Unified Vision: The Architecture and Design of the Prairie School
http://www.artsmia.org/unified-vision/
Based on the book, Progressive Design in the Midwest by Jennifer Komar Olivarez, and its Prairie School Collection of objects, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts presents this Web site, featuring architectural objects, a virtual tour of the Purcell-Cutts house in Minneapolis (donated to the Institute in 1985 and restored by 1990), and an architectural tour of Prairie style buildings in Minnesota that can be taken online or in person. Architects whose work can be seen at the site include William Gray Purcell, George Grant Elmslie, Frank Lloyd Wright, and George Washington Maher. Extensive information about each object is available. For example, a dining table and chairs by Frank Lloyd Wright were designed for the house of Mr. and Mrs. George Barton in Buffalo (NY) in 1904, and viewers can zoom in to magnify the grain of the wood. The online tour of the Purcell-Cutts house brings together items from the museum's collection, such as historic photographs and models, with contemporary views showing the house's restored state, as well as providing details such as the architects' notes and a calculation that the $14,355 the house cost in 1913 would be $252,946.29 by 2001. [DS]
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SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/
Throughout recorded human history, fairy tales have served as ways of inculcating moral value, teaching the young about their culture, and entertaining in the oral and written fashions. Heidi Anne Heiner, a children's librarian at the Burbank Public Library, has created this fine site devoted to providing 30 annotated fairy tales, a number of essays on the art, and the history of fairy tales. The tales provided here include Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Bluebeard, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel. The annotations for each tale are particularly useful, as they contain hypertext links that explain the importance of various symbols and references (such as the color blue or other auspicious omens). Additionally, for each tale, Heiner provides illustrations from various versions of the tale and a listing of similar tales from other cultures. One of the highlights of the site is the inclusion of Il Pentamerone, which was first published between 1634 and 1636, and is essentially the first full collection of European literary fairy tales. The site is rounded out by an fairy tale discussion board where visitors can read comments and post questions about various fairy tales, their origins, and their symbolism. [KMG]
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Austria from A to Z
http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop;internal&action=_setlanguage.action?LANGUAGE=en
Part of a broader online encyclopedia project that deals with various aspects of Austrian culture, history, and music, the Austria from A to Z Web site covers topics ranging from A (the international abbreviation for Austria) to Otto Zykan, the noted modernist composer and pianist. The Osterreich Lexicon Encyclopedia forms the basis for this online encyclopedia, which was created by Richard and Maria Bamberger in collaboration with Franz Maier-Bruck. The project was translated into English by the staff of the School of Translating and Interpreting of the University of Vienna. The site also features a lengthy user guide and an extended bibliography divided into thematic areas, such as ecclesiastical history, art, and natural history. Users of the online encyclopedia can search by keyword, or just browse through entries by letter. Many of the entries contain illustrations and links to related material contained within other archives online here, like the Austrian music album and the video album. [KMG]
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Two from the Natural History Museum
Dino Directory
http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/cgi-bin/dino/
Quest
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/education/quest2/english/index.html
The Dino Directory, from Britain's Natural History Museum, allows students to explore the age of dinosaurs by either clicking on different eras (such as the Upper Jurassic), a list of countries, dinosaur body shapes, or countries. Clicking on an given era will bring up a list of dinosaurs that thrived in that period, organized by the continent they inhabited. Clicking on each dinosaur in the list will bring up a drawing of the selected creature, along with summary statistics (length, diet, and so on) and the geographical areas where they might have been found. Clicking on the list of countries will bring up a list of dinosaurs that lived in the country (based on modern political boundaries), along with their respective taxonomies and periods.
The Quest online feature from the Museum allows visitors to explore any one of 12 objects (including a butterfly, brain coral, and several minerals) from a number of angles. By using a toolbar on the righthand side of the screen, visitors can find out how much each object weighs, measure how big it is, find out how old it is, and ask a scientist about the object. Taken in tandem, these two online educational tools offer a nice interactive resource for teaching students about science. [KMG]
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Bioterror: The Invisible Enemy
http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/spotlight/bioterror/bioterror.html
This Web site from Discovery.com complements the first episode in the Discovery Channel's monthly series, Spotlight (aired February 26, 2003), which "examines the forces shaping our world." Features of this site include a historical look at biological weapons (used in some shape or form for millennia); an interview with the Institute for Homeland Security director Randy Larsen; Web links for additional information; and Facts and Fallacies -- an online quiz for those who would like to test their understanding of the scientific and historical roots of bioterrorism. Altogether, this Web site offers a brief but thorough (and not overly alarmist) exploration of a pressing issue. This site is also reviewed in the March 7, 2003 NSDL Life Sciences Report. [RS]
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Mount Vernon
http://www.mountvernon.org
Owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association since 1858, the home and grounds at Mount Vernon were home to George Washington for over 45 years. While the site contains ample information for those planning to visit the home in person, there are several nice online features here for persons who cannot make the trip. The Mansion Tour is one such feature, as it allows visitors to the site to take a virtual tour of the home's three floors. Navigating through the floors, visitors can click on such rooms as the Master Bedroom (where Washington himself died in 1799) and read a brief discussion of the room's use and importance, along with viewing additional objects that were part of the room's decor, such as portraits and a mantel clock. The Educational Resources section of the site contains a biographical portrait of Washington, along with an online quiz. Information on the various archaeological digs on the site is available, as is a frequently asked questions section, which dispels various popular myths about the late president, such as the belief that he wore wooden teeth or that he chopped down a cherry tree. [KMG]
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PATH: A Public-Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology
http://www.pathnet.org/
It is no secret that residential housing construction is one of the most important sectors of the US economy. With this in mind, the federal government, in cooperation with the private housing sector and related industries, established PATH in 1998 in order to "accelerate the development and use of technologies that radically improve the quality, durability, energy efficiency, environmental performance, and affordability of America's housing." To achieve this mission, PATH makes a concerted effort to disseminate information about new and existing housing technologies, and to studying mechanisms for sustained housing technology development. The PATH Web site contains information about demonstration housing projects and developments in different states, along with an online library organized around different themes, such as fire protection, quality, affordability, disaster risk, and energy efficiency and environmental impact. Along with the papers and informational booklets available for perusal and download, the site also contains information organized for different users, such as builders, researchers, homeowners, and building officials. [KMG]
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