General Interest
Located in colorful Covent Garden, the London Transport Museum is one of the world's best known facilities dedicated to exploring the many nooks and crannies of this capital city's transport heritage. Fortunately for those who can't make it across the pond to Britain, the museum's website affords online visitors a small glimpse into the many items of interest featured in its exhibits and archives. To get some sense of the museum and its surroundings, visitors will want to view the Panoramas area, where they may view some of the galleries and a view of the exterior. The online exhibit area provides a small sampling of the museum's holdings, include one that explores the role of London's public transportation on the silver screen and a selection of the many lovely posters created for the transport system between 1909 and 1994. Finally, there is a nice selection of excerpts from promotional films produced by British Transport over the years, including a fascinating clip titled "A Trip on the Metropolitan Railway" from 1910. Of course, for those who will be visiting the museum in person, there is ample material on the museums' hours of operation and other germane details. [KMG]
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/spain/launchWin.htm
To accompany a major exhibition, Spain in the Age of Exploration, 1492-1819, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) presents this interactive website that illustrates the use of four ancient nautical instruments: the Quadrant, Asrolabe, Octant, and Chronometer. Each instrument's section includes pictures, a bit of history, and a description of how it was used. For example, the astrolabe was originally devised by Persian astronomers, and is used to determine latitude at sea by measuring the angle of the sun or other stars. In addition, the site includes an early map of North America (1730) and a movie showing David Burch from the Starpath School of Navigation, demonstrating the use of an octant. [DS]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/
Samuel Insull, Thomas Edison, Clarence Birdseye and numerous other innovators and inventors contributed mightily to the American spirit of invention during the past several centuries. This rather engrossing website, which was designed to complement the four-part television series on PBS, offers a glimpse into the lives of many of these innovators. Based on a book by editor and journalist Harold Evans, the series and the website utilize primary documents and first-hand reports to look at the lives of these men and women. Visitors who wish to jump right in should begin by looking through the "Who Made America?" Flash-enabled feature. Here they can learn about a number of these innovators, and view each profile by category, chronologically, or geographically. The site also contains a lively discussion area where visitors can chime in with their thoughts about which innovators were left out of the series and which future inventions may be next to transform the world. [KMG]
http://www.rehabadvisor.pathnet.org/
The frigid air is upon some of the United States by this time in late fall, and will be around until spring arrives so a visit to the Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor on this site may be worth a look. This Web-based tool was developed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and its purpose is "to help the housing community improve energy efficiency in existing buildings during rehabilitation and renovation." The hope is that persons involved in this work will be able to create or modify housing so that it becomes more energy efficient, durable, and sustainable. The site is fairly straightforward, as visitors can build a profile by selecting their building type, their role (such as homeowner or designer), climate, and building age. After doing so, a set of results and suggestions will be returned, and visitors can also calculate the costs of such an undertaking as well. [KMG]
Created during the first term of President George W. Bush, the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for preventing terrorist attacks within the United States and to also reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism. On its website, visitors can learn about grant opportunities provided by the department, read about its current leadership, and read the agency's overall strategic plan. Given the department's broad mission, the site is divided into several thematic areas, including emergencies and disasters, travel and transportation, immigration and borders, and threats and protection. Each section contains relevant information, such as various efforts to protect the country's waterways and ports, and the homeland security advisory system. The research and technology area is quite helpful as it includes rather interesting material on the various research facilities and laboratories that are performing different operations under the agency's direction. [KMG]
http://americanhistory2.si.edu/sports/
As long as there are those who seek to extend the field of athletic endeavor through invention (such as James L. Plimpton, creator of the modern roller skate), or those who break racial barriers (such as the great Jackie Robinson), there will be those who seek to commemorate and examine their legacy. Designed to complement a current exhibition at the National Museum of American History, this fine online exhibit explores some of those individuals whose contributions to American sport have intersected with other broader historical developments, including racial equality, the spirit of invention, and other trends. On the site, visitors are treated to short essays that talk about the accomplishments of such individuals as Jesse Owens and Sandy Koufax. Of course, these pieces are completed by images of such items as Terry Bradshaw's uniform from Super Bowl XIV and Abraham Lincoln's personal handball. Additionally, for each person profiled, visitors can read a list of career highlights, suggested reading materials, and in some cases, a filmography. [KMG]
