http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/news_events/exhibits/futuristics/index.html

The human imagination would seem to recognize few boundaries when thinking about interesting forms of transportation, especially some of the rather creative ideas (both proposed and realized) that are contained within this novel and compelling online exhibit created by the staff at the Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library at the University of California at Berkeley. Many of the futuristic designs highlighted within this exhibit were envisioned as ways to overcome existing transportation problems, such as distance, space considerations, and other key factors. The pieces of material culture (such as advertisements, design renderings, and the like) contained here are divided into several sections, such as automotive, helicopter, monorails, and the aptly named “oddities” area. For transportation buffs or those with an interest in the history of technology, the “oddities” area should not be missed. Here visitors will find an illustration of the proposed “flying saucer bus” and the intriguing “transplanetary subway”,which was supposed to have stretched from New York to Los Angeles. [KMG]

http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/digitized_collections/davidtudor/

From the library at the Getty Research Institute, The Art of David Tudor is a great example of effective presentation of highlights from rich library and archival collections on the Web. The site complements a symposium held at the Getty Research Institute in 2001: "The Art of David Tudor: Indeterminacy and Performance in Postwar Culture". Born in 1926, Tudor became an internationally known pianist in the traditional arena, but gravitated to more experimental music in the 1940s, and composed and performed experimental electronic music in the 1960s and 1970s. Tudor's major works were produced collaboratively, with colleagues including John Cage and Merce Cunningham, Jackie Matisse, Bill Viola, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. The site includes a section on Tudor's collaborators; biographies and links to additional resources on over 35 artists who worked or performed with Tudor. Other main sections are: Audio and Video, where visitors can watch and listen to excerpts of Tudor's works (most of the full versions are held by the Getty Research Institute); Image Library, featuring pictures of Tudor, as well as documents such as scores and letters; a section on the symposium, and a biography of Tudor. [DS]

http://www.lacma.org/beyondgeometry/

The political and social upheaval that was pervasive throughout much of the world during the middle of the 20th century spawned a number of creative and innovative movements throughout various areas of human activity, including the visual arts. One such manifestation was the experimentation in visual forms that involved the use of radically simplified forms and systematic strategies. These developments are profiled in this nice online exhibit, created by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The very well-thought-out homepage of the exhibit contains brief introductions to each aspect of this movement (such as sections on the use of repetition and seriality), a timeline that offers information about the relevant developments within the movement across Europe, North America, and South America, and finally a glossary of terms. One real treat of the site is the “Investigations” area, which allows visitors to click around a series of text boxes, to uncover the multifaceted and nuanced answers to such artistic quandaries as “Do words and numbers function like lines and shapes in an artwork?” [KMG]

http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/index.html

Always one with a timely exhibition that reflects both historical concerns and issues of immediate expediency, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has created this website as the online incarnation of one of their current exhibits, “Vote: The Machinery of Democracy”. Through a host of relevant items (such as one of the controversial butterfly ballots used in Palm Beach County, Florida, in 2000), the exhibit “examines how Americans have historically adopted improved voting techniques as a result of the political, social and technological changes in the country.” The exhibit is divided into nine well-crafted sections, which includes informative retrospectives on the use of paper ballots, the variety of ways in which voters can cast their ballots, and of course, on the fractious situation of the Florida recount of 2000. A final bonus on the site is the thorough bibliography, which includes books, articles, a number of web links, and a few extra webpages on voting technology. [KMG]

http://www.chiloestories.org/home.html

Collaborative projects on the internet have become ubiquitous, and Chiloe Stories is certainly one of the more compelling ones that the Scout Report has found. Developed as a cooperative project between the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina and the Faculty of Communication at the University of Andes, this multimedia documentary project tells the stories of the archipelago of Chiloe, which is located approximately 1100 kilometers south of Santiago. The project was initiated as the archipelago prepares for major change as the government of Chile prepares to join Chilo to the mainland by 2010 through the construction of the longest bridge in Latin America. Many local residents are worried that the unique cultural traditions will disappear, will others believe that it will be an effective form of economic development. There are 12 segments altogether on the site, and some of them include an exploration of the mythology of Chiloe and the life of traditional fisherpeople in the region. All told, this is an engaging site that draws the visitor into the many realities and lived experiences of this clutch of islands off the coast of South America. [KMG]

http://www.unrefugees.org/

The situation for refugees around the world is frequently a desperate one, and one that continues to be a concern of a number of international organizations, such as the World Bank and others. One such organization is USA for UNHCR, which is dedicated to raising the consciousness of Americans about “the work and accomplishments of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)”. For those who may not be immediately familiar with their work, the UNHCR is responsible for protecting over 20 million people worldwide, including refugees, internally displaced people, and former refugees who are hoping to return their homes. On the organization's site, visitors can learn about volunteer opportunities, World Refugee Day, and read news updates about both its humanitarian work and the situation of various refugee populations. [KMG]