats, including monthly news wrap-ups, book and movie reviews, and a Black History Short series that profiles black doctors, activists, writers, and more. McEachron is also expanding the project to include a career section, "interviewing Black people about their career journeys and work philosophies." Interested readers can request to participate on the Interviews page. Visitors will also find a Blog on the site, as well as a link to the Noire Histoir YouTube channel under the Video tab. New episodes of the podcast are released every few days and you can find all of these episodes at the link above. Episodes are also available to stream on Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.[EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Curious about "how the anxieties of the moment would translate to our dreams," Bay Area sister duo Erin and Grace Gravley launched i dream of covid, an online and on-going repository for subconscious stories during this pandemic. Dreams are selected with an eye toward diversity of dream location, dream content, and dreamer age. The site collects dreams from around the world: Pakistan, Peru, Pennsylvania, and many places in between. In fact, as of this write-up there are dreams from nearly every continent. Toggling over the Dreams menu at the top of the site, visitors can choose how to view these dreams. On the All page, dreams are organized by recency (based on the date the dream occurred). On the Browse page, visitors can navigate by location (e.g. "India" or "Indiana") and content (e.g. "anxiety" or "Zoom"). The Archive page organizes dreams by month. The About section includes background information about the project, such as criteria used to select dreams, links to related news articles, and a statement on the artistic vision behind the illustrations that accompany many of the dreams. Illustrator Grace Gravley noted she does not include people in her dream depictions, a nod to "what quarantine and social distancing feels like to most of us: living in a world devoid of regular interaction with other people." Those interested in supporting the project can do so on the Donate page. The Assist page links out to a page that lists a variety of mutual aid funds. Finally, those interested in submitting a dream can do so using the form on the site's landing page. [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Each June, cities and communities around the world celebrate Pride, an opportunity for celebration and reflection in honor of the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. GLAAD, a non-profit organization "rewrite[ing] the script for LGBTQ acceptance," created this Pride Month Resources Kit for Journalists to help reporters "use Pride events as an opportunity to discuss the history of LGBT advocacy, show the diversity of the LGBT community, and examine recent gains and setbacks made by the community." The kit begins by highlighting Pride's historical roots and expanding presence today, then provides recommendations for inclusive media coverage. Recommendations note the importance of diversity and locality in the framing of news coverage. The kit also has a Story Ideas section with 10 suggested topics, including: "Interview senior members of the LGBT community in your area and get their perspective on the evolution of Pride and LGBT equality." The Terminology Suggestions section includes a link to the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, where readers can find additional information on inclusive language and a 40-page in-depth guide on how to "tell the stories of LGBTQ people fairly and accurately." [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Children and caregivers looking to celebrate the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere may find delight in this list of "10 Summer Solstice Activities for Children." Compiled in June 2019 by the educational nonprofit Waterford, the list features links to various creative activities meant "to get your children excited about summer." The post begins with a brief background on the science behind the summer solstice. Activities on the list include: a five-ingredient ice cream recipe (from the food media platform Delish), and several arts and crafts projects (from suncatchers and sundials to homemade kites). Waterford continues to publish other great children's content, which can be found under the Activities Center tab (located in the Waterford Upstart menu at the top of the page). Resources can be filtered by topic (e.g. Reading or Math & Science) and include activities like "How Many Colors In A Rainbow STEM Activity" and seasonal coloring pages. [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Summer plans may look a little different this year, but who said virtual vacations can not be equally exciting? With Yellowstone National Park's Virtual Tours, you can hike to the Western United States' famous hot springs and waterfalls without stepping out of your front door. The site offers multiple ways to explore. The Video Walks section embeds short video clips shot from the perspective of someone hiking in the park, giving you an authentic look at some of the national park's treasures. As you continue to scroll down the page, you will encounter the Map-Based Tours section, where users can toggle over the map in three different viewing styles (Park Tiles Standard, Park Tiles Imagery, and Mapbox Outdoors). Scroll farther, visitors will find a Yellowstone in 3-D map with a more interactive user experience. In this section the site offers in-depth looks at key points of interest, such as Fort Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs. Finally, the Photos and Multimedia section houses additional images, audio, and video materials to ensure your digital experience is positive and realistic. These resources were provided by the National Park Service and were last updated in April 2020. [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

The Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy is a must-see resource for readers interested in stars, space, and the history of how different cultures interpret the night sky. This resource exists to highlight important astronomy information, promote support of astronomical heritage site conservation, and provide research tools. Those less familiar with astronomical heritage may want to begin on the About page, which answers many pertinent questions, including "What is astronomical heritage?" As this page notes, astronomical heritage deals with "evidence relating to the practice of astronomy and to social uses and representations of astronomy." On the Themes page, the Portal includes a collection of essays that explore connections to the sky across many places and periods. Those interested in exploring heritage sites can do so using an interactive Astronomical Heritage Finder map (found under The Heritage tab). Readers will also find case studies exploring the features and preservation of notable astronomical sites on The Heritage page or by following the "Full case studies" link on the Home page. These case studies incorporate research on many related topics such as discussing tangible versus intangible heritage and light pollution. The Portal is a collaboration between UNESCO, the World Heritage Center, and the International Astronomical Union. Clive Ruggles, a professor of archaeoastronomy at the University of Leicester, serves as Project Director, with assistance from other team members and advisors around the world. [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Whether you are camping IRL (in real life) or through URLs (with online nature resources), good campfire cuisine is an important part of the experience. Launched in 2015 by Megan McDuffie and Michael van Vliet, Fresh Off the Grid is a blog created by and for outdoor enthusiasts, with an emphasis on food and recipes. The Recipes page, which houses more than 100 different options, can be sorted by meal type (e.g. dinner), diet (e.g. gluten free), and cooking method (e.g. one pot or pan). In addition to ingredient lists and instructions, recipes include a brief narrative and a few pictures. Those new to cooking and camping (or both) may want to check out "27 Easy Camping Meals to Make Camp Cooking a Breeze," (published on March 17, 2020), which highlights some of the simplest recipes on the blog. Most recipes require few ingredients, but some do involve culinary gadgets tailored to outdoor cooking (such as pie irons and dehydrators). Some of these items are linked with options to purchase, and readers should note that the blog authors do receive a commission for items purchased via these links. [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Summer and stargazing go together like campfires and smores! EarthSky's interactive map will help you find the perfect spot to celebrate the summer solstice. This resource tracks publicly accessible stargazing spots around the world. The site gathers an impressive array of locations, from beaches in Kenya to mountain passes in the Austrian Alps to islands in the Caribbean. Visitors will find a world map with pins marking spots of interest. Click on a pin to reveal an address, directions, and a brief description. Do you have a favorite spot of your own that you want to share? The "Recommend a Place" button brings you to a submission form. In addition to this useful resource, EarthSky offers educational blog posts covering topics such as astronomy and climate science and a Today's Image section highlighting impressive photography. The resources combine to offer visitors "daily updates on your cosmos and world." [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Raindrop's developer describes it as an "all-in-one bookmark manager." Similarly to in-browser bookmark managers, Raindrop allows users to organize bookmarks into folders and with tags. You can search within these bookmarks and display the results in grid, headline, masonry, or list view. All the views provide an instant preview of a selected bookmark without leaving the bookmark manager. A batch editing feature allows users to apply changes to multiple bookmarks at once, which keeps bookmark collections organized and consistent. Raindrop supports automation via IFTTT, Zapiar, and its own REST API. For example, you could configure a workflow that will automatically save Twitter or YouTube favorites as bookmarks. By default bookmarks are private. However, users can also create shared folders of bookmarks (e.g. to share with coworkers) and public folders that are visible to everyone. Raindrop can be integrated into Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge via a browser extension. There are also desktop versions of Raindrop for Windows and macOS, as well as smartphone versions for iOS and Android devices. [CRH]

Comment on or rate this resource

QuiteRSS is a cross-platform RSS and Atom feed reader that is designed to be lightweight and "comfortable" for the user. It uses the WebKit HTML renderer, the same one used by Apple's Safari, so sites render the same way that they would in a full browser. QuiteRSS also includes a built-in ad filter and flash blocker to reduce online annoyances. Users can filter new, unread, starred, or deleted stories and can search within those categories to locate specific stories of interest. QuiteRSS also supports user-defined filters to either highlight or hide stories that match specified criteria. If desired, you can configure sound, pop-up, or tray notifications when new news stories arrive. The QuiteRSS Download page features installers for Windows and macOS computers. Linux and BSD users can find QuiteRSS in their system's package manager. QuiteRSS is free software, distributed under the GNU General Public License, with source code available on GitHub. [CRH]

Comment on or rate this resource

Bibliophiles looking for a summer reading challenge may want to return to this book list from the 08-16-2019 Scout Report to see how many of the 276 titles they can tackle this season.

Are you a book lover who prefers to eschew the best seller lists and seek out books that nobody else has heard of? If so, this interactive data visualization from The Pudding may be for you. Here, visitors will find The Pudding's creatively named Hipster Summer Reading List 2019, a project that was artisanally crafted by analyzing over 100 million checkout records from the Seattle Public Library to find fiction books that have not been checked out in over a decade. As visitors scroll down the stack of 276 little-read books, which are by default organized alphabetically by title, a menu on the left appears with options to filter and sort the books by vintage (i.e. publication date) and by obscurity. Choosing a title from the stack yields a popup graphic with an image of the book's cover (when available), a link to its Goodreads rating (if it has one), and a link to its WorldCat entry so readers can see what libraries near them have it. Published in June 2019, this project was created by Russell Goldenberg and Amber Thomas, who are, respectively, an editor and a senior journalist-engineer at The Pudding. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource