Fight Hate And Promote Tolerance

That is the principle on which Tolerance.Org sets its sights.

There hardly seems a better sentiment and goal at this time of the year for all of us to strive for. A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, this is an organization with information and resources for all of us.

There is little doubt that everyone can use regular reminders to "fight hate and promote tolerance" in all of our actions, in all of our lives.

The Incredible Internet Guy (I guess there's another one)

"Ken Leebow has been in the computer business for more than 20 years. He has helped thousands of individuals and businesses understand and utilize the vast resources of the Internet."

I guess Ken has given himself this moniker. I've just come across his website so I'm unsure whether the title is deserved or not. His site is called: Incredible Internet Guy

Each week Ken picks a topic of interest (to him, I assume) and gathers resources that fit the theme. The week I first stopped by it was "digital photography."

In addition to an archive of previous topics, there are resources for teachers.

I'm going to have to make a lot more visits before I can figure out if Ken is indeed incredibly knowledgeable about things Internet, or simply not really very modest.

ECAI

The Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) seems to have some similiarities to the GIS work of ESRI (see my posts from the ESRI convention I attended last summer in San Diego). To quote their home page:

ECAI uses time and space to enhance understanding
and preservation of human culture.

This resource looks like another one well worth detailed exploration.

A Blogger's Code of Ethics

From CyberJournalist.net -- sponsored by the Media Center of the American Press Institute -- comes a blogger's "code of ethics".

Click here to view.

Learning A Foreign Language

Online resources are becoming more and more varied in what they offer. From the BBC, of all places, comes a website devoted to providing lessons in speaking a group of European languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian, and a smattering of Portugese and Greek).

The lessons seems simple enough and effectively presented. Whether or not you really can learning to speak one of those in three months or not, I don't know.

But if you're interested, visit BBC Languages.

An Hourly Snapshot of History

A fairly new website called "10 X 10" seeks to record history by displaying a collage of 100 pictures (10 X 10=100) that sum up what's happened in that previous hour.

You can click on any one of those hundred pictures and see an enlarged version of the photo plus related headlines that give details relevant to the event the photo records.

As the website says, sometimes these collages are serious and sometimes frivolous....but always fascinating. Start by going to 10 X 10: This is Now and the launch 10 X 10.

More Of Enlivening Our Past

Although I hope not an obsessive thread through my humble posts, but I bring to you another example of how the Internet is giving us greater and greater access to the past. The exciting thing, to me, is that what we're seeing more and more of are sites that not only retell history in words but bring that history to life with pictures, full-text of newspapers and other periodicals, and original documents.

A project of the Library of Congress called "Primary Documents in American History" is just one more example of this type of site. Although there will be future updates, at this writing this site offers us the ability to see original documents (in digitized form) of documents that take us back to watershed (or less earth-shaking) events in our history.

To quote the introduction of the site itself:

The Library of Congress is home to many of the most important documents in American history. This Web site provides links to materials digitized from the collections of the Library of Congress that supplement and enhance the study of these crucial documents.

The links at right highlight eras of American History. Each of these sections link to a list of important documents from that era. For each item...... there is a page with background information about the document, a list of links to digital materials concerning that document from the Library's site and elsewhere, and bibliographies both for general readers and for younger readers.

The initial release of this Web site contains documents from the years 1763 to 1877. Updates will be made on a regular basis, including the addition of documents from the 20th Century.

I spent some time reading the original Emancipation Declaration. It's impossible not to feel that sense of history in the making, even these many years afterward.

As a sample, you can also view the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson's Secret Message Regarding the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Gettysburg Address, and many more.

Traveling From The Past

The Smithsonian has another terrific exhibit, this one covering the role of transportion. Visit America On The Move for great insights, photos, and historical records that show how we Americans got ourselves around our towns, our cities, and our nation. You'll enjoy the many historical view of the past and marvel at how much our modes of transport have changed.

Smelling Sensibly

Our sense of smell is often relegated to the backseat because humans tend to rely so much on their eyes. But we probably all realize that our sense of smell is crucially important, too. Things would taste extraordinarily bland without our sense of smell (just harken back to the last time your cold plugged you up -- not only was nose-breathing impossible but mealtimes were pretty boring because everything tasted the same: bland).

Believe it or not, there is a Sense of Smell Institute dedicated to disseminating information about our sense of smell and toward research. Don't forget that two Nobel winners this year were doing research on our "odorant receptors" and just how our olfactory sense works.

Well worth a visit.

A Glimpse Of The Past

The wonders of digitizing items from our history brings us many treasures. One site that helps us get a glimpse of how it was to live in the 1800-1900s is the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1841-1902. Although I grew up on the other coast, being able to view newspaper articles from those years -- 150 years back! -- is amazing. It's one way to try and "time travel" and see what daily life was like in our country in a time that has long gone.

Free Stuff Galore!

Check out TheFreeSite for a raft of items that are supposedly free for the asking. I've haven't taken a long look yet to see if there are any catches, but I wanted to make sure I had this as a resource.

I'm all for free stuff!

One Way To Recycle Those No-Longer-Needed Books

First begun as an elective course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Building With Books has come a long way. They've garnered sponsors and receive donations of "disused" books from various groups in the Boston and/or MIT area.

If you've ever wondered what to do after you've weeded out all those long-unread (and/or the ones you're never going to get around to read in the first place) from your home library, this group of artists have a bunch of ideas that might inspire you.

I Want One Of Those, Dad!

The prospect of coming up with a holiday gift that will make the recipient bring both happiness and fun is daunting for all parents. One also hopes that it would be possible to find a gift that brings more than a "fun factor", as in providing stimulus to the imagination and, well, learning.

One struggle is to find the type of gift that is appropriate to the age of the child who will unwrap it. An article at StorkNet.com tries to help us out with this challenge.

Take a look at Mark A. Brandenburg's article, "Age-Appropriate Toys For Children" for a lot of useful tips.

World AIDS Day -- 2004

The headline at the World AIDS Day website about sums it up -- HIV Hasn't Gone Away. We cannot forget.

Scramjet-Powered --- Now That's Fast

NASA's X-43A project has the goal of flying an unmanned "scramjet-powered" experimental aircraft up to Mach 10.....that over 7,000 miles per hour.

The most recent record-setting flight by an X-43A was November 16, 2004. On this flight, the aircraft reached nearly Mach 9.8.

The website devoted to this NASA mission, and the development and testing of the X-43A, is available here.

You'll find a wide array of facts and figures along with video of the take-offs and flights. Cool.

Santa Needs This Web Page

ToySafety.net is a project of the National Association of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs). Here you'll find resources about 1) consumer tips to help parents choose appropriate and safe toys; 2) lists of potentially unsafe toys; and 3) annual reports and findings of the group (this year's version: Trouble In Toyland: The 19th Annual Survey of Toy Safety -- fully downloadable as a .pdf)

Information every Santa (and Santa friend) should know!

Science -- Up To The Minute

If tracking the newest and best in Science keeps you on the edge of your seat, consider making ScienceDaily Magazine the homepage of your browser.

Here's a place that keeps track of the news in science (it's updated every 15 minutes) and provides you the links you need to stay on the cutting edge of scientific discoveries.

You'll be one of the first to know!

All You Ever Needed To Know About Christmas Trees

I know that by posting this today, I'm probably contributing to the seeming earlier and earlier onset of Christmas-related information, advertising, music, etc., etc., etc., before Turkey Day. But I thought this information might be helpful as the time nears when so many of us make the trek out to local lots or local mountain sides to pick out the family tree.

From the University of Illinois Extension comes a web site dedicated to "all you need to know about Christmas trees."

Try Christmas Tree Facts & More. 'Tis the Season!

Plimoth Plantation

Yes, that's apparently how it was originally spelled. Now known as Plymouth, Plimoth Plantation is a recreation of the settlement in Plymouth back in the days of the first colonists who braved the sea voyage and made their way to the new land.

You can visit a replica of the Mayflower and walk into a village that takes you back to 1627. People dressed in costumes of the period will great you and help you get a glimpse into the life of those early immigrants to our shores.

Plimoth Plantation also has some online activities that are interesting. With our own 2004 version of Thanksgiving right around the corner, go to the You Are The Historian site which will take you back to the first Thanksgiving and where you can meet some of the settlers and the Wampanoag people. Learn of the culture of both and even speculate about what food was eaten and what games the kids played.

The Narrows Bridge Came Tumbling Down

As someone who grew up in Tacoma, WA, the suspension bridge associated with my hometown -- The Narrows Bridge -- was something I held in awe. We traveled that bridge often. It seemed so huge, carrying us at such a height over the water below, and its towers and cables seemed so enormous. Like the Golden Gate (which we usually felt was somehow inferior to our own bridge), some people took their life by leaping off the bridge and into the chilly, fatal water.

The Narrows Bridge was also notorious, of course, because the original version, referred to at the time as "Galloping Gertie" because it tended to move when the wind rose, completely fell apart during a storm. The date was November 7, 1940. By 1950 the bridge I knew was finished and cars were once again able to cross the waterway.

Assembled by the University of Washington Library, there is an online exhibition that retells the story of that original bridge with pictures and historical information. You can see the rebuilding effort, too.

For a "blast" from the past, visit History of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.