The Scout Report -- Volume 18, Number 46

The Scout Report -- Volume 18, Number 46

The Scout Report

November 16, 2012 -- Volume 18, Number 46

A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison




Research and Education

  Connecting to Opportunity: Access to Jobs via Transit in the Washington, D.C. Region

  Natural Resources Canada: Earth Sciences

  A Devil of a Disease

  Probability Resources

  The Economic Value of Citizenship For Immigrants in the United States

  Berkeley Lab: Center for Science and Engineering Education

  The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet Submarines and the Risk of Nuclear War

  Toledo's Attic

General Interest

  Mapping Staten Island

  Monterey Bay Aquarium: Podcast, Videos & Web Cams

  Boston University Digital Common

  California State Archives

  Savannah College of Art and Design: Museum of Art

  Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine

  Farm, Field and Fireside: Agricultural Newspaper Collection

  Poetic Likeness: Modern American Poets

Network Tools

  SoundGecko

  ResumeBuilder

In the News

  A study reveals that many Twitter followers might in fact not be human




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Research and Education

Connecting to Opportunity: Access to Jobs via Transit in the Washington, D.C. Region

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/11/dc-transit-job-access

The Brookings Institution works on a range of issues through their Metropolitan Policy Program, which has always been interested in transportation. In November 2012, program fellow Martha Ross finished this trenchant look at improving transportation connections within the D.C. region. The 41-page paper contains a number of interesting findings, including the observation that almost 90 percent of residents in the Washington, D.C. region live in neighborhoods with access to transit coverage of some kind. The report begins by describing the data and methods used to examine transit access and commutes in the region. It goes on to present a series of measures that characterize transit access and employment opportunities for residents at multiple geographies. The report makes effective use of maps and charts, and it's a thorough look at a subject that is gaining currency around the United States. [KMG]


Natural Resources Canada: Earth Sciences

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/home

The Natural Resources Canada agency has created a wonderful set of resources for curious visitors seeking to learn more about the earth sciences. The agency's formal scientific research work involves divisions such as the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, the Geodetic Survey Division, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the National Air Photo Library. On the homepage, visitors can use the Earth Sciences Resources area to find data, maps, and tools for their own research or personal edification. The site's primary materials are divided into sections that include Climate Change, Energy and Minerals, Geography and Boundaries, Groundwater, and Natural Hazards. The Geography and Boundaries area is a real find, as it provides access to the impressive Atlas of Canada, which includes 393 interactive maps and over 1,000 referenced and archived maps on all aspects of Canadian geography. Visitors should check out the Products and Services area to learn more about the maps and image services offered here. [KMG]


A Devil of a Disease

http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/detail.asp?case_id=661&id=661

Over the years, the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University of Buffalo has received great acclaim. Its mission is "to promote the development and dissemination of materials and practices for case teaching in the sciences." This recent addition to the case collection comes from the creative minds of four scholars at Bradley University. The resource deals with Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), which has decimated the Tasmanian devil population since 1996. In this case study, students review the history of the disease and then use their understanding of the scientific method to recreate some of the thinking that scientists used to try to understand the condition. This particular case study is suitable for high school and introductory college biology courses. [KMG]


Probability Resources

http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/61/?pa=newCollection&sa=viewCoursePage&courseId=9

This collection from the MAA Mathematical Sciences Digital Library brings together probability resources from a wide range of sources. First-time visitors can look through topics such as basic probability, games of chance, various discrete and continuous distributions, and more. As they browse around, visitors will notice that each resource has a title, a format, a rating, and a link to more information. The formats are quite diverse, and include interactive graphics, instructional fact sheets, and so on. All told, there are several hundred resources here that could be used in high school and college mathematics classrooms. Perhaps the most interesting sections here are the Famous Problems, which include the celebrated Monty Hall problem and the "birds on a wire." [KMG]


The Economic Value of Citizenship For Immigrants in the United States

http://carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/mpi_econ_value_citizenship_01.pdf

What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States? The Carnegie Foundation has sponsored this report from the Migration Policy Institute to provide some perspective on the economic value of citizenship for immigrants in the United States. The report was authored by Madeleine Sumption and Sarah Flamm, and it offers a comprehensive look on this subject. The 19-page report includes an executive summary, and chapters such as "Who Naturalizes, and Why?" and "What is the Economic Value of Naturalization?" The report notes that naturalization appears to confer economic gains that include a wage premium of at least 5 percent. It's also interesting to note that naturalization rates in the United States are lower than most other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. [KMG]


Berkeley Lab: Center for Science and Engineering Education

http://csee.lbl.gov/

At the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the staff members are always looking for ways to create valuable, high-quality educational products for educators. This website provides interested parties with materials created by the lab's Center for Science and Engineering Education (CSEE). On the website, visitors can find sections that include High School Students, Teachers, and Undergraduates & Graduate Students/Faculty. In this last section, visitors can learn about undergraduate laboratory internships and researcher programs offered by the CSEE. The Programs link will take visitors to a listing of offerings by name (such as Science Bowl) and type. Visitors should't miss the Educational Resources area, which includes links to helpful handouts and activities, such as "Energized Learning" and "Hands-On Universe." [KMG]


The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet Submarines and the Risk of Nuclear War

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB399/

The folks at The National Security Archive are always up to something interesting, like this recently released electronic briefing book. The site provides users with access to numerous documents related to the activities of Soviet submarines during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Visitors can look over the original Soviet Navy map of the Caribbean, which shows the locations of the four Foxtrot diesel submarines that had deployed from the Kola peninsula northwest of Murmansk on October 1962, bound for Mariel port in Cuba. That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg: the book also contains images of the diary of submariner Anatoly Petrovich Andreyev and video of Captain John Peterson (United States Navy, retired) talking at a conference in 2002 about the hunt for the submarines. It's an absolutely engrossing collection and one that will merit several return visits. [KMG]


Toledo's Attic

http://www.toledosattic.org/

Hey, what's in Toledo's Attic? This particular attic offers a "gateway to Toledo and Northwest Ohio history" and was created jointly by a number of partners, including the University of Toledo and WGTE Public Media. Started in 1995, the project focuses on the region's commercial, industrial, and social history from the late 19th through the late 20th centuries. Along the top of the site, visitors can browse sections such as Tour Toledo, Essays, New Media, Exhibits, and Resources. The Tour Toledo area is quite a delight, and visitors can use the maps to discover Toledo's history and also use the thematic tours, which include Toledo Hotels of the Past and Downtown Toledo Walking Tour and are overlaid on current maps of the city. Moving along, the Exhibits area includes "Wholly Toledo: The Business and Industry that Shaped the City" and "Faces of Steel: The People and History of the Acklin Stamping Company." Finally, visitors can also use the Social Media area to connect with the Attic via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and so on. [KMG]



General Interest

Mapping Staten Island

http://mappingstatenisland.mcny.org/

Staten Island has been in the news recently due to the severity of the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy. For those wishing to know more about the history of this venerable community, this website is a gem. Mapping Staten Island is part of an in situ exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York that looks at the geography and history of Staten Island. The exhibit examines the borough's historical transformation through maps, government documents, and newspapers. By clicking on the Explore the Maps section, visitors can use a graphic interface that overlays dozens of historic maps, including an 1845 land use map and a 1781 chart and harbor map of the area, on the contemporary geography of Staten Island. Also, visitors can use the scroll bar near the bottom of the page to look at the maps in a chronological fashion. [KMG]


Monterey Bay Aquarium: Podcast, Videos & Web Cams

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/cam_menu.aspx?c=dd

Would you like to watch African blackfooted penguins waddle around? Or perhaps take a first-hand look at a kelp forest? All of this is possible via the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Podcast, Videos & Web Cams website. First-time visitors should start by looking over the Kelp Cam, which features the dramatic Kelp Forest exhibit. The Monterey Bay Cam allows interested parties to to look for marine life and sailboats on Monterey Bay. The Podcast area contains dozens of podcasts dating back to 2006. Visitors looking for a place to start should listen to the podcast on "Creative Collaboration" or the one that examines how cuttlefish use their color-changing skills to attract mates. In the Videos area, visitors can browse a number of interesting titles such as "How to Feed a White Shark" and "Sea Star Eating." [KMG]


Boston University Digital Common

http://dcommon.bu.edu/xmlui/

Boston University has a range of scholars, from those who research the hospitality field to others who are fascinated by the world of photonics. The University's Digital Common Repository contains thousands of documents and publications that span this wide range, authored or co-authored by BU faculty, students, and staff. The different communities here are divided into sections that include College of Arts and Sciences, Centers & Institutes, and Metropolitan College. Visitors will find religious sermons, pieces of music, working economics papers, and a vast cornucopia of other materials. Also, visitors are encouraged to use the Browse feature to look for documents by title, subject, author, or date. [KMG]


California State Archives

http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Those persons with an interest in the history and government of the Golden State will love the California State Archives, which were originally chartered to receive "?all public records, registered maps, books, papers, rolls, documents and other writings?which appertain to or are in any way connected with the political history and past administration of the government of California." On the site, visitors can learn about the local government records program, look over state government oral histories, or consider the particulars of the graduate internship program. In the Collections area, visitors can examine past iterations of California's constitution, take a look at select pieces of legislation, and browse Spanish and Mexican land grants. Finally, visitors can look through the fascinating working papers of the 1878-1879 Constitutional Convention, the site's first formal digitized collection. [KMG]


Savannah College of Art and Design: Museum of Art

http://www.scadmoa.org/

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Museum of Art is "a contemporary art and design museum conceived and designed expressly to enrich the educational milieu of SCAD students and professors, and to attract and delight visors from around the world." Visitors who can't make it down to Savannah will find that the museum's website offers a nice taste of the art within the museum's walls. Visitors should click on the Permanent Collection, under Art, to view a nice selection of works, including the rather ground-breaking "Animal Locomotion Plate 467" by Eadweard Muybridge, along with dozens of other pieces. Additionally, visitors can click on the Video Archive section to check out conversations with Hal Rubenstein or learn about the Museum's facilities. [KMG]


Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine

http://collections.nlm.nih.gov/ext/pub/HIDDENTREASURE_NLM_BlastBooks.pdf

The noted Professor John Harley Warner of Yale's School of Medicine has said that "this volume is like lifting up the lid of a treasure chest." The remarkable book contains dozens of wonderful hidden treasures culled from the National Library of Medicine, and is offered here in its 236-page entirety. The book contains high-quality images of notable items, along with brief commentary from a range of scholars and other qualified individuals. Some of the more noteworthy items profiled here include Chinese public health slides, an atlas of skin diseases, and a rather wonderful medical trading card collection. It's the type of resource that is worth sharing in all its copiously illustrated glory. [KMG]


Farm, Field and Fireside: Agricultural Newspaper Collection

http://www.library.illinois.edu/dnc/Default/Skins/FFF/Client.asp?Skin=FFF&AW=1352715795606&AppName=2

What did newspapers mean to the rural frontier? They were (and are) vital sources of information about everything from big city life to the changing rural landscape around farmers and other folks far from city life. This digital newspaper collection from the University of Illinois was made possible with funding from a wide range of organizations, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Illinois State Library, and the Center for Research Libraries. Visitors can browse over twenty titles here, including "Banker Farmer," "Farmer's Wife," "Ohio Farmer," and "Western Rural." It's quite amazing, as visitors can look through all of the advertisements, photo captions, and so on. Visitors can also use the Preview the Collection area to download a slide show of highlights from this prodigious cache. The Browse option is quite fun, and visitors might do well to start by typing in keywords like animal husbandry, machine tools, or railroads. [KMG]


Poetic Likeness: Modern American Poets

http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/poets/

Want to see the faces of the poets whose words have inspired you over the years? This show from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery answers the need. The opening banner includes photographs of Walt Whitman, Marianne Moore, Sylvia Plath, John Ashbery, and Elizabeth Bishop. Afterwards, the portraits follow in four sections: Make It New; The Beauty of Inflections; Asking Compassion; and The Spoken Word. Make It New features Walt Whitman and Ezra Pound, with larger images, short essays, and excerpts from each poet. In Pound's case, the quoted poem is "A Pact," directed at Whitman. The concluding Spoken Word section allows visitors to hear the poets as well as see them, with recordings of seven poets: Moore, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Pound, Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, and Ashbery. [DS]



Network Tools

SoundGecko

http://soundgecko.com/

Want to listen to any article on the go? It's all very possible with SoundGecko. This application will create an audio version of web articles, pages, and so on with just a few easy steps. Essentially, it's a text-to-audio service that lets users enjoy written content on the go. The free version allows users to listen to up to 30 web articles or pages per day, and subscribe to one RSS feed. This version is compatible with all operating systems, and it includes a demonstration and FAQ area. [KMG]


ResumeBuilder

http://www.resumebuilder.org/

Creating a new resume can be a daunting experience, but Resume Builder is a great way to ease any tensions associated with this particular activity. Visitors can view a demonstration here, and they will note that they can get started by just entering their occupation: the program will suggest the best template for finishing the task. Also, visitors can search thousands of professional phrases suggested by ResumeBuilder to enhance their unique document. Finally, visitors can share their resume via a range of social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]



In the News

A study reveals that many Twitter followers might in fact not be human


Beware the tweeting crowds
http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/11/social-media-followers

How fake are your Twitter followers?
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/how-fake-are-your-twitter-followers-8211517.html

Analysis of Twitter followers of leading international companies
http://www.camisanicalzolari.com/MCC-Twitter-ENG.pdf

Status People Fake Follower Check
http://fakers.statuspeople.com/

Twitter Guide Book
http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

The Beginner's Guide to Social Media
http://mashable.com/2012/06/12/social-media-beginners-guide/

Twitter is a powerful social media tool that can be used to garner attention for everything from public policy reform to a new clothing line from Ralph Lauren. Millions of organizations and individuals use the service everyday, always on the lookout for new "followers." The hope is that these followers will pay heed to their words and wisdom, and perhaps along the way, add value to their product by purchasing goods or getting the word out to their friends and associates. But are all these followers actual people? The short answer is no. Recently, Marco Camisani Calzolari, of Milan's ILUM University, published a study using a wide range of criteria (including the use of correct punctuation) to conclude that over half the Twitter followers of computer maker Dell were bots. Of course, many businesses want to have a vast portfolio of followers as quickly as possible in order to reinforce their image to the broader public. As Carly Donovoan of the advertising firm Oglivy & Mather noted "The number of followers is a superficial measurement unless they are engaged." [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to a recent piece from ?The Economist? about this study conducted on Twitter followers. The second link leads to a recent piece from the ?London Standard? about the dubious nature of some Twitter followers. The third link will take interested parties to the complete version of the study and its findings. The fourth link will whisk users away to an app that can be used to help determine whether or not Twitter followers are bots or actual humans. The fifth link will take visitors to a rather helpful guide to Twitter, courtesy of the folks at Mashable. The final link leads to a comprehensive guide to social media, again from Mashable.





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