======== The Scout Report == ======== September 24, 1999 ==== ======== Volume 6, Number 19 ====== ====== Internet Scout Project ======== ==== University of Wisconsin ======== == Department of Computer Sciences ======== == I N T H E S C O U T R E P O R T T H I S W E E K ======== ====== Subject Specific Reports ==== 1. Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics ====== Research and Education ==== 2. Canadian Law and Smoking 3. Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork: Guide to Good Practice 4. _New World Coming: American Security in the 21st Century_ Major Themes and Implications 5. World Development Report 1999/2000 6. SparkNotes 7. _Nature_: Science Update 8. Drought of 1999 -- USDA ERS 9. _The Burns Encyclopedia_ ====== General Interest ==== 10. Y2K Travel Warnings 11. Congressional Directory for the 106th Congress 12. CIA World Factbook 1999 13. Wrapped in Pride -- Smithsonian 14. Beautiful Birds: Masterpieces from the Hill Ornithology Collection 15. Restoration Online -- The Minneapolis Institute of Arts 16. Children's Butterfly Site -- USGS 17. Kodak Picture Playground Online ====== Network Tools ==== 18. GuruNet (beta version) 19. ICQ Toolkit -- CNET 20. Search Sites -- _PC Magazine_ PC Labs ====== In The News ==== 21. Mars Orbiter Most Likely Lost Copyright and subscription information appear at the end of the Scout Report. For more information on all services of the Internet Scout Project, please visit our Website: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ If you'd like to know how the Internet Scout team selects resources for inclusion in the Scout Report, visit our Selection Criteria page at: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/criteria.html Feedback is always welcome: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ====== Subject Specific Reports ==== 1. Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics Scout Report for Social Sciences http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/1999/ss-990921.html Scout Report for Business & Economics http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/1999/be-990923.html The first issues of the third volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates nine resources on Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Bradley's stance on gay rights issues. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers seven resources on the record US trade deficit. [MD] ====== Research and Education ==== 2. Canadian Law and Smoking http://www.cctc.ca/ncth/docs/legislation/ Produced by the National Clearinghouse on Tobacco and Health with funding from Health Canada, this new site offers the full text of the major Canadian tobacco control laws, including federal, provincial, and territorial legislation. The site allows users to "identify tobacco legislation in each province, conduct comparative analyses, check relevant sections of interest, and to print or post any item." Users can browse legislation by region via a toolbar or clickable map, or by subject. The latter covers topics such as promotion and packaging, point of sale, smoking, signage, and enforcement and is organized in table form, allowing cross reference between subject and province. A third section of the site, containing analysis of Canadian tobacco legislation, is under construction. A keyword search engine is provided, and the site is also available in French. [MD] 3. Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork: Guide to Good Practice http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/excavation/ This document, produced for the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS) of Great Britain, offers detailed guidelines for the creation and maintenance of digital archives for archaeological projects. Among other things, the authors offer a comprehensive definition of digital archiving, discuss good digital archiving practices, and consider mechanisms for the creation of a national index to digital archives in archaeology. While the Guide is specifically written to address archaeological practice in the United Kingdom, many of its recommendations have universal applicability. The document is best considered in tandem with other documents from the Archaeology Data Service (see the September 22, 1998 Scout Report), such as its Survey of User Needs of Digital Data and Guidelines for Depositors. [DC] 4. _New World Coming: American Security in the 21st Century_ Major Themes and Implications http://www.nssg.gov/Reports/New_World_Coming/new_world_coming.htm Supporting Research and Analysis [.pdf, 146p.] http://www.nssg.gov/Reports/NWR_A.pdf US Commission on National Security/21st century http://www.nssg.gov/ Released last week, this report from a Department of Defense-appointed panel led by former Senators Warren Rudman and Gary Hart predicts increasing American strategic vulnerability, especially to terrorist attack. The United States Commission on National Security/21st Century has been charged with examining and assessing post-Cold War defense requirements in the most comprehensive reassessment of US defense policy since 1947. This will be conducted in three phases: "the first to describe the world emerging in the first quarter of the next century, the second to design a national security strategy appropriate to that world, and the third to propose necessary changes to the national security structure in order to implement that strategy effectively." This report fulfills the first phase. Users can read a summary of the major themes in HTML format and the much larger supporting research and analysis in .pdf format. The Commission's home page also offers a debate forum and a collection of press clippings on the report. [MD] 5. World Development Report 1999/2000 [.pdf] http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/2000/ Released on September 15, 1999, the 22nd edition of this annual report from the World Bank Organization examines the effects of globalization and localization on the world economy in the coming millennium. Along with the full report, which can be downloaded by chapter in .pdf format, this extensive Website includes overviews of the World Development Report in general and the 1999/2000 report in particular. An online slide show guides users through the basics of globalization and localization with clear graphs and charts along with accompanying text. The 1998 and 1997 reports are also available from this site. [EM] 6. SparkNotes http://www.thespark.com/sparknotes/ _The Spark.com_ http://www.thespark.com/ Provided by _TheSpark.com_, an online magazine aimed at a college-age readership and founded by four Harvard students, SparkNotes is a free collection of summaries of more than 75 works of English and American literature, written for a fee by a dozen Harvard students. Presented as an alternative to Cliffs Notes (tm), SparkNotes cover a wide cross-section of the more frequently-assigned texts in university literature courses. Each SparkNote typically contains a review of the context and characters, an overall summary, summaries of chapters or acts, and study questions. SparkNotes also features message boards for each text where students can pose questions and discuss the book or play. [MD] 7. _Nature_: Science Update http://helix.nature.com/nsu/ Now updated daily, this current awareness resource from _Nature_ will appeal to professional and armchair scientists alike. Each day's offering usually consists of two or three new articles, identified by field (ecology, space, biotechnology, etc.) and introduced with a one-sentence summary. The concise and generally well-written articles offer useful and quick accounts of some of the latest discoveries and policy decisions affecting the scientific community. An archive of past stories organized by date (to January 1999) or category is also available. [MD] 8. Drought of 1999 -- USDA ERS http://www.econ.ag.gov/whatsnew/issues/drought/index.htm This new Issues Center report from the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) (last mentioned in the May 7, 1999 Scout Report) offers a concise economic assessment of the agricultural impact of the recent drought. The report includes an overview; background on the drought; an examination of the roles played by crop mixing, irrigation, and crop insurance; and information on defining drought regions and modeling drought impacts. The report offers links to a number of charts and external sources for related information. [MD] 9. _The Burns Encyclopedia_ http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/ Burns Country http://www.robertburns.org/ Provide by Burns Country, this full-text, online version of "the definitive Robert Burns reference volume" serves as a useful handbook to Scotland's most famous poet and the intellectual circles in which he turned. The encyclopedia, which is in HTML format, is organized alphabetically. Burns Country offers a number of other related resources, chief among them a songs and poems archive containing 100 of the poet's works. Other features at the site include a discussion area, Burns and Scottish association links, and some commercial content. [MD] ====== General Interest ==== 10. Y2K Travel Warnings Y2K Country Statements -- UK FCO http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/dynpage.asp?Page=144 Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets -- US State Department http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html Last week, both the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the US State Department released their analyses of the Y2K preparedness of other countries. While designed to help travelers avoid disruptions and complications, they also collectively offer a revealing, if concise, evaluation of the potential impact of Y2K worldwide. Both sites list countries alphabetically, with the FCO site focusing exclusively on Y2K preparedness and the State Department folding their Y2K analysis into pre-existing Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets. The FCO Country Statements cover topics such as energy, water, communications, transport, business, and health. The list is not yet complete and will continue to grow. The State Department typically includes four or five paragraphs offering an overview of each country's Y2K situation as well as a standard statement on aviation and Y2K. The rest of the Consular Information Sheets cover topics such as entry requirements, medical facilities, crime information, security concerns, and consular access, among others. [MD] 11. Congressional Directory for the 106th Congress [.pdf] http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/browse-cd-99.html GPO Access (originally reviewed in the December 8, 1995 Scout Report) has placed the Congressional Directory for the 106th Congress online. The official directory of the US Congress, it contains short biographies of each member of the House and Senate, listed by state, with additional information such as committee memberships, staff, and contact information. In addition to Congressional members, the Directory includes state governors, Federal departments and agencies, the press corps, congressional district maps, and foreign diplomatic offices. Each entry may be retrieved in text or .pdf format. [MD] 12. CIA World Factbook 1999 [.pdf] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html The US Central Intelligence Agency has recently released the 1999 version of its well-known annual country information reference book (last described in the February 5, 1999 Scout Report). Data is available for more than 260 countries. For each country, map and flag, geographic, population, government, economic, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issue information is provided for the latest date available (January 1, 1999 in most cases). "Included among the 266 geographic listings is one for the 'World,' which includes data and other information summarized where possible from the other 265 listings." There are also eighteen reference maps in .pdf or .jpg format and eight appendices. Linked to from hundreds of sites, the World Factbook is widely recognized as one of the finest online resources for quick country information. [MD] 13. Wrapped in Pride -- Smithsonian [JavaScript, Quicktime, Shockwave, Flash 3] http://www.si.edu/nmafa/exhibits/kente/top.htm The UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History and The Newark Museum have organized a new exhibit currently on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art and the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture. Wrapped in Pride "explores the history of traditional Ghanaian weaving and its impact on cultures beyond Africa's shores." The accompanying Website provides background information on kente cloth and the Asante and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Highlighted Asante and Ewe words in the text are linked to audio files that permit users to hear proper pronunciation. Visitors to the site can also see step-by-step images that illustrate how to wear kente cloth, and they can even design their own kente cloth pattern online. [AG] 14. Beautiful Birds: Masterpieces from the Hill Ornithology Collection http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ornithology/ No Frames Version http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ornithology/noframes/default.htm This site showcases more than 170 lovely eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ornithological illustrations from books and art works included in or loaned to the Cornell University Library's Hill Ornithology Collection. Users can navigate the online exhibition via a collection of pull-down menus "organized by illustration technique, each with an introduction explaining the technique and also listing famous artists and authors in that medium." Each artist or author's page includes a brief introduction to their work and a large thumbnail image. To browse all of the images in each section, users must select the link at the bottom of that technique's introduction page. The images are offered in three sizes, with a link to bibliographic information. Additional features at the site include a curator's introduction, style comparisons of three different bird illustrations (Bluejays, Cardinals, Hummingbirds), a timeline, a guide to the ornithological collections in the libraries at Cornell University, and a search engine that indexes books and illustrations contained in the exhibition. [MD] 15. Restoration Online -- The Minneapolis Institute of Arts http://www.artsmia.org/restoration-online/ From the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, this site presents the fine art of paintings conservation. An online exhibition documents the restoration of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione's _The Immaculate Conception with Saints Francis and Anthony of Padua_, a seventeenth-century work that began receiving conservation treatments from members of the Upper Midwest Conservation Association on September 14th. Viewers can follow the progress of restoration in the daily log, including the excitement on September 16th, when the removal of overpainting done during a prior conservation attempt revealed what may be Castiglione's signature. Other resources available at the site are the painting's condition report prepared by the Upper Midwest Conservation Association, a timeline of the painting's history, and a FAQ section. [DS] 16. Children's Butterfly Site -- USGS http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/butterfly/butterfly.html Created by the Midcontinent Ecological Science Center of the US Geological Survey (USGS), this modest site is a nice starting point for younger users interested in butterflies. All users, however, will enjoy the butterfly photo gallery, which offers pictures of common butterflies from around the world, organized by continent. The section currently contains thumbnail images of butterflies from Western Europe and Britain and North America, with sections on Central and South America and Asia under construction. Other features at the site include a coloring page on the Monarch life cycle, an illustrated butterfly and moth life cycle, butterfly and moth FAQs, and a large collection of (annotated) related links. [MD] 17. Kodak Picture Playground Online http://alts1.kodak.com/US/en/corp/playground/index.shtml Be sure you have some extra time when visiting this fun site from Kodak. While aimed at younger users, almost anyone can enjoy manipulating photos with the eleven different filters provided. Users can upload their own digital photos from their computer, images from elsewhere on the Web, or use some of the samples provided. Photos can be transformed into sketches or antiqued prints, made psychedelic, or turned into oil paintings or neon images. Users can also transform photos of people into cartoons, flowers, or animals. Once finished, the new images can be saved or sent as a free multimedia electronic postcard. Most file formats are accepted for upload, and directions for preparing your pictures are provided. Special sections on digital photography techniques and equipment (with some commercial content) round out the site. [MD] ====== Network Tools ==== 18. GuruNet (beta version) http://www.gurunet.com/ GuruNet is a novel little application written by Guru International, Inc. that brings useful information to your desktop in an easy-to-use manner. GuruNet waits and watches for the user to hold down the "ALT" key and click on any word in any window. The program then retrieves information about that word from online sources. The information ranges from encyclopedia references to financial information, and GuruNet intelligently decides which type of information to display. GuruNet is closely linked to various Internet services and provides quick ways to search for terms using the popular search engines or even for books relating to the search term. Frustratingly, GuruNet does not seem to allow searching for phrases, but it remains an unobtrusive and useful tool. GuruNet is freely available as a beta-testing version and runs on Win95/98/NT. [CL] 19. ICQ Toolkit -- CNET http://home.cnet.com/internet/0-4023-7-117503.html ICQ is an immensely popular program used to track and communicate with friends online (the latest release was reviewed in the August 20, 1999 Scout Report), and CNET has compiled a list of fifteen free or inexpensive helpers to make it even more useful. The helpers are organized in four sections. The first contains software that allow users to change the appearance and feel of their instant messenger. The second offers utilities to fine-tune ICQ and increase security. In the third section, users will find software that gives ICQ full speech capabilities and, in the fourth, some ICQ games. The site also features links to more related resources from CNET. [MD] 20. Search Sites -- _PC Magazine_ PC Labs http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/stories/reviews/0,6755,2327803,00.html This new report from _PC Magazine_ reviews and rates fifteen of the most popular search engines. The report includes brief reviews of each engine; a scorecard rating the engines on relevancy, query customization, duplicate and dead link elimination, and anticipatory results; and an Editor's Choice of the three best engines for directory searches, research, and all-purpose searches. While quite brief and containing little new information for experienced users, newer users may find the report useful. [MD] ====== In The News ==== 21. Mars Orbiter Most Likely Lost Mars Climate Orbiter Official Website http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/orbiter/ Mars Climate Orbiter arrival journal -- _Florida Today_ Space Online http://www.flatoday.com/space/today/mco.htm "Mars Climate Orbiter 'May Be Lost'" -- Spaceviews http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/23b.html "What the loss of Mars Climate Orbiter means" -- BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_455000/455617.stm "Mars craft probably destroyed" -- CNN http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/23/mars.orbiter.04/ CNN -- Destination Mars http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9706/pathfinder/ SpaceDaily http://www.spacer.com/ "Mars Orbiter Lost?" -- NPR [RealPlayer] http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19990923.atc.03.ram In an embarrassing setback to NASA, the Mars Climate Orbiter is believed lost. In the early hours of September 23, the orbiter fired its main engine to go in orbit around Mars and passed behind the planet, losing radio contact as planned. However, due to what was most likely a navigation error, the spacecraft did not resume contact and may have flown too close to the atmosphere and broken apart or burned up. The relatively inexpensive ($125 million) Climate Orbiter was launched in December 1998 to become the first interplanetary weather satellite, studying Martian weather for one Mars year (about two Earth years). It was also to serve as a relay station for five years, relaying information to and from the Mars Polar Lander, due to land on December 3, 1999. NASA, however, insists that the Polar Lander's mission can be accomplished independently and "the science return of that mission won't be affected." The official Website of the Mars Climate Orbiter contains a press release on the accident, a history of the orbiter, and an overview of its intended mission. Users can also access other Mars mission sites from this page, including the Polar Lander. For more coverage and the latest news on the orbiter, users should turn to _Florida Today_'s Space Online special section on the mission. Spaceviews, an online publication of space exploration, offers more analysis, with links to related stories. A brief assessment of the impact of the orbiter's loss, in the context of previous successes and failures in the exploration of Mars, is available at the BBC. CNN provides a slightly more detailed account of the orbiter as well as a special section on the past and future of Mars exploration. SpaceDaily, a space news portal, offers a number of items of interest, including an archive of articles on this and other Mars missions. Finally, National Public Radio's (NPR) _All Things Considered_ included a report on the Climate Orbiter on September 23; it is online in RealPlayer format. Additional resources on Mars and space exploration can be found in Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include MarsWeb, Mars Pathfinder Mission, and Liftoff to Space Exploration. [MD] Signpost http://www.signpost.org/ MarsWeb http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/page/00002678.html Mars Pathfinder Mission http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/page/00002475.html Liftoff to Space Exploration http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/page/00000371.html ====== ====== == Index for September 24, 1999 == ====== ====== 1. Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics Scout Report for Social Sciences http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/1999/ss-990921.html Scout Report for Business & Economics http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/1999/be-990923.html 2. Canadian Law and Smoking http://www.cctc.ca/ncth/docs/legislation/ 3. Digital Archives from Excavation and Fieldwork: Guide to Good Practice http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/excavation/ 4. _New World Coming: American Security in the 21st Century_ Major Themes and Implications http://www.nssg.gov/Reports/New_World_Coming/new_world_coming.htm Supporting Research and Analysis [.pdf, 146p.] http://www.nssg.gov/Reports/NWR_A.pdf US Commission on National Security/21st century http://www.nssg.gov/ 5. World Development Report 1999/2000 [.pdf] http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/2000/ 6. SparkNotes http://www.thespark.com/sparknotes/ _The Spark.com_ http://www.thespark.com/ 7. _Nature_: Science Update http://helix.nature.com/nsu/ 8. Drought of 1999 -- USDA ERS http://www.econ.ag.gov/whatsnew/issues/drought/index.htm 9. _The Burns Encyclopedia_ http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/ Burns Country http://www.robertburns.org/ 10. Y2K Travel Warnings Y2K Country Statements -- UK FCO http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/dynpage.asp?Page=144 Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets -- US State Department http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html 11. Congressional Directory for the 106th Congress [.pdf] http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/browse-cd-99.html 12. CIA World Factbook 1999 [.pdf] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 13. Wrapped in Pride -- Smithsonian [JavaScript, Quicktime, Shockwave, Flash 3] http://www.si.edu/nmafa/exhibits/kente/top.htm 14. Beautiful Birds: Masterpieces from the Hill Ornithology Collection http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ornithology/ No Frames Version http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ornithology/noframes/default.htm 15. Restoration Online -- The Minneapolis Institute of Arts http://www.artsmia.org/restoration-online/ 16. Children's Butterfly Site -- USGS http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/butterfly/butterfly.html 17. Kodak Picture Playground Online http://alts1.kodak.com/US/en/corp/playground/index.shtml 18. GuruNet (beta version) http://www.gurunet.com/ 19. ICQ Toolkit -- CNET http://home.cnet.com/internet/0-4023-7-117503.html 20. Search Sites -- _PC Magazine_ PC Labs http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/stories/reviews/0,6755,2327803,00.html 21. Mars Orbiter Most Likely Lost Mars Climate Orbiter Official Website http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/orbiter/ Mars Climate Orbiter arrival journal -- _Florida Today_ Space Online http://www.flatoday.com/space/today/mco.htm "Mars Climate Orbiter 'May Be Lost'" -- Spaceviews http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/23b.html "What the loss of Mars Climate Orbiter means" -- BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_455000/455617.stm "Mars craft probably destroyed" -- CNN http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/23/mars.orbiter.04/ CNN -- Destination Mars http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9706/pathfinder/ SpaceDaily http://www.spacer.com/ "Mars Orbiter Lost?" -- NPR [RealPlayer] http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19990923.atc.03.ram ====== ==== == Subscription and Contact Information == ==== ====== To receive the electronic mail version of the Scout Report each week, join the SCOUT-REPORT mailing list. This is the only mail you will receive from this list. To subscribe Scout Report, go to: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/misc/lists/ Or send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: subscribe SCOUT-REPORT To unsubscribe, send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: unsubscribe SCOUT-REPORT For subscription options, send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: query SCOUT-REPORT ====== The Scout Report ====== Brought to You by the Internet Scout Project ==== == The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published every Friday of the year except the last Friday of December by the Internet Scout Project, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences. Director Susan Calcari Managing Editor Rachael E. Bower [REB] Editor Michael de Nie [MD] Production Editor Travis Koplow [TK] Contributors David Charbonneau [DC] Pat Coulthard [PC] Aimee D. Glassel [AG] Christopher Lukas [CL] Emily Missner [EM] Laura X. Payne [LXP] Krishna Ramanujan [KR] Michael Roszkowski [MR] Debra Shapiro [DS] Amy Tracy Wells [ATW] Webmaster Paul M Schwartz [PMS] Internet Scout team member information: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/addserv/team.html Below are the copyright statements to be included when reproducing annotations from The Scout Report. The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ The paragraph below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing the entire report, in any format: Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1999. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies. 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, or the National Science Foundation. == ==== ======
