The Scout Report
November 27, 2013 -- Volume 19, Number 48
A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research and Education
Neuro-Opthalmology Virtual Education LibrarySmithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
National Opinion Research Center: Data and Findings
From DNA to Beer: Harnessing Nature in Medicine and Industry
Springboard to STEM
Herbert Randall Survey of New Haven and Environs, 1880-1920
Poweshiek History Preservation Project
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Resources/Materials for Teachers
General Interest
New Security BeatNew York State Library: Selected Digital Historical Documents
Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine
Botanical Accuracy
Metazen
Minnesota Digital Library
Open City
Massachusetts Conservation
Network Tools
SecretInkPDFstash
In the News
Court ruling may slow down plans for high speed rail in CaliforniaCopyright and subscription information appear at the end of the Scout Report. For more information on all services of Internet Scout, please visit our Website: https://scout.wisc.edu/
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Research and Education
http://novel.utah.edu/
Crafted
by
a
team
of
scholars
from
the
Spencer
S.
Eccles
Health
Sciences
Library,
the
University
of
Utah,
and
the
North
American
Neuro-Ophthalmology
Society,
the
Neuro-Ophthalmology
Virtual
Education
Library
(NOVEL)
is
an
open
access
repository
of
digital
materials
to
be
used
for
educational
and
research
purposes.
Visitors
can
browse
through
twenty
different
collections
that
are
searchable
by
contributing
educator
or
by
organization.
Additionally,
visitors
can
use
the
search
engine
to
look
for
specific
items
such
as
eye
anatomy
charts,
information
about
eye
diseases,
and
so
on.
If
interested,
visitors
can
even
learn
how
to
contribute
education
materials
themselves
or
add
to
NOVEL's
wiki.
Feedback
on
the
site
is
encouraged
and
those
interested
and
able
can
also
make
a
donation
to
help
keep
the
project
running.
[KMG]
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sao/
Created
in
1890,
the
Smithsonian
Astrophysical
Observatory
has
a
rich
history
of
space
science
research.
Affiliated
with
Harvard
University,
the
SAO
moved
from
Washington,
DC
to
Cambridge,
MA
in
1955.
Today,
the
Observatory
employs
over
300
scientists
working
on
broad
programs
of
astrophysical
research
supported
by
federal
appropriations
and
other
funding
sources.
Its
divisions
include
high
energy
astrophysics,
theoretical
astrophysics,
and
optical
and
infrared
astronomy.
First-time
visitors
might
do
well
to
look
over
the
Research
area,
which
contains
research
statements
and
detailed
project
information
on
the
SAO's
work
on
the
solar
system,
galaxies,
and
stars.
The
Features
area
is
quite
a
find
and
it
contains
profiles
on
the
third
dimensions
of
Cassiopeia
A,
the
search
for
other
Earths,
and
dozens
of
other
subjects
dating
back
to
2009.
Within
Education
&
Outreach,
visitors
will
find
links
to
curriculum
materials
and
public
outreach
ideas
like
"Inside
Einstein's
Universe"
and
"Black
Holes:
Space
Warps
&
Time
Twists."
Finally,
visitors
should
look
over
the
Opportunities
area
as
it
contains
information
for
science
researchers
and
those
seeking
postdoctoral
fellowships.
[KMG]
http://www.norc.org/Research/DataFindings/Pages/default.aspx
The
National
Opinion
Research
Center
(NORC)
was
created
in
1941
with
a
mission
"to
conduct
high-quality
social
science
research
in
the
public
interest."
Its
work
is
quite
broad
and
includes
studies
of
public
school
system
performance,
economic
development
projects,
and
other
germane
matters.
On
the
Data
and
Findings
page,
visitors
can
peruse
and
explore
hundreds
of
NORC's
papers
from
past
months
and
years.
Interested
parties
can
search
through
all
of
these
documents
as
they
see
fit
or
perhaps
just
scroll
through
to
find
something
that
strikes
some
interest.
Some
recent
titles
include
"Promising
Practices
to
Improve
Access
to
Oral
Health
Care
in
Rural
Communities"
and
"The
State
of
Our
Nation's
Youth."
[KMG]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/fromdnatobeer/
What
can
we
learn
from
studying
DNA
and
beer?
This
is
just
the
type
of
query
that
inspires
the
people
at
the
U.S.
National
Library
of
Medicine.
This
online
exhibit
is
meant
to
accompany
a
traveling
exhibition
and
is
full
of
information
about
key
technological
innovations
that
have
involved
the
marriage
between
medical
scholars
and
industrial
professionals.
Browsing
the
Learn
More
area,
visitors
will
find
interactive
features
about
how
insulin
was
made
from
recombinant
DNA.
Additional
features
cover
the
fermentation
of
beer
and
the
creation
of
penicillin.
The
Digital
Gallery
contains
nineteen
fascinating
items,
such
as
catalogs
celebrating
Louis
Pasteur,
treatises
on
food
adulteration,
and
animal
chemistry.
These
archival
items
truly
bring
the
history
of
medicine
and
innovation
to
the
forefront.
For
those
interested,
the
site
is
nicely
rounded
out
with
suggested
readings
and
other
complementary
websites.
[KMG]
http://stem.firstbook.org/
The
goal
of
the
Springboard
to
STEM
program
is
"to
increase
student
interest
in
science,
technology,
engineering
and
mathematics
(STEM)
and
provide
training
and
classroom
materials
for
teachers."
On
this
website,
visitors
can
take
advantage
of
free
educational
materials
like
worksheets,
lesson
plans,
and
discussion
questions.
Visitors
need
to
fill
out
a
form
on
the
site
before
they
can
access
all
of
the
materials,
but
this
only
takes
a
minute
or
two.
Moving
on,
the
News
and
Links
area
contains
links
to
their
work
around
STEM
education
and
the
project's
Twitter
feed.
The
Marketplace
is
another
great
feature
of
the
site
which
contains
links
to
high
quality
STEM-related
resources,
such
as
books
and
classroom
DVDs,
that
are
available
for
purchase.
[KMG]
http://cslib.cdmhost.com/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15019coll7
Herbert
Randall
was
born
in
Massachusetts
and
lived
in
Michigan
before
opening
his
own
professional
photo
shop
in
New
Haven,
Connecticut
in
1894.
He
was
a
student
of
the
built
environment,
a
poet,
and
was
also
fascinated
with
the
history
of
the
Nutmeg
State.
This
nice
collection
from
the
Connecticut
State
Library
brings
together
141
black
and
white
photographs
that
Randall
took
around
New
Haven
between
1880
and
1920.
Each
photo
has
detailed
information
about
the
location
where
it
was
taken
along
with
a
brief
description
and
some
keywords.
First-time
visitors
may
wish
to
check
out
some
of
the
sample
searches
which
cover
Banks,
Schools,
Theatres,
and
Transportation.
The
Hotels
section
contains
some
real
gems
including
the
old
New
Haven
House
and
the
celebrated
Duncan
Hotel
which
is
still
in
operation
today.
[KMG]
http://digital.grinnell.edu/drupal/content/about-phpp
The
Poweshiek
History
Preservation
Project
is
a
joint
effort
between
the
Grinnell
College
Libraries
and
the
Drake
Community
Library
to
preserve
the
history
of
the
people
and
places
of
Poweshiek
County.
Over
the
years,
dozens
of
community
members
have
brought
in
letters,
photographs,
scrapbooks,
ledgers,
and
other
documents
that
tell
the
area's
history.
This
site
contains
over
120
items,
including
photos
of
roadwork
construction,
local
churches,
museums,
and
portraits
of
prominent
community
members.
Most
of
the
items
here
date
from
the
late
19th
and
early
20th
century
and
they
provide
a
remarkable
look
into
the
changes
throughout
the
community
during
this
period.
Additionally,
the
site
contains
several
oral
histories
from
locals
who
have
lived
here
for
decades.
Visitors
can
search
through
the
offering
by
date,
type,
or
geographic
coverage.
[KMG]
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=9538
The
Woods
Hole
Oceanographic
Institution
has
created
this
website
to
bring
together
a
range
of
educational
materials
for
teachers.
Given
their
wonderful
work
in
oceanography
and
related
fields,
it
makes
sense
that
they
have
dozens
of
fact
sheets,
worksheets,
classroom
modules,
and
outreach
projects
to
share.
The
materials
are
divided
into
six
areas
including
Information
Packets,
Ocean
Explorer
Magazine,
Ocean
Instruments,
and
Citizen
Science
Projects.
Within
Ocean
Instruments
visitors
can
explore
how
a
wide
range
of
specialized
ocean
research
instruments
work,
including
gravity
corers,
marine
magnetometers,
and
a
towed
camera
system.
Moving
on,
the
Ocean
Explorer
section
contains
fascinating
articles
designed
for
young
people.
The
pieces
cover
remote-sensing,
plate
tectonics,
and
wave
motion.
Make
sure
to
check
out
the
Citizen
Science
Projects
as
well,
which
covers
sites
created
in
partnership
with
a
range
of
groups,
including
Zooniverse
and
the
Cornell
Lab
of
Ornithology.
[KMG]
General Interest
http://www.newsecuritybeat.org/
The
New
Security
Beat
is
the
official
blog
of
the
Environmental
Change
and
Security
Program
at
the
Woodrow
Wilson
Center.
The
site
contains
a
cornucopia
of
content,
including
video
updates,
working
papers,
publications,
opinion
pieces,
and
other
materials
for
scholars
and
policy
enthusiasts.
The
materials
are
divided
into
seven
areas,
including
Multimedia,
Film,
and
Publications.
One
award-winning
film,
"Healthy
People,
Healthy
Environment",
presents
an
innovative
approach
to
development
in
Tanzania
that
combines
efforts
to
conserve
natural
resources
with
reproductive
health
services
and
sustainable
economic
opportunities.
Within
Publications,
works
such
as
"After
The
Disaster:
Rebuilding
Communities"
and
"Our
Shared
Future:
Environmental
Pathways
to
Peace"
can
be
explored.
Also,
visitors
can
look
over
blog
entries
and
scroll
through
recent
updates
from
conferences,
seminars,
and
international
meetings.
[KMG]
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/scandocs/historical.htm
The
New
York
State
Library
started
digitizing
a
range
of
New
York
government
documents
in
a
wonderful
online
catalog
and
website.
The
collection
covers
a
wide
range
of
materials
including
government
surveys,
state
census
results,
and
first
had
descriptions
of
the
Native
American
experience
throughout
the
Empire
State.
In
total,
there
are
twelve
collections
here,
including
Laws
of
New
York
State
and
New
York
State
Museum
Publications.
This
last
area
contains
a
large
set
of
publications
created
by
museum
staff
members'
investigations
into
geology,
biology,
anthropology,
and
history.
Some
especially
noteworthy
publications
include
"Earthquakes
in
New
York
State"
and
"Biological
Diversity:
The
Oldest
Human
Heritage."
Additionally,
the
New
York
State
History-Towns
and
Counties
section
is
quite
a
find,
as
it
contains
county
and
town
histories
from
the
19th
and
20th
centuries
of
Albany,
Corning,
Troy
and
Rensselaer
County.
[KMG]
http://www.artic.edu/art-and-appetite-american-painting-culture-and-cuisine
In
time
for
the
holiday
season
of
indulging,
the
Art
Institute
of
Chicago
presents
this
exhibition
that
documents
the
American
fascination
with
food,
using
paintings
and
sculptures,
as
well
as
period
cookbooks,
menus,
and
posters,
dating
from
the
18th
through
the
20th
century.
The
online
exhibition
is
presented
in
the
form
of
a
cookbook
and
includes
historical
recipes
illustrated
with
works
from
the
exhibition.
Contemporary
contributions
from
(primarily)
Chicago
chefs,
restauranteurs,
and
a
few
amateur
cooks
are
also
featured.
For
example,
an
Andy
Warhol
tomato
soup
can
decorates
a
recipe
for
Tomato
Soup
Cake
from
Anne
Marshall's
Cooking
with
Condensed
Soups,
1950,
while
James
Peale's
Still
Life:
Balsam
Apple
and
Vegetables,
c.
1820s
is
paired
with
a
recipe
for
pickled
cauliflower
or
broccoli
from
a
much
earlier
cookbook,
The
Cook?s
Own
Book,
1832.
Modern
recipes
include
Jason
Gorman's
Sweet
Corn
Spoonbread,
Judith
Barter's
Candle
Salad,
and
Paul
Kahan's
Lobster
Thermidor
Sausage.
Hungry?
Visit
online
to
see
and
print
the
recipes,
read
all
about
the
chefs,
and
see
lots
of
pictures
of
food.
[DS]
http://www.botanicalaccuracy.com/
Would
you
care
if
someone
called
a
cat
a
mouse
in
the
description
of
a
medieval
painting?
What
if
books
on
plants
were
illustrated
with
the
wrong
plants?
Botanical
errors
can
be
just
as
egregious
as
those
involving
art
history,
foodstuffs
and
other
products.
This
delightful
website
looks
at
botanical
mistakes
in
commercial
and
public
venues
and
offers
up
educational
information
and
commentary
on
such
problems.
The
site
includes
a
brief
description
("What
is
Botanical
Accuracy?")
of
their
activities
and
then
a
listing
of
recent
controversies
and
the
like
that
they
have
addressed.
Some
of
these
recent
entries
include
"Reindeer
moss
is
a
lichen,
not
a
moss"
and
"Greening
Singapore
with
temperate
weeds?"
Visitors
can
search
around
the
entries
by
keywords
and
social
media
tools
allow
the
posts
to
be
shared
easily.
[KMG]
http://www.metazen.ca/
Metazen
is
an
online
journal
from
Canada
that
publishes
short
fiction
and
poetry
by
various
authors.
The
whole
enterprise
got
started
in
March
2009
and
claims
to
"like
odd
stories
and
odd
poems,
but
ones
that
touch
you
in
a
special
way."
New
content
is
published
every
day
and
visitors
with
a
literary
bent
will
find
it
most
lovely
and
wondrous.
Visitors
can
look
over
sections
including
Interviews,
Meta
Micros,
and
Box
of
Secrets.
This
last
area
contains
the
site's
blog,
fan
page,
and
a
number
of
Easter
Eggs
for
curious
visitors
to
find
hidden
on
the
site.
Some
of
the
more
engaging
stories
featured
here
include
"In
the
Creases
of
Dead
Maps"
and
"Minutes
of
Westminster
Court
Management
Company
Annual
General
Meeting
2013."
Visitors
can
also
subscribe
to
receive
the
Metazen's
latest
offerings
via
email.
[KMG]
http://www.mndigital.org/
Minnesota
is
a
large
and
vast
state
full
of
lakes.
The
Minnesota
Digital
Library
is
a
large
and
vast
website
full
of
digitized
photos
of
lakes
and
a
great
deal
more.
On
their
site,
visitors
can
learn
about
projects
which
include
the
fascinating
"Minnesota
Reflections,"
a
trove
of
over
135,000
photos
and
maps.
As
it
is
a
large
collection,
the
site
also
provides
a
few
helpful
user
guides.
In
the
section
For
Educators,
interested
parties
can
make
their
way
through
lesson
plans
and
curriculum
guides.
Topics
here
cover
a
variety
of
Minnesota-specific
lessons,
including
"Mining
in
Minnesota"
and
"The
Civilian
Conservation
Corps
in
Minnesota."
Additionally,
for
library
professionals
interested
in
learning
from
the
success
of
this
project,
the
Digitizing
&
Metadata
section
provides
great
reports
just
for
this
purpose.
[KMG]
http://opencityapps.org/
Are
you
interested
in
improving
civic
culture
and
knowledge
with
apps?
If
so,
you
will
be
delighted
to
learn
about
the
Open
City
site.
The
Open
City
folks
are
a
group
of
programmers,
citizen
activists,
and
policy
types
that
create
apps
with
open
data
in
order
"to
improve
transparency
and
understanding
of
our
government."
Chicagoans
can
stop
by
the
Merchandise
Mart
to
meet
up
and
work
with
Open
City
in
person.
Everyone
else
can
check
out
the
Projects
page
to
view
apps
like
"Chicago
Councilmatic,"
"How's
Business?"
and
"Crime
in
Chicago."
Each
of
these
apps
takes
open
source
data
from
the
city
of
Chicago
and
other
organizations
to
create
tools
designed
to
help
decision
makers,
journalists,
and
scholars
with
their
various
projects.
The
site
also
contains
information
about
the
people
behind
the
organization
and
press
releases
about
their
work.
[KMG]
http://www.nps.gov/NR/travel/massachusetts_conservation/index.html
Massachusetts
has
long
been
a
leader
in
the
conservation
and
preservation
movements.
From
early
attempts
to
create
an
Emerald
Necklace
around
Boston
to
the
battle
to
save
the
Old
State
House,
the
commonwealth
has
rich,
fascinating
tales
and
experiences.
This
wonderful
travel
itinerary
was
created
by
the
National
Park
Service's
Heritage
Education
Services
in
partnership
with
the
Massachusetts
Historical
Commission
and
the
National
Conference
of
State
Historic
Preservation
Officers.
On
the
site,
visitors
can
look
over
essays,
a
list
of
sites,
maps,
and
external
websites.
The
powerful
essays
include
"Conservation
and
Landscape
Planning
in
Massachusetts"
and
"American
Conservation
in
the
Twentieth
Century."
Checking
out
the
List
of
Sites
area,
visitors
can
read
a
complete
list
of
all
the
places
mentioned
in
the
itinerary
(complete
with
details
and
photos)
such
as
the
Boston
Public
Garden,
the
Lynn
Woods
Historic
District,
and
the
Fruitlands
Museums
Historic
District.
[KMG]
Network Tools
https://secretink.co/
What if you could send a message that could only be read once? SecretInk can let you do just that. Visitors can type in a message and send it out via email or text message. Once the message is read, it disappears forever. It's a novel little device and it is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]
https://www.pdfstash.com/
Do you ever wonder where you put that last PDF you created? It can be a vexing problem, but with PDFstash you need wonder no more. The program allows visitors to put all of their PDFs in the cloud and then create bookmarks and folders that will keep things neat and tidy. Placing the PDFs in the cloud simply requires users to drag and drop documents. The free account option allows users to store 20 different documents per month and is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]
In the News
California high-speed rail plans stopped in tracks
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Judge-s-rulings-halt-California-s-high-speed-rail-5011046.php
California's high-speed rail imperiled by court rulings
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_24600456/new-court-rulings-imperil-future-californias-high-speed
California's railways: Applying a brake to high-speed plans
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/11/californias-railways
California High Speed Rail Authority
http://www.hsr.ca.gov/
Florida High Speed Rail
http://www.floridabullettrain.com/fhsra/servlet/com.hntb.flhighspeedrail.web9a01.html?cmd=start
The Amtrak Vision for the Northeast Corridor
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/453/325/Amtrak-Vision-for-the-Northeast-Corridor.pdf
High
speed
rail
is
a
tricky
proposition
in
the
United
States,
and
in
recent
years
skepticism
has
doomed
many
initiatives
across
the
country.
California's
high-speed
rail
project
was
dealt
a
difficult
blow
this
Monday
as
Judge
Michael
Kenny
ruled
that
the
state's
plans
to
sell
$8
billion
in
bonds
did
not
comply
with
the
terms
of
Proposition
1A,
the
ballot
initiative
that
authorized
state
borrowing
to
build
the
line.
Interestingly
enough,
the
high-speed
rail
authority
can
use
the
existing
$3
billion
dollars
in
federal
funds
in
hopes
that
the
rest
of
the
funds
will
be
available
relatively
soon.
Accordingly,
the
first
29
miles
of
track
from
Madera
to
Fresno
have
already
been
approved
and
will
be
laid
as
planned.
Commenting
on
the
matter,
Dan
Richard,
the
chairman
of
the
board
of
directors
for
the
rail
authority
noted
that,
"Like
all
transformative
projects,
we
understand
that
there
will
be
many
challenges
that
will
be
addressed
as
we
go
forward
in
building
the
nation's
first
high-speed
rail
system."
[KMG]
The
first
link
is
to
a
story
from
the
San
Francisco
Chronicle
that
reports
on
this
recent
development
involving
this
massive
transportation
project.
The
second
link
will
take
visitors
to
another
great
article
on
the
subject
from
the
San
Jose
Mercury
News.
Moving
along,
the
third
link
will
lead
interested
parties
to
a
bit
of
commentary
on
the
subject
from
this
week's
Economist.
The
fourth
link
will
whisk
users
away
to
the
official
project
homepage
of
the
California
High
Speed
Rail
Authority.
Here,
visitors
can
learn
about
the
route
of
the
train,
the
project
timetable,
and
so
on.
The
fifth
link
will
take
interested
parties
to
the
homepage
of
the
Florida
High
Speed
Rail
project,
which
seeks
to
connect
Pensacola
to
Miami
over
the
coming
decades.
The
final
link
will
lead
visitors
to
the
official
Amtrak
mission
statement
on
crafting
a
plan
for
high
speed
rail
in
the
Northeast
over
the
coming
years.
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