January 3, 1997
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
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Two New Resources from Berkeley Digital Library
SunSite
California Heritage Digital Image Access Project
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CalHeritage/
The PATH (Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways) Database
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/PATH/
The well known Berkeley Digital Library SunSite, discussed
in the February 9, 1996 Scout Report, has recently added two new resources to
its collection. California Heritage Digital Image Access Project is "a 'digital'
archive containing photographs, pictures, and manuscripts from the collections of
the Bancroft Library." The site is unique in that it "embed[s] digital
representations of the primary sources directly within the documents--archival
finding aids--created by the Bancroft Library's curators and archivists to
describe the collections of which they are part." At present there are 39 finding
aids linked to over 3,300 images, which are available for viewing in 3
resolutions. The browsable and searchable finding aids include "1934
International Longshoremen's Association and General Strike," "California Mission
Sketches by Henry Miller, 1856," and "San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
Stereographs, 1906," among others. For those unfamiliar with the structure of
archival finding aids, the photos can be found under "container list." The PATH
database, maintained by the Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library at the
University of California, is "the world's largest bibliographical database
pertaining to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)." It is searchable and
browsable (Browse by ITS Thesaurus Term), and contains over 9,000 records and
abstracts "including monographs, journal articles, conference papers, technical
reports, theses and selected media coverage," dating back to the 1940s. [JS]
[Back to Contents]
North American Integration Three Years After NAFTA: A
Framework for Tracking, Modeling, and Internet Accessing the National and
Regional Labor Market Impacts
http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/NAFTA96/
UCLA North American Integration and Development Center
http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/
This report, provided by the North American Integration and Development Center at
the University of California-Los Angeles, reviews "recent approaches that have
been used to estimate changes in the pattern of trade and integration and their
potential impacts on employment gains and losses," and proposes alternative
methodologies for estimating trade patterns and employment impacts of the North
American Free Trade Agreement. Among the key conclusions: "The overall pattern of
US-Mexico trade and investment...has not significantly changed since the
implementation of NAFTA"; "The lowering of tariffs through NAFTA has not had a
significant impact on the rate of growth of imports or exports between Mexico and
the United States"; and "Most previous studies on NAFTA have significantly
over-estimated job displacements due to imports from Mexico and, to a lesser
extent, the numbers of jobs supported by exports," among others. The NAID Center
site provides information about the Center, including its publications and a
NAFTA effects tracking database. [JS]
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Gallery of Interactive Geometry
http://www.geom.umn.edu/apps/gallery.html
The Geometry Center
http://www.geom.umn.edu/
Provided by the Center for the Computation and Visualization of Geometric
Structures, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center at the
University of Minnesota, the Gallery of Interactive Geometry offers users ten
web-based applications that explore different aspects of geometry. "Build a
Rainbow," for example, allows users to manipulate the light entering a prism to
see the effects of changes in angle and wavelength, while "QuasiTiler" draws
Penrose tilings and their generalizations. The user interface is as consistent as
can be expected given the range of subjects covered; most applications present
the user with a form, and return .gif files based on the parameters entered. Each
application also offers background lessons on the concepts involved, as well as
help with the application itself. The site is a good example of how powerful
computing can be brought to the desktop through the web. [ML]
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Ariadne--Internet Issues for Librarians and Information
Specialists
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ariadne
Ariadne is "a Web and print magazine of Internet issues for librarians and
information specialists" to aid in leading them out of the labyrinth. Written for
a Higher Education UK audience, and issued bimonthly, Ariadne still has many
tidbits for the non-UK crowd working with similar issues. These issues include
specifics about and research into system development, conference updates, various
technologies, regular columns and (self-titled) odds and ends. Searching is
available. The electronic edition, which sometimes includes longer, fuller
articles, may be updated after publication while the print edition is not. The
electronic edition is free to all web users while the print copy is free "to
various educational and research institutions." [ATW]
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A Web of On-line Grammars
http://www.bucknell.edu/~rbeard/grammars.html
Robert Beard, Professor and Chair of the Russian Program at Bucknell University,
has compiled this page of links to online grammar resources for more than twenty
languages. The criteria for inclusion is that the grammars "are accurate and
useful for learning the language they describe." Most languages are represented
by a single site, and only a few have two or three sites listed; each entry
provides the name of the resource author, but no further information. The
offerings range from "Survival Bengali" to "An Integral Dutch Course" to
Professor Beard's own "On-line Russian Reference Grammar." Most of the sites were
developed or are supported by university faculty around the world; some are still
being completed, but most are fairly polished and inviting to the language
learner. An additional page of morphology links connects to sites that will
conjugate verbs, assist in declensions, and provide morphological analysis in
response to user input. [ML]
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Mantovano--Virgil and His Influence Mailing
List
Mantovano, the Virgil mailing list, exists to discuss: (1) the works attributed
to Publius Vergilius Maro; (2) commentary on Virgil and his works; and (3)
Virgil's influence on subsequent literature. [JS]
To subscribe send email to:
majordomo@wilsoninet.com
In the body of the message type:
subscribe mantovano
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A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce--from the
Information Infrastructure Task Force
http://www.iitf.nist.gov/electronic_commerce.htm
The US President's Information Infrastructure Task Force (IIT) has recently
released a draft of this report, which is concerned with "preparing a strategy to
help accelerate the growth of global commerce across the Internet." Major policy
recommendations include: "fostering the Internet as a non-regulatory,
market-driven medium"; "ensuring a transparent and harmonized global legal
environment"; and "allowing competition and consumer choice to shape the
marketplace." The report is a joint effort of the Executive Office of the
President, the Departments of State, the Treasury, Justice, and Commerce, the
Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission. [JS]
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US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species
Program
http://www.fws.gov/~r9endspp/endspp.html
The US Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species Program web pages are
highlighted by a list of endangered species in the US. This list is available by
state and type of animal or plant. There is also a foreign species index. Links
from selected species lead to more information about those species, including
photos or reports. The site also contains a copy of the Endangered Species Act of
1973, selected endangered species policy documents, and tables of contents and
selected articles from the _Endangered Species Bulletin_, a bimonthly publication
of the USFWS. This is a no-nonsense site that allows interested Internauts to
keep abreast of endangered and threatened species information. [JS]
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Piper US State Court Decisions Directory
http://www.piperinfo.com/pl03/statedir.html
Piper Resources, producer of the well known State and Local Government on the Net (discussed
in the
January 12, 1996 issue of the Scout Report), has added a directory of
US state court decisions to its web site. Compiled by Nina Platt, Librarian at
the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General, it contains information on sponsor,
dates covered, and courts covered for each state. It is a no-nonsense pointer
site to available state court decisions, and should be a useful resource for
those interested in this topic. [JS]
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World Travel Guide
http://www.wtgonline.com/
With content provided by Columbus Press Limited and supported by AT&T and a
variety of other corporate sponsors, the World Travel Guide aims to be "the most
comprehensive and objective guide to the travellers' world." Users select a
country from a world map or an alphabetical list, and are presented with an
overview (including a relatively lengthy history) and links to specific
information in the following areas: accommodations, addresses, business, climate,
essentials (visas, etc.), resorts, social, and travel. The consistent
organization from country to country is a help for the user interested in
comparing destinations. The content is drawn from Columbus's printed materials,
which results in a fairly serious limitation: the lack of links to further
information available on the Internet. Many tourist boards, for example, have web
sites that can give the traveler more detailed information. The exception to this
rule is information for drivers, which is linked to a sponsoring car rental
company's website. These limitations aside, the World Travel Guide should prove a
useful resource. [ML]
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Mediadome [RealAudio, StreamWorks]
http://www.mediadome.com/
c|net and Intel have recently launched this new web site, which "merges today's
hottest media properties with cutting-edge technology to create a brand-new
experience in Web-based entertainment." It does this via "webisodes" (one every
two weeks), which allow users to enjoy interactive entertainment (music, movies,
etc.). The present webisode is San Francisco New Year's Eve, which includes live
performances by Los Lobos (available now), Lyle Lovett, Super Diamond, and Chris
Isaac (available shortly). Visitors to the site can listen to the performances
(RealAudio), or watch them (StreamWorks). Future scheduled webisodes will revolve
around the new movie Turbulence and the band The Fugees. [JS]
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mb-list MicroBusiness Discussion List
This list is for discussion of very small businesses, usually one to two people
maximum. Topics of interest include guerilla advertising and marketing for small
businesses, discipline in the home office, sales and lead generation, time
management, and any other topic of direct relevance to small office/home office
businesspeople. [JS]
To subscribe send email to:
mb-list-request@gamma.pair.com
In the subject line or message type:
SUBSCRIBE
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Netscape Communicator Preview Release
http://www.netscape.com/comprod/products/communicator/index.html
Netscape Corporation has recently made available the first preview of its new
Netscape Communicator (or what might be called Navigator 4.0 beta). Available at
present for Windows 95 and NT, it includes an upgraded Navigator (web browser),
Messenger (email), Collabra (news reader), Composer (web publishing), and
Conference (conferencing). Details on the upgrades are available at the site. The
company advertises these components as being seamlessly integrated, and the
upgrade is another salvo in the great browser war between Netscape and
Microsoft's Internet Explorer. [JS]
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Claris Home Page Updater
http://www.claris.com/software/software.html
Claris has recently released a free updater for registered users of its HTML
editor Home Page. This product is available for both the Mac and Windows95/NT,
and is one of the most popular and well-reviewed Web editors. The updater changes
Home Page 1.0 to version 2.0. New features of Home Page 2.0 include: easier
uploading of files to a Web server, support for QuickTime and Shockwave files,
client as well as server site image maps, spell checking, multiple fonts, and
color coding of HTML tags. The new version also allows users to view background
images as well as to drag and drop tab-delimited text files from spreadsheets to
easily create tables. [PJD]
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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.
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