A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Science Department, University of Wisconsin
A Project of the InterNIC
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.
The Scout Report Web page
Selected Tables from UN Monthly Bulletin of
Statistics
http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/mbsreg.htm
The Statistics Division of the United Nations Division for Economic and
Social Information and Policy Analysis has made selections from its
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics freely available (after registration)
for a trial period on the web. Each issue contains a selection of tables
from the print version. The countries for which data is available vary
widely by table, and chronological coverage also varies, but this is a
source of much useful international information. At this time it is unknown
if an archive will be maintained.
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GPO Pathway Services
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces760.html
Pathway Services, a product of the US Government Printing Office, is an
attempt by that agency to make finding US government information easier for
both librarians and interested end users. It does this by connecting the
user to many sources of government information from one site. Users can
browse the information by topic (though the topic listing is a work in
progress at this time) or by title, arranged alphabetically by agency. This
title page contains a "New Additions" hypertext link to help interested
users keep up with new releases across agencies. Government Information
Locator Service (GILS) records can also be browsed. These records contain
information about government agencies, along with relevant hypertext links.
Pathway Services also provides keyword searching of government information
sites, as well as MoCat (the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government
Publications). This site shows great promise in helping information seekers
use one location as a gateway to all their government information needs.
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Digital Education Network--Free web-based courses for
secondary students
http://www.actden.com/
The Digital Education Network offers 7th through 12th grade students a
chance to expand their knowledge in four areas: NewsDEN, which covers
current events for kids and provides tips for teachers on how to integrate
the information into their curricula; MathDEN, an interactive math
challenge that offers four "stages" for students at different levels and
tracks their progress (new question sets are added every Thursday);
InternetDEN, a tutorial on using Internet tools for education, aimed at the
novice net-surfer; and GraphicsDEN, a tutorial on and gallery of computer
graphics. Planned for release next month are WritingDEN and SkyDEN, two new
instructional areas. Free registration is requested before using the site,
but a "guest" login is also available.
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NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Chemistry Web Book
http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/
NIST Physical Reference data
http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/contents.html
For information on thermodynamic data for over 5,000 chemical compounds and
on ion-energetics data for over 10,000 chemical compounds, NIST's Chemistry
WebBook is available for searching. Compounds can be searched by name,
chemical formula, or CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) registry number.
Information on enthalpy of formation, heat capacity, entropy, ionization
potential, and appearance potential is available. Note that this site works
best on browsers that support tables. NIST also supplies reference
databases in the area of physics.
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Meta-Index for US Legal Research
http://gsulaw.gsu.edu/metaindex/
This page, provided by the Georgia State University College of Law,
presents search forms for many US Federal Government law sources; each form
contains sample search criteria. The judicial opinions section provides
search forms for the Supreme Court as well as all Federal Circuit courts.
The legislation section allows searching of the US Code, as well as
searching of bills (104th Congress, both full-text and by bill number) and
the full text of the Congressional Record. There are also search
forms for federal regulation, people in law, and other legal sources. Users
may enter search criteria directly into the forms on this meta-index page,
or can follow the link to the source page for direct searching. The
searches of standard sources (opinions and legislation) are presented
without instructions, while the "Other Sources" section provides
descriptions of the source and tips for searching. Users may register to be
notified by email when the page is modified.
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Chopin-L Discussion List
Chopin-L is a public, unmoderated mailing list devoted to discussion of
issues related to late classical and romantic piano literature and its
composers. While discussion of literature intended for other performance
mediums is certainly not excluded, especially as this illuminates a
composer's entire output, a focus on piano is intended for CHOPIN-L. Topics
related to individual composers, leading performers or influential
pedagogues are encouraged. Issues in any way related to piano performance,
including, but not limited to, editions, performance problems and
practice(s), performance tradition(s) or historical pianos would be most
appropriate. Dialogue on any aspect of the wealth and variety of nineteenth
century piano repertoire are welcomed. Discourse on biographical and
historical issues of this period is invited. Discussion regarding an
individual composers compositional style, or the "Romantic Style" in
general, and its influence on later generations is welcomed. Ideas for
promotion of piano playing (competitions and festivals, descriptions of
non-profit foundations, etc.) with emphasis on the nineteenth century piano
repertoire is encouraged.
To subscribe send email to:
Majordomo@earth.ColState.EDU
In the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE CHOPIN-L
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Israel Archaeology from the Air
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/archair.html
Jerusalem in Old Maps and Views
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/maps.html
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made two richly graphical
exhibits available on the web. "Archaeology From the Air" presents birdseye
views of over 20 sites, each with an explanatory caption. Included are the
Northern Palace of Masada, the Qumran Caves, Megiddo, the Amphitheatre and
Aqueduct in Caesarea, Belvoir Fortress, and Rugum Hiri (the "Wheel of
Giants") among others. These aerial views not only show each site, but the
surroundings as well, giving geographical perspective. "Jerusalem in Old
Maps and Views" contains images of 14 maps of the city, arranged
chronologically from 565 A.D. (the oldest detailed map in the world,
according to the site) to 1905. Each map is accompanied by an explanatory
caption. Note that both these exhibits are extremely large, as the images
are not thumbnails that connect to larger images. However, if your
connection is fast enough, these exhibits are well worth viewing.
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Complete Guide to Palestine's Websites
http://www.birzeit.edu/palarc/iplinks.html
This site, provided by Birzeit University, organizes 29 Palestinian web
sites into categories: academic and research, educational institutions,
government and services, human rights, internet service providers, media,
personal homepages, and travel. Each entry is annotated, providing the user
with a clear idea of the kind and quality of information found on each
site. The site also presents a "Golden Olive Award" to Palestinian sites
that provides "a well-thought-out, well-implemented, information-rich
contribution to the wider community of the World Wide Web." There are also
links to the "Palestine Archive" and to Birzeit University's homepage,
which, though little more than a month old, are amassing significant
amounts of information useful to the study of Palestine.
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Mapquest--Worldwide Coverage
http://www.mapquest.com/
To its detailed coverage of the United States, Mapquest has added maps for
cities and regions around the world. The interactive atlas can now display
international locations on six continents; maps are detailed to the highway
and boulevard level. For US addresses, users may search for locations by
street address and view a map of the neighborhood. Registration, free of
charge, allows the user to return to the Mapquest site with settings
intact; settings include which points of interest will be highlighted, how
the maps should be displayed, and even which maps will be labeled and
stored for future reference. The US-only services on the site include
Tripquest, a route planner that covers the US, Canada, and Mexico.
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Housenet
http://www.housenet.com/
Housenet, provided by Gene and Katie Hamilton, is a comprehensive site
aimed at home improvement information. It contains a wealth of how-to
information on such topics as interior and exterior repairs, painting,
carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and gardening, among others. The "Do it
Yourself or Not" section estimates professional vs. do-it-yourself costs
for over 25 jobs from demolishing plaster walls to laying oak flooring.
Housenet also offers a wealth of tips on saving on your utility bill. As
befits a site that was originally a BBS, there is a "neighbor-to-neighbor
ideas exchange" (registration required).
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Sunrise Theater--Sci-fi films from the
1950s
http://www.sunrise-theater.com/
Were you terrified seeing such movies as "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,"
"Forbidden Planet," or "The Thing" in the theater in the 1950s? Did you
laugh at "The Queen From Outer Space" on late night TV? Then Sunrise
Theater is for you. This frames-based multimedia site (free registration
required) is highlighted by a fairly exhaustive interactive story for each
of the six films presently available ("The Day the Earth Stood Still," and
"IT! The Terror from Beyond Space," are the others), with still images and
sound clips. There are also limited video clips, cast lists, games (Java
support required), posters, chatrooms, and connections to other sci-fi
sites. As the site grows, more 1950s sci-fi films are scheduled to be
added. If your browser has the capabilities and your connection the speed,
Sunrise Theater is a wonderful, nostalgic experience.
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SICKKIDS on Discussion List
SICKKIDS is an open, unmoderated discussion list for kids who are ill.
These kids all have chronic or potentially fatal illness, and benefit by
having this support group to talk to each other. The list is for kids
only, ages 18 and under. They can talk about their illness, their feelings
and frustrations, their families and friends, or just kid stuff like what
they do in their spare time, poems, tell jokes, and so on--anything to make
them feel better. Since no adults are allowed, the adults that manage the
list do not participate in the discussions; the direct management of the
list is handled by several teenage "Discussion Managers" who are themselves
also subscribers. There is also a team of adult, professionally trained
counselors that provide guidance in difficult situations.
To subscribe send email to:
LISTSERV@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU
In the body of the message type:
SUB SICKKIDS YourFirstName YourLastName
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Infoseek Ultra
http://ultra.infoseek.com/
Infoseek Corp. has released a Beta version of its new Ultra search engine.
It supports Boolean AND/OR/NOT, phrase, case sensitive, and field
searching, and supplies relevance feedback with results. It has indexed
over 50 million web pages, and claims to make your web page available in
its database immediately on submission. It also claims to be the first
real-time index of the Internet (through real-time indexing by its spider
technology).
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The Search Engine Tutorial for Web
Designers
http://www.digital-cafe.com/~webmaster/nw01_05.htm
The strange and wondrous ways in which search engines gather their indexes
is made a little clearer in this tutorial. Written by a web designer
disappointed with how difficult his pages were to find with the standard
search engines, this page gives insight into how Infoseek, Lycos, Alta
Vista, Excite, Web Crawler, and Open Text catalog web pages. The search
strategy of each engine is described, along with tips for how web designers
can increase their site's chances of being among the hits returned when
users enter relevant search criteria. Although indexing algorithms are
constantly being updated, this site presents common-sense guidelines that
web designers interested in reaching a wider audience will find useful.
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send email to:listserv@lists.internic.net
in the body of the message, type:
subscribe scout-report yourfirstname yourlastname
For example, if your name is Frasier Crane, type:
subscribe scout-report Frasier Crane
If your name is not Frasier Crane, substitute your own name.
Do not type your name when unsubscribing.
send email to:listserv@lists.internic.net
in the body of the message, type:
subscribe scout-report-html yourfirstname yourlastname
For example, if your name is Frasier Crane, type:
subscribe scout-report-html Frasier Crane.
If your name is not Frasier Crane, substitute your own name.
Do not type your name when unsubscribing.
Copyright Susan Calcari, 1996. 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 InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: NCR-9218742. 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, the National Science Foundation, AT&T, or Network Solutions, Inc.