The Pen IS Mightier Than The Sword

The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights are documents from our past that are at the very core of what we are as a nation.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has online exhibits dedicated to each of these foundational documents that enshrine our values of freedom, respect, the "pursuit of happiness", and the rule of law.

Under the umbrella title of The Charters of Freedom -- A New World Is At Hand", there are separate exhibits for:

The Declaration of Independence
The Consitution of the United States
The Bill of Rights

Other historical information covering events leading up to and following the writing and signing of these national commitments is also included. In each case, there are many images available that allow you to view the original documents and see drawings and paintings of the figures who fought for these landmarks in our country's history.

Awe-inspring.

The National Toy Hall Of Fame

An online site sponsored by the Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., the National Toy Hall Of Fame is a delightful site where you can catch up on the toys that have made it to this elevated level.

You'll probably find one of your favorite toys here, along with information about them and when they gained their popularity. Barbie is here (of course) and so is the Hula Hoop. Etch-A-Sketch has its place along with PlayDoh. Mr. Potato Head, Teddy Bear, Frisbee, and Monopoly are members of this elite group, too.

Stop by.

SPAM? SPIM? SPIT? WHAT???

Just when you thought that the increasing nuisance of e-mail spam was the primary e-mail nuisance out there, comes along news of other things to waste our time.

Check out this article from NewScientist.com that spells out how we all may soon be dealing not only with e-mail spam, but version of the same kind of nuisance but popping up in Instant Messenging and online telephony.

Looks like we're in for a long haul.

Veterans' Day

One way to acknowledge our debt to the veterans who have fought for the United States is to never forget their dedication and sacrifice .

In that spirit I offer you the site: Veterans' History Project

Hear oral histories, read correspondence, and view video recording the unbelievable commitment made by generations of United States Veterans.

Meteor or Rock?

Housed in the American Museum of Natural History is a site dedicated to information about meteors and their impact on earth and our own moon.

Called the Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites, much information -- including current theories as to how our moon was created -- is included here.

Shipwrecks In The Pacific Northwest

Graveyard Of The Pacific is a site dedicated to documenting the hazards of the sea. It documents some of the shipwrecks that have occured in the area around Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The site includes:

• Tales of Hope and Courage
• The Wrecks
• The Hazards
• Saving the Wrecks
• ...and even the Wrecks Game!

The site also has a number of videos and other resources that talk both about shipwrecks of the past and changes that have been navigating these waters more safe.

I Can See Clearly Now......Not!

In case you believe seeing is always believing, I invite you to visit Michael Bach's Optical Illusions and Visual Phenonema.

It's fun to see these various visual "illusions" demonstrated and just as fascinating to read about the how's and why's.

Seeing isn't always believing! (Keep your mouse moving or those green eyes will catch up!)

NOISE-Y Science

From the NSDL Scout Report for the Physical Sciences (November 12, 2004):

The NOISE - Bringing Science to Life (New Outlooks in Science and Engineering) website "aims to raise awareness of science and engineering among young people by making these subjects more relevant and accessible."

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, this fun site offers entertaining articles describing how science benefits sports, fashion, entertainment, and individuals' everyday lives. Students considering becoming scientists can read the interests and activities of many young scientists involved in the project. In the Serious Science link, users can discover valuable information about physics, chemistry, materials, and other science fields. With the help of the many creative materials offered at this website, young people are sure to become engaged in science.

A great site.

Flu Season Redux

A while back I talked about the approaching flu season and pointed out some resources at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Now, although there does not yet seem to be much of an outbreak, we are in flu season. With al the concern about the lack of flu vaccine, I thought I'd add another resource to the ones I've already noted.

Housed by the Department of Health and Human Services, click here to visit a site that tries to keep you up-to-date about the current state of the flu outbreak and measure you can take to best protect yourself from getting sick.

Our Universe

Trying to get one's head around things like the vastness of space or what the heck is a black hole is not easy.

Take a look at NASA's Structure and Evolution of Space site called: Beyond Einstein, From the Big Bang to Black Holes.

Mindbloggling.

The World of Advertising

As is true of anyone who grows up in the US, we see many hundreds of advertisement every day and probably millions over our lifespan.

I have a certain fascination with the world of advertising and have come across a museum that is dedicated to craft (some would say art) of advertising. The place I've discovered is called the William F. Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Much more readily accessible to me out here in Washington State is their online version. An impressive museum.

All Things Physics

I'm not much of a scientist although I do consider myself at least curious about the world out there -- bugs, critters, constellations, forces for good.

The American Institute for Physics has a rich site on the Internet. I was particularly intrigued with its Center for History of Physics.

It goes without saying that physics keeps our universe -- from the tiniest atom to the most gigantic galaxy -- operating in a predictable way that allows us to live our lives in a way that we can rely on.....from the gravity that keeps us grounded to the momentum that propels us along.

Are You Smart About "Phishing"?

This is my second posting about the dastardly practice of "phishing". Phishing is where bogus e-mail is sent out mimicing a legitimate bank or other online business.

The point of the message is to convince you that the online business that's contacted you needs some of your personal information -- PIN, account number, credit card number, address, or other personal information -- updated or confirmed.

Although this practice is sometimes happening legitimately, far too often it's an attempt to steal your personal information, which can lead to identity theft.

A company called MailFrontier, which markets "e-mail security products," offers a free online quiz to test your Phishing IQ. This will give you a chance to test your smarts about various very legitmately-looking messages and challenging you to assess each one's legitimacy.

I recommend you take it. The results may surprise you!

Just One More For Halloween

The amount of trafficking in candy that's going to happen this coming Sunday is probably beyond my ability to imagine.

What I can imagine, though, is that a high percentage of the contents of those Halloween bags will be chocolate.

Check out the Chocolate Exhibit at the Field Museum. You can participate with some fascinating interactives that will tell you a lot about how chocolate is harvested and converted into one of my (and maybe yours, too) candies.

Yum!

Time Travel On the World Wide Web

As the introductory information says, web sites are constantly changing, new ones appear, others disappear.

Browse through 30 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago.

Where can one do this? By using the WayBackMachine. This resource is dedicated to keep a running record of the entire World Wide Web and its history.

If you want to see snapshots in time of a web site's presence (including content!), go to the WayBackMachine and type in the URL of the site you want to explore.

All the stored snapshots of this site's past will be available as links for you to click on. Some sites that require log-on are not represented, but the great majority of web sites are here and available.

Both fascinating and very useful for catching content that once existed but has been replaced.

An Online Resource About Our Physical Environment

The introduction at the website pretty much says it all:

The Physical Environment is one of the first, totally online physical geography learning environments. The Physical Environment combines text, images, audio and video programs to deliver the subject matter content. A multimedia online environment requires that you interact with the content in new and different ways.

The potential of the World Wide Web to bring remote places to our desktops, and the ability to interlink bits of information, breathes life into physical geography. No longer is one tied to a static image in a book, or the graphics available on a CD-ROM. The interconnectivity of the Web engages us in new ways of learning. Hyperlinked resources lets us stay abreast of the latest developments. The reader can explore in greater depth than ever before the physical world from their desktop.

Well worth a visit.

Take The Subway!

Well, out here in Seattle, all I can say is "I Wish!"

I don't know exactly why our city does not have a subway. A few years ago an underground bus tunnel was built but it is short and has nothing to do with what I think of when I hear the word "subway" and think of a city like New York.

Since I grew up in an area where there were no such things as subways in our cities (everything out here in the Northwest must be too spread out and the populations too small), my first exposure to really good public transit, including subways, was when I took my jaunts to Europe. As is widely recognized, transit systems "over there" have routinely included a fantastic network of trains, trams, busses, and, yes, subways.

Some American cities, though, have intricate subway systems of their own. The most obvious example for those of us in the U.S. is New York.

This year the New York Subway is celebrating its centennial.

The official site for the centennial celebrations is here.

A more detailed historical look at the 100-year history of the New York Subway is available at:
nycsubway.org

I have traveled to New York and ridden on the subway in the Big Apple. What an amazing system and to think that it's celebrating its centennial. When we think that large-scale engineering feats generally occurred in the last 50 years or so, this is a reminder that there were very smart and hard-working people way farther back than that!

Simply Ingenious

There is a relatively new website called Ingenious. Seems quite intriguing. It's based in England and is an outgrowth of the National Museum of Science and Industry. To quote from their introductory information:

Ingenious is a new website that brings together images and viewpoints to create insights into science and culture. It weaves unusual and thought-provoking connections between people, innovations and ideas. Drawing on the resources of NMSI (The National Museum of Science and Industry), the site contains over 30,000 images which are used to illustrate over 30 different subjects, topics and debates.

You are invited on a voyage of discovery through the content, exploring new perspectives on human ingenuity. The rich resources offer authoritative re-interpretations, which challenge traditional views. You can contribute to these discussions, by offering fresh opinions on the issues that have changed our lives, thereby creating dialogues within communities and with the Museums.

You, Too, Can Be Elected President!

....at least elected as our Virtual President, that is.

Sponsored by Cable In The Classroom, a site called eLECTIONS, Your Adventure In Politics.

This is quite a site. Some might consider it a game, but maybe running for office is a "game" of sorts.

Anyway, you choose your party, place yourself on the starting line, spin the dial for a number, and off you go. If you play as a single player, you have a virtual opponent. If you play with a partner, you and your friend pick a party (based on one Republican and one Democratic candidate), and take off on your campaigns together.

On the way, you "earn" money through contributions, have to participate in candidate debates, and sometimes a "scandal" erupts which causes your poll numbers to dip.

Not many days are left of the real presidential campaign, but if you have any inklings of wanting to run yourself, give eLECTIONS a run for the money.

Renewable Fuel

Although I've never owned a diesel-powered car, I have spent a bit of time around diesel engines, particularly in my days of commercial salmon fishing.

As we see our world-wide supply of fossil fuels shrink day-by-day, it's somewhat reassuring that people "out there" are working hard to provide us with alternative fuel options that don't deplete our non-renewable fuel resources.

One such effort is The National Biodiesel Board. Their site, Biodiesel, has a wealth of information about this initiative.