http://biofrontiers.colorado.edu/

The goal of the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado is to "advance human health and welfare by exploring critical frontiers of unknown biology and translating new knowledge to practical applications." The Institute's work includes educating new teams of interdisciplinary scientists and expanding Colorado's leadership in biotechnology. Visitors can browse through eight primary sections, including News, Facilities, and Education, among others. Faculty & Research is a great place to start; it provides information about BioFrontiers's work in large datasets covering genomics, biophysics and imaging, and chemical biology and drug development. The News area features links to an engaging blog, updates about discoveries, and so on. Users can also sign up to receive the latest updates from the Biofrontiers Institute via email. [KMG]

http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/

There's a great deal of history in and around Houston, and this website provides access to the rich collections of the Houston Public Library and other community archives. (The oldest known photograph of Houston is front and center on the homepage.) Visitors can look through thematic collections, including the "Houston Oral History Project," "African American Collections," and "Houston Area Collections." One of the most remarkable collections here is the "Lawson Collection" which showcases dozens of letters written between Reverend William and Mrs. Audrey Hoffman Lawson chronicling their courtship and eventual marriage. Also, the "Houston Waterways" collection contains a fascinating history of the Buffalo Bayou, the waterway destined to become a centerpiece in the Port of Houston's development. [KMG]

http://www.transitionmathproject.org/

The Transition Mathematics Project (TMP) was created in 2004 "to help students successfully progress from high school math to college-level math." Since its inception, TMP has worked with a range of partners including high school and college math educators. First-time visitors should check out the Resources area, which includes a number of useful tools such as "Agile Mind" (a web-based platform for educators to develop contextually rich math curricula and instructional materials). The Communication area features a semi-annual newsletter and a compilation of current "Math in the News" articles and publications related to TMP. The Results page features information about the successes of TMP's previous projects with progress reports and other documents. [KMG]

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-061-introduction-to-electric-power-systems-spring-2011/

This fine course is offered as a welcome addition to MIT's OpenCourseWare initiative. The materials from this version of "Introduction to Electric Power Systems" are from the iteration taught by Professor James Kirtley in Spring 2011. On the site, visitors can look over the syllabus, the course calendar, readings, assignments, and quizzes. The topics covered here include load flow, power electric motor drives, and polyphase networks. The site also includes a number of problem sets, along with their accompanying solutions. Visitors can look over the readings and provide feedback on the course to the site administrators. [KMG]

http://issuu.com/wburban/docs/transforming_cities_conf_edition?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage

How are cities transformed by the creation of new transit lines? How can existing transit lines be modified to create new land use opportunities for housing and commercial properties? These subjects are covered by a 172-page conference edition of a forthcoming paper from the World Bank. The paper was authored by Hiroaki Suzuki, Robert Cervero, and Kanako Iuchi. Visitors will note that the work focuses on "identifying barriers to and opportunities for effective coordination of transport infrastructure and urban development." The work takes on a number of global best practices of transit-oriented metropolises that have direct relevance to cities in developing countries and offers both analysis and suggestions for future projects. Sections here include "Lessons from Sustainable Transit-Oriented Cities," "Integrating Transit and Urban Development in Cities in the Developing World," and "Toward Sustainable Urban Futures." [KMG]

http://inventwithpython.com/

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make your own computer games? This is now a possibility, and all one needs to do is look over the excellent "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python" site. The guide has been written to be understood by people as young as 10 and each chapter gives users the complete source guide, then teaches the programming concepts from the example. There are twenty chapters here, including "Using the Debugger," "Hangman," "Tic Tac Toe," and "Installing Python." Each chapter includes graphics and flow-charts designed to help neophytes get acclimated to the entire experience and process. The work is rounded out by the inclusion of four appendices, including "Common Error Messages in Python." [KMG]

http://www.medialit.org/best-practices

The field of media literacy is not a new content-focused subject, but rather "a new way to teach all subjects." It is a key interest of the Center for Media Literacy (CML) which is dedicated to heaping citizens "develop critical thinking and media production skills needed to live fully in the 21st century media culture." This particular section of the website includes best practices documents, such as those that offer a thorough definition of media literacy. There is also an important area on "Why Media Literacy is Important." Educators will want to head straight away to the Educator Resources area which features helpful resources like "Five Key Questions that Can Change the World" and "A Recipe for Action: Deconstructing Food Advertising." The site also includes an "Evolution of the Vision" area which features a timeline of how media literacy has been defined since 2000. [KMG]

http://www.sciencegems.com/

Dr. Frank Potter has been crafting and refining his science gems website since 1994. It currently contains over 14,000 science resources sorted by category, subcategory, and grade level, and it's still a work in progress. Visitors should take a look at the "K-16 Science Gems for the Classroom" area complete with subsections on Physical Science, Earth Science, and Life Science. Each of these subsections is divided into smaller areas by grade level and each entry has a brief description of the resource in question. Visitors can also use the Additional Class Resources for more resources, such as the "Great Sciences Discoveries of the 1990s" section and other hidden gems. [KMG]

http://merrick.library.miami.edu/specialCollections/asm0567/

Created as part of the University of Miami Libraries Digital Collections, this rather remarkable offering includes an assortment of documents related to various aspects of Florida?s history, life, and culture from 1777 to the 1920s. The range of materials here includes correspondence diaries, invoices, receipts, reports, and other documents. Key highlights cover a range from the Seminole Wars to the early days of Miami history. The user interface here is quite useful as visitors can use the Location Map & Timeline to browse around from Pensacola down to the Keys. Also, visitors can use the Subject Index area to look around from "Abstracts of Title" to "Yulee, David Levy." First-time visitors may wish to start by looking at the signature of Napoleon B. Broward and then wandering on over to a unique deed from the Florida East Coast Railway. [KMG]

http://soundarchives.bpl.org/

The Boston Public Library's Sound Archives offers access to hundreds of sound files taken from recorded lectures, musical performances, and other events held across the library system over the past decades. Visitors to the site can search by collection, creator, or keyword as they see fit. The "Collection" option includes the National Endowment for the Humanities and the BPL Lecture series. There are hundreds of talks here; some are available in their entirety while others only have 30-second clips available. (What isn?t available can be listened to in the actual library.) Some of the key files here include talks by Isaac Asimov ("Science Opens New Horizons for Mankind") and Saul Bellow ("The Writer and His Country Look Each Other Over"). [KMG]

http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/endgenocide/

This thoughtful and introspective symposium was presented by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in cooperation with the Council on Foreign Relations and CNN. The program was held in July 2012, and this site provides access to the entire program. The keynote address is by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the symposium includes conversations with Wolf Blitzer and important findings on attitudes towards genocide based on a poll conducted by the Museum. Additionally, the panelists include reporter Dana Priest, Richard Williamson of the Brookings Institution, and Sarah Sewall of the Harvard Kennedy School's Mass Atrocity Response Operations Project. The site is rounded out by a Resources area which includes links to policy papers, op-ed pieces, and so on. [KMG]

http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/Digital-Collections/Brubeck-Oral-History-Project.html

Dave Brubeck remains of one jazz's living legends; back in 2007 he sat down for a series of interviews with his wife, Iola, at the University of the Pacific. The interviews were filmed on Sanibel Island in Florida and were conducted by Sharon Sutton, the head of special collections at the University of Pacific Library, and Keith Hatschek, director of the music management program in the University of Pacific Conservatory of Music. The excerpts here were selected from over five hours of interview footage and vary over 35 different clips. The topics covered here include the legendary album "Time Out," jam sessions in India and Turkey, and the concept of "West Coast Jazz." [KMG]

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/crace/index.html

Samuel Johnson infamously said that "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." The same might be said about the wonderful maps of London that can be examined in copious detail within this corner of the British Library's website. Visitors can start by reading curator Peter Barber's introduction to this collection of over 1,200 maps and plans of London. To get a flavor of the offerings here, users can click on the Curator's Choice section. This collection includes an absolutely wonderful map from 1653 titled "London. A guide for cuntrey men in the famous city of London by the help of which plot they shall be able to know how far it is to any street." After this fine cartographic fillip, visitors can peruse all of the items in the collection via an alphabetical list. [KMG]

http://engineeringpathway.org/engpath/ep/hEd/index.jsp

The goal of this site is simple and timely: "to encourage faculty, students, staff and others interested in quality resources for teaching and studying engineering to learn, connect and do." Visitors will find the resources divided into two primary areas: Community Resources and Interactive Services. First-timer users should visit Course Preparation to learn about innovative methods of teaching engineering courtesy of institutions such as the University of Missouri and the National Institute of Science Education. The Engineering Diversity area has a mix of resources designed to encourage the participation of under-represented minorities in various engineering fields. Visitors can also use the "Advanced Search" to look for specific resources for use in the classroom. [KMG]

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search/controller/browse.htm?collectionList=seakorea&browseTitle=Sea+of+Korea+Maps&type=Collections&panelId=tree1Panel&summary=COLLECTION&mode=search

What is the Sea of Korea? Simply put, it is the body of water between Japan and Korea. This marvelous digital collection from the USC Digital Libraries brings together two private collections comprised of 172 maps of this expanse of water dating from 1606 to 1895. The maps also vary in language: English, French, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, Latin, German, and Russian. One good starting point is the 1794 map "China, Drawn from the Best Authorities," which happens to be executed as a hand-colored copper engraving. Also, visitors can create their own collection by clicking on the "Add" button. Students of geography, East Asian history, and related subjects will find this entire site to be most delightful. [KMG]

http://www.quicklychat.com/

Are you looking to have a quick chat with a coworker or other party? QuicklyChat can help you do that, as it features fully customizable smart status updates and other bells and whistles. The video linkup emphasizes quicker and more efficient communication; it does so by detecting if the other party is currently available or not by detecting one?s current system activity. This application is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

http://www.recordstreamingaudio.org/

The Streaming Audio Recorder application allows users to record any type of streaming audio via their computers' speakers or microphone. It's a simple way to record audio from sites such as Grooveshark,YouTube, BBC and others. The program is compatible with computers running Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]

A sense of place
http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21565007-geography-matters-much-ever-despite-digital-revolution-says-patrick-lane

Place Matters
http://www.placematters.org/

Place Matters: Joint Center Health Policy Institute
http://www.jointcenter.org/hpi/pages/place-matters

Project for Public Spaces
http://www.pps.org/

Toward a Cultural Economic Geography of Creative Industries and Urban Development
http://www.indiana.edu/~tisj/readers/full-text/26-2.pdf

Silicon Valley History
http://www.netvalley.com/silicon_valley_history.html

Despite predictions from all corners, geography is not dead and place still matters. Back in 1995, The Economist reported on the "death of distance" when much of the conversation revolved around how the Internet and other related technologies would essentially transform much of the patterns of human activity in the developed world. As it turns out, this has not happened, and conversations about how "place matters" are very vibrant and active. This week features a thoughtful series of buzz-worthy articles on the power of place in contemporary economic and cultural life around the world. One of the interesting developments profiled in the series regards the ways in which mobile phones are being used to create a ride-sharing service in San Francisco. Another piece informs about the evolution of sites like OpenTable and Yelp to create location-based services grow exponentially. In doing so, they have provided a vast range of businesses and also community-based services. Overall, it's an ambitious effort to document and describe the ways in which innovative technologies continue to transform human interactions. [KMG]

The first link is a piece by Patrick Lane from last week's special report in The Economist. The piece explores how places remain relevant in the 21st century, and how the "hyper-local" nature of certain mobile applications is part of this trend. The second link is the website of the Place Matters organization, which is committed to supporting "the creation and maintenance of sustainable, vibrant communities by improving decision-making." Visitors can learn about the Organization's recent initiatives and its fascinating "Decision Lab." The third link is the homepage of the "Place Matters" initiative, which is a compelling project designed "to improve the health of participating communities by addressing social conditions that lead to poor health." Their work includes looking at how technology and mobile applications can offer solutions to these problems. The fourth link is the homepage of the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) organization, which helps "people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities." Visitors can learn about their projects from a range of settings, including civic centers, college campuses, and public squares. The fifth link is a fascinating article by Terry Flew, a member of the creative industries faculty at the Queensland University of Technology. It explores the development of creative industries and the growth of cities, along with looking at critiques of academic work in this area. The final link leads to a nice history of Silicon Valley, which of course happens to be a place that many, many countries would like to recreate within their own borders. [KMG]