Two from Homeland Security
National Strategy For Homeland Security [.pdf]
http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/book/index.html
Department of Homeland Security
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/
Presented by the White House Web site, the National Strategy For Homeland Security (NSHS) is the first US document of its kind with the purpose of mobilizing and organizing "our Nation to secure the U.S. homeland from terrorist attacks." Accessible in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, the document provides a framework that outlines the contributions that all Americans -- federal government departments and agencies, state and local governments, private companies and organizations, and individual Americans -- can make to better secure this country's homeland. The report is divided into sections, some of which include Threat and Vulnerability, Organizing for a Secure Homeland, Critical Mission Areas, Foundations, and Cost of Homeland Security. The second site, also a product of the White House Web site, is the Department of Homeland Security's home page. Here, you will find information such as an analysis of the Homeland Security Act, Presidential speeches and background information on homeland security, the department's organizational structure, administration and homeland security actions since September 11th, and other key components regarding the department's role and responsibilities. [MG]
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Filling Holes in Complex Surfaces Using Volumetric Diffusion
http://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/holefill-3dpvt02/
Presented at the First International Symposium on 3D Data Processing, Visualization, and Transmission held in Padua, Italy, June 19-21, 2002, this 11-page paper by James Davis, Stephen R. Marschner, Matt Garr, and Marc Levoy presents an algorithm that can fill holes in 3D models using volumetric diffusion. Using a 3D model of a section of hair from a photograph of the Michelangelo's David, the authors illustrate how certain holes are too "geometrically and topologically complex to fill using triangulation algorithms." As a result, they have come up with a solution that entails a "signed distance function," and a diffusion process that extends this function through the volume until its zero set bridges with existing holes. For science enthusiasts interested in filling holes in 3D models, the authors assert that the "algorithm is simple to implement, is guaranteed to produce manifold non-interpenetrating surfaces, and is efficient to run on large data sets." [MG]
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Sources on US Naval History
http://www.history.navy.mil/sources/index.htm
Hoping to facilitate more new research in its extensive holdings on American naval history, the Naval Historical Center has digitized its material, making more than two centuries of archival material readily available to interested parties. The Web site presents an alphabetic listing of every state in the nation, each of which link directly to primary source material on parties and organizations involved in American naval history in any way, whether it be in the form of production, administration, or active military service. Many of the states' listings link to historical societies and other archival resources, each of which call attention to notable maritime holdings in their collections. Beyond the above, Sources on US Naval History also links back to its creator, the Naval Historical Center, which is the historical branch of the Department of the Navy. [WH]
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The Rise of the E-Citizen: How People Use Government Agencies' Web Sites [.pdf]
http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/pdfs/PIP_Govt_Website_Rpt.pdf
At one time, creating and maintaining a Web site was an option for government agencies. However, with the increase in Internet traffic, laws and executive orders are now mandating that governments provide, at a minimum, basic online information and services to the Internet community. This report, produced by the Pew Internet and the American Life Project, states that nearly 68 million American adults have used government agency Web sites at one time or another. Of the 68 million, 42 million have used government Web sites to research public policy issues, 23 million have used the Internet to send comments to public officials concerning policy choices, 14 million have used government Web sites to gather information to help them decide how to cast their votes, and 13 million have participated in online lobbying campaigns. Accessible in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, this report is divided into four parts: Who visits government Web sites and what they do; A closer look at some activities, which focuses on more specific goals and actions of government site users; Different types of government Web site users, which identifies three major variables associated with differences among those who use government agency Web sites; and finally, A case study of the last visit to government Websites, which reveals data from a survey taken by members of the American Life Project. [MG]
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Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry
http://www.bioethics.gov/cloningreport/
In January of this year, President Bush formed and appointed the Council on Bioethics, assigning it the task of debating and reporting on the ethical issues surrounding cloning. After six months of debate, the Council has released the report, "Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry," which favors a four-year moratorium on attempts to create cloned cells for medical research. The ten members in favor of the moratorium argue that it would allow time to study moral and scientific controversies surrounding the procedure and to improve any regulatory oversights. However, the seven members who dissented argued that a delay would hinder important medical research and block the development of significant medical therapies. In short, the report consists of, among other things, a transmittal letter to the President, an Executive Summary, and eight chapters, most of which are available in HTML format. [MG]
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The Avalon Project: African-Americans - Biography, Autobiography and History
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/treatise/african_americans.htm
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, (last mentioned in the April 4, 1997 Scout Report) has recently added an African American biography, autobiography, and history section. The section contains complete copies of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have A Dream" speech, My Bondage and Freedom by Frederick Douglass, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, dictated by Sojourner Truth and edited by Olive Gilbert, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, and Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington. All transcripts are lucid and available in HTML format. [MG]
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ARTISTE: Image Retrieval System Puts European Galleries in the Picture
http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue7/artiste/
Still under development, Artiste's image retrieval system seeks to cross link, integrate, and render more searchable the vast holdings of four of Europe's grandest museums: London's National Gallery, London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Paris's Louvre, and Florence's Uffizi Gallery. A massive endeavor, the project relies on metadata and sophisticated content analysis of 2 and 3D collections to build a linked database now containing more than 60,000 separate images. Artiste's presentation of its work and progress is both detailed and well illustrated, carefully walking visitors through the process designed to yield new ways of studying art and identifying the complex interrelationships between works, themes, and masters. [WH]
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