http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/literarymap/map.html

Sure, you might know that Longfellow was a member of the literati who called Maine home, but did you know that Robert McCloskey was one as well? In case you might have forgotten, McCloskey was the author and illustrator of those children's classics "Make Way for Ducklings" and "Blueberries for Sal". It's easy to learn about dozens of Maine authors via this delightful website created as part of a partnership between the Maine Sunday Telegram and a number of library and humanities groups in Maine. Currently, the map features over 50 sites, and visitors can browse around at their leisure to learn about authors like Longfellow, Stephen King, and Richard Russo. Clicking on each site will pull up a brief excerpt of each author's work, along with a brief bio. Don't leave the site without taking a look at the slideshow of Maine authors that's also offered here. [KMG]

http://www.morrissociety.org/

During his productive life, Scotsman William Morris contributed much to the fields of design and art. The William Morris Society helps to preserve his memory, and to afford interested parties the ability to learn more about his legacy and his influential body of writings. The site's main attractions are contained within four sections: "Life", "Art", "Writing", and "Social Thought". Morris neophytes should read both biographical sketches of the man, and then click on to the "Writings" Section. Here they will find a chronological list of his writings, with links to a number of them, including "Hopes and Fears for Art" and "Art and Socialism". Additionally, visitors will want to click on the "Art" area to see examples of Morris's book designs, calligraphy, furniture, and tapestries. [KMG]

http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Anyone can type in a simple image search into Google, but this new initiative sponsored by both LIFE and Google takes these searches to a whole new (and rather interesting) level. Working together, the two businesses brought together several million images from the 1750s to the present day. Many of the images have never been seen before, and it's quite a bit of fun just to look around their offerings. On the site's homepage, visitors can browse photos by decade, or by a set of basic categories that include "People", "Places", "Events", and "Sports". These categories include everything from Jacqueline Kennedy to the Winter Olympics. If visitors like certain shots, they also have the option to purchase various prints from the site. It's also a bit fun to type in any number of phrases to see what they offer, such as "medicine ball", "lacrosse", or "Robert Maynard Hutchins". [KMG]

http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/19th_century_tcard/

During the 19th century, the ever-popular trade card was a way for American businesses to effectively promote their goods and services. Some examples include a colorful business card depicting freshly caught mackerel in a net (appropriately enough for "Deep Sea Mackerel") and the Charter Oak Lawn Mower, which feature two Victorian women enjoying a leisurely mowing session in a pastoral setting. This online collection was created by Harvard Business School's Baker Library, which happens to have over 8000 of these cards. The online archive contains around 1000 cards which date from the 1870s to the 1890s. Visitors can search this archive via Harvard's Visual Information Access (VIA) union catalog which will allow them to focus in on subjects of particular interest. Finally, visitors can also avail themselves of the site's digital exhibition entitled "A New and Wonderful Invention: The Nineteenth-Century American Trade Card". [KMG]

http://www.uh.edu/engines/engines.htm

This website is from the public radio program The Engines of Our Ingenuity, which has been airing on the radio from the University of Houston for 20 years. The radio show is about the human inventiveness that informs our culture and it's no wonder the program has been on the air for so long, as such a topic seems inexhaustible. Because the show is only available on 30 public radio stations, using the website may be the only way some fans can hear each episode. Visitors can find the latest episode next to "Click here for the newest Engines episode" on the homepage. From there visitors will be transported to a page that contains a transcript of the episode along with a link at the top of the page which will allow visitors to hear the episode by John Lienhard. Not only do visitors get a written version and an audio version, they also get photos pertaining to the topic, links to sites that provide further information on certain aspects of the topic, and in some cases, diagrams and charts further illustrating the episode's topic. There is also a link near the top of the homepage, "Click Here," which provides recent episodes of the radio show as podcasts. On the homepage the visitor can also find a list of all the stations that broadcast the show, by clicking on "Stations That Carry Engines" under "About the Radio Program," on the lower right side of the page. On the left side of the homepage there are links to "Engines Transcripts" and "Full Titles of Episodes, With Keywords." For the latter link, click on the number next to the episode to be taken to the audio version of the episode, as well as the transcript of it, and any accompanying links, graphs, photos, and diagrams. There are over 2000 episodes, so no visitor should be left wanting. [KMG]

http://www.readingrockets.org/

Reading Rockets is a program, initiated by public television and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, that addresses how young children learn to read, why they struggle to read, and how adults can help. The Reading Rockets website takes a multimedia approach to getting information out to parents and educators. To read the site in Spanish, click on "En espanol" halfway down the page, on the left side. Also on the left side of the page visitors can find the multitude of media that the site provides. Click on "Podcasts and Videos" to listen to podcasts of interviews with children's authors and reading experts or "Watch and Learn" to see video clips of a variety of teaching methods. Clicking on "Blogs About Reading" will transport visitors to the blogosphere of "Sound it Out", which is written by a teacher/writer/mom/researcher blogger. For those interested in the Reading Rocket's shows broadcast on public television they can just click on "Our Shows on PBS" to view some of the shows online for free, catch them when they are on PBS, or purchase their own DVD copies. Visitors looking for recommendations for little readers should check out the "Find Great Kids' Books and Authors". The books recommended by Reading Rockets are arranged by theme and include "Award-Winning Books", "Holiday Buying Guides", and "All About Choosing and Using Kids' Books". [KMG]

http://www.investigatingatheism.info/

With their website, Investigating Atheism, the University of Cambridge hopes to add some clarity to the subject. Despite the attention recent books on atheism have received, they have had a mixed reception from the religious communities and from fellow atheists and agnostics. The goal of the site is to "set these contemporary "God Wars" in their historical context, and to offer a range of perspectives (from all sides) on the chief issues raised by the new atheists." A good place to start exploring this very well organized website is by looking in the Selected Features box on the right side of the homepage. There, a visitor can get an overview of the issues and the players, by clicking on "Current Controversies", "Atheist Politics", "Atheism and Meaning", "Arguments for Disbelief", and "Links". The "Links" section is divided up between Atheistic/Humanistic and Responses to the Debate. Visitors will find that studying atheism can be more complicated than it seems. The "History" tab points out the difficulty in recounting the history of atheism, because there is disagreement over its beginnings and players. Click on "Demographics" on the left side of the page to read about the obstacles faced when trying to get an accurate count of the number of atheists in the world today. Imperfect data is available, however, and such data suggests between 500 million and 750 million people don't believe in God. [KMG]

http://aslo.org/index.html

If you've ever wondered about the fields of limnology or oceanography, you need look no further than the homepage of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). On their site, visitors can learn about their professional activities, which include international symposia, conferences, and their scholarly journals. In their "About ASLO" area, visitors can learn about the discipline and read up on ASLO history. Most visitors will get the most use out of the "Programs" area. This section of the site includes an image library, articles about ethical considerations in the field, resources for early career scientists, and programs for current students. The image library is a highlight here, and it includes well over 2000 images submitted by registered users covering everything from estuaries to sampling techniques. [KMG]