http://www.erau.edu/er/heritage/index1.html

Founded in 1925, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has taught people the science, practice, and business of aviation, aerospace, and engineering for close to 80 years. With a rather intriguing history, it is not so surprising that the school has recently started a heritage project to preserve its history, including valuable photographic holdings and other relevant materials. Currently, one of the highlights of the site is the online archive, which contains over 1,600 photographs and other such items of material culture. Visitors may search the archive by keyword, subject, proper name, or item type. While the site doesn’t currently have many thematic collections, there is a nice selection of historical photographs available that includes photographs of the first headquarters in Cincinnati and early Embry-Riddle planes. Also, in the section titled “The Embry-Riddle Story”, users of the site may read a historical document about the early years of the school and watch a short video about its history. [KMG]

http://world.std.com/~reinhold/dir/mathmovies.html

There are many learned (and not-so learned) professions that get a bad rap in the world of cinema. Scientists, and mathematicians in particular, tend to be portrayed alternately as either evil madmen or troubled geniuses. Through this website, Arnold Reinhold offers his informed and honest appraisals of mathematicians (and their math, of course) in various films. To get a sense of the project, visitors may want to begin by listening to an interview with Reinhold, provided by the Studio 360 radio program on National Public Radio. After listening to the delightful interview, visitors will want to browse through the reviews, which offer a star rating for the film overall, and of course the portrayal and accuracy of the math in the film. Some of the films profiled are A Beautiful Mind, Straw Dogs, Good Will Hunting, and of course Pi. Overall, a site that’s worth a few visits, and quite a bit of fun. [KMG]

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996781

This article from the New Scientist talks about the building of the world's tallest building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower construction will be completed in 2008 and will result in a structure 800 meters tall. The article discusses how the building has been designed to address a primary concern for buildings of this height--wind. [VF]

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/index.html

Professor of Mathematics Scott W. Williams has created this website dedicated to the ancient and modern achievements of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora within the Mathematical Sciences. One of the purposes of this website is to disprove proclamations by some that "The Negro is incapable of succeeding." Some examples of such false statements are provided along with a longer list of accomplishments. The website includes a collection of Profiles of 500 Black Mathematicians, describes the accomplishments of "the greatest Black Mathematicians," and offers separate sections highlighting research mathematicians, Black Women in Math Sciences, and Black Mathematicians outside the U.S. Additional historical information and current statistics are also available in various formats, from posters, to articles, to historical timelines. [VF]

http://www.bcs.org/BCS/News/PositionsAndResponses/Positions/offshore/offshorereport.htm

The British Computer Society (BCS) is "the industry body for IT professionals," and has members in over 100 countries around the world. This report on the offshoring, or the concept of transferring professional IT actitivies to overseas workers, is likely to be relevant to many in the field of computers and information systems. The authors, a BCS working group on Offshoring, identify offshoring as "an opportunity to source IT services at low cost" as well as a "controversial trend." The report presents offshoring as both a challenge and an opportunity for the UK's IT profession, arguing for "upskilling and visible adherence to professional standards through retraining and internationally recognised qualifications." [VF]

http://soundmoney.publicradio.org/collections/special/2004/change_for_a_buck/

American Public Media and its Sound Money production crew have developed this website about the value of a dollar. As part of the series, the producers "break down one of your consumer dollars to see why things cost what they do." The files are all audio recordings of the radio program and talk about topics such as gasoline and cigarette costs from production to distribution. From here, visitors can learn more about where the money paid for airline tickets goes or hear the results of the producers' investigation of the cost of raising a child. [VF]