The Scout Report
February 6, 2015 -- Volume 21, Number 5
A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research and Education
Science Friday: EducateEudora Welty's "A Worn Path" in Graphical Representation
Wired Science
A Day in the Life: Artists' Diaries from the Archives of American Art
Sesame Workshop
Counterspill
Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Nautilus
General Interest
Why We SleepPackers Project
Hmong Embroidery
The Science of Hatred
Surviving & Thriving: AIDS, Politics, and Culture
Astrobiology
The High Line
OUPblog: Oxford University Press's Academic Insights for the World
Network Tools
TinyScanIn the News
A Year After his Death, Pete Seeger Still InspiresCopyright 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://www.sciencefriday.com/teacher-resources/index.html#page/full-width-list/1
While
Science
Friday
started
as
a
show
on
public
radio
stations
around
the
country
in
1991,
it
has
since
expanded
in
a
number
of
exciting
directions,
from
digital
videos
to
original
web
content.
The
Educate
section
of
the
Science
Friday
website
is
a
boon
to
teachers,
as
well
as
learners
of
all
ages.
The
informative
articles,
which
are
updated
two
or
three
times
a
month,
have
been
sorted
into
subjects
that
include
Chemistry,
Earth
Science,
Engineering
and
Technology,
Life
Science,
Mathematics,
and
Physical
Science.
The
content
is
always
fresh
and
entertaining,
and
the
punchy
prose
is
sure
to
keep
students'
attention.
Also
of
note,
each
Lesson
Plan
is
accompanied
by
Target
Grade
levels
and
estimated
time,
as
well
as
an
Educator
Toolbox
(at
the
bottom
of
each
page),
that
provides
easy
access
to
downloadable
material.
[CNH]
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/eudora-weltys-worn-path-graphical-representation#sect-introduction
Pulitzer
Prize-winning
author
Eudora
Welty
was
known
for
her
elegiac,
character-driven
novels
and
short
stories
about
the
South.
Over
her
decades-long
career,
she
published
nearly
two
dozen
works
of
fiction.
This
enriching
site
from
the
National
Endowment
for
the
Humanities
offers
an
unusual
inroad
to
Welty's
classic
short
story,
"A
Worn
Path."
Educators
can
access
guiding
questions,
learning
objectives,
background,
preparation
instructions,
lesson
activities,
and
assessment,
all
on
the
site,
and
all
for
free.
As
the
site
states,
graphic
representations
may
encourage
students
to
"learn
to
appreciate
elements
of
characterization,
setting,
and
plot
in
a
manner
that
engages
them
actively
in
the
production
of
meaning."
[CNH]
http://www.wired.com/science/
Some science websites try to make science cool. Wired Science just IS cool. The blog, which is updated multiple times a day by a diverse flock of authors, takes the things people - and maybe especially teenagers - are fascinated by, and then breaks them down and explains them. Recent articles describe a mathematical model of objects slowed down by the iPhone 6 camera, animal cannibalism, killer asteroids, and why we're looking for life on moons. With hundreds of posts to scroll through and hundreds of topics to learn about, readers will find much to celebrate on this science blog from one of the world's most-read technology magazines. [CNH]
http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibitions/day-in-the-life-diaries
These
engrossing
diaries,
currently
on
exhibit
at
the
Archives
of
American
Art
at
the
Smithsonian,
provide
exceptional
snapshots
into
the
lives
of
American
artists
-
as
well
as
European
artists
living
in
America.
Entries
cover
such
topics
as
New
Year's
Eve
dinner
parties,
reflections
on
the
war
efforts
of
World
War
I
in
France,
musings
on
dreams,
marriages,
friends,
and
the
quotidian
details
that
make
up
a
life.
The
overall
effect
is
transportive:
readers
may
find
themselves
living,
if
only
for
a
few
moments,
in
other
times
and
places,
in
the
subjectivity
and
happenstance
of
these
artists'
days.
Particularly
noteworthy
is
Rubens
Peale's
diary
entry
from
April
1865
recounting
President
Abraham
Lincoln's
assassination
and
funeral
procession.
[CNH]
http://www.sesameworkshop.org
Sesame
Workshop
is
a
non-profit
educational
organization
that
uses
the
power
of
media
to
help
children
learn.
Most
of
us
are
familiar
with
the
Sesame
Street
show,
but
as
this
website
demonstrates,
the
organization
does
much,
much
more.
With
lessons
spanning
topics
from
reading
and
math
to
emotional
well-being
and
health
and
wellness,
Sesame
Workshop
is
active
in
over
150
countries
around
the
world.
Readers
may
like
to
start
with
the
What
We
Do
tab
to
access
information
on
topics
such
as
Sesame
Street
goes
to
school,
Sesame
Workshop's
program
focused
on
early
education
in
the
U.S.
The
site
can
also
be
searched
by
category
(Literacy
&
Numeracy,
Emotional
Wellbeing,
Health
&
Wellness,
Respect
&
Understanding)
and
region
(by
continent).
Additionally,
the
news
tab
offers
a
blog
and
press
releases
related
to
the
programs.
[CNH]
http://www.counterspill.org/
Counterpsill.org
is
a
bustling
hub
of
information
that
covers
100
years
of
non-renewable
energy
disasters.
As
a
"living
archive,"
the
site
is
updated
with
news
stories,
infographics,
educational
and
satirical
videos,
and
invitations
to
political
action.
The
homepage
is
a
case
in
point.
Disasters
are
placed
on
both
a
world
map
and
a
timeline.
Readers
may
click
on
any
incident,
represented
by
a
color-coded
circle,
to
read
the
details
of
what
happened,
how
many
(if
any)
lives
were
lost,
and
the
amount
of
money
that
was
spent
to
clean
up.
That
cost
is
used
as
a
benchmark
for
what
could
be
accomplished
by
spending
the
same
amount
of
money
on
renewable
resources.
For
instance,
the
$87,000,000
spent
on
the
Upper
Big
Branch
Mine
Disaster
in
2010
could
buy
44
wind
turbines
and
power
over
15,000
homes
for
a
year.
[CNH]
https://www.poemuseum.org/index.php
Edgar
Allan
Poe,
who
was
born
in
1809
and
died
in
1849,
published
work
for
only
two
decades,
but
his
influence
on
literature
was
profound.
In
addition
to
being
toted
as
America's
first
great
literary
critic,
he
is
often
credited
with
inventing
the
detective
story,
pioneering
science
fiction,
and
mastering
the
psychological
horror
story.
The
Poe
Museum's
excellent
website
is
abundant
with
resources
for
teachers
and
students
of
Poe.
Readers
may
like
to
start
with
Poe's
Life,
which
provides
a
brief
biography.
Selected
Works
available
on
the
site
include
such
classics
as
The
Raven,
The
Cask
of
Amontillado,
and
The
Tell-Tale
Heart.
In
addition,
the
Teachers
section
and
the
Students
section
both
offer
excellent
resources
for
the
study
of
Poe,
including
an
elucidation
of
Poe's
literary
techniques
and
activities
such
as
"Solve
the
Mystery
of
Poe's
Death."
[CNH]
http://nautil.us/
Nautilus
Magazine,
which
launched
in
April
of
2013,
positions
itself
as
"science,
connected."
While
the
opulent
print
quarterly
costs
$49
a
year,
the
online
iteration
is
accessible
free
of
charge.
Here's
how
it
works:
each
month,
the
editors
of
Nautilus
choose
a
single
topic.
Previous
issues
have
focused
on
creativity,
illusions,
and
genius.
Then
the
magazine
publishes
a
"chapter"
each
Thursday
on
that
topic.
Unlike
other
science
magazines,
which
often
stick
to
breaking
the
latest
research
and
leave
it
at
that,
Nautilus
publishes
essays,
investigative
reports,
blogs,
and
even
fiction.
They
post
games,
videos,
and
graphic
stories.
The
site
is
intuitive
and
easy
to
navigate.
Back
issues
can
be
located
under
the
Issues
tab.
Otherwise,
readers
may
simply
click
the
well-displayed
and
visually
pleasing
articles
and
chapters
that
appear
on
the
homepage.
[CNH]
General Interest
http://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep
Russell Foster studies sleep. In fact, he's a circadian neuroscientist, which means he studies what happens to the brain when it does - and doesn't - sleep. This entertaining talk, just under twenty-two minutes in length, covers a range of sleep-related topics from the amount of sleep people typically got before the invention of the lightbulb (hint: a lot more than we get now) to dangers of depriving teenagers of their bed rest. Along the way Foster asks, and tries to answer, the age old question of why we sleep, and explores the relationship of interrupted sleep cycles with mental illness. Subtitles for the talk are available in 36 languages. [CNH]
http://packersproject.org
The
Green
Bay
Packers,
who
started
playing
in
the
wind-swept
north
country
of
Wisconsin
in
1919,
are
the
third-oldest
football
franchise
in
the
country.
They
are
also,
importantly,
the
only
non-profit,
community-owned
major
league
professional
sports
team
in
all
of
the
United
States.
Perhaps
this
at
least
partially
explains
the
unswerving
devotion
of
Packers
fans
that
are
displayed
on
the
University
of
Wisconsin-Green
Bay's
Packers
Project
website,
which
gathers
memorabilia
from
throughout
the
history
of
the
team.
Collections
are
divided
into
four
broad
categories:
UWGB
Day
at
Lambeau
field,
Lambeau
Selfies,
Fanecdotes,
and
Game
Day
Superstitions.
As
a
community-sourced
digital
collection,
fans
can
easily
contribute
an
item
to
the
site
-
in
fact
it's
highly
encouraged.
The
site
is
also
easily
searchable
and
browseable.
[CNH]
http://www.hmongembroidery.org
This
wonderfully
educational
site
was
funded
by
grants
from
the
National
Endowment
for
the
Arts
and
the
Asian
Pacific
Endowment
of
the
Saint
Paul
Foundation.
Functioning
as
an
online
museum,
it
features
213
unique
Hmong
embroidery
pieces,
including
images
of
animals,
village
life,
farming,
and
war.
The
site
can
be
easily
scouted
through
its
online
exhibits,
which
are
listed
in
order
on
the
right
hand
side
of
the
page,
and
also
include
examples
of
Hmong
attire
and
crafts
and
ornaments.
There
is
also
a
useful
and
accessible
glossary
and
a
section
that
outlines
typical
Hmong
motifs
and
symbols,
which
can
be
accessed
under
the
Symbols
tab.
Many
of
the
items
are
accompanied
by
annotations
explicating
the
history
and
culture
of
the
Hmong,
which
makes
for
a
very
educational
reading
experience.
[CNH]
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Science-of-Hatred/143157
This
fascinating,
in-depth
article
from
the
Chronicle
of
Higher
Education,
traces
the
work
of
Sabina
Cehajic-Clancy,
a
social
psychologist
who
studies
intergroup
conflict
and
reconciliation
in
present
day
Bosnia
and
Herzegovina.
A
former
refugee
from
the
very
conflict
she
now
works
to
understand,
Cehajic-Clancy
turned
down
more
prestigious
academic
positions
in
the
United
States
and
England
to
work
at
the
newly
founded
Sarajevo
School
of
Science
and
Technology,
where
she
can
be
close
to
the
people
she
wished
to
interview
and
observe.
While
some
of
Cehajic-Clancy's
findings
have
been
positive,
she
has
also
found
that
Serbs
tend
to
deny
the
atrocities
of
Muslims
outright
or
insist
that
it
would
be
better
to
forget.
As
she
says
in
the
article,
"It
is
unbelievable
the
extent
and
amount
of
creativity
that
people
possess
when
it
comes
to
denying."
[CNH]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/survivingandthriving/index.html
When
the
first
cases
of
AIDS
began
appearing
in
the
United
States
in
1981,
doctors
and
researchers
were
baffled.
It
took
a
decade
rife
with
protests
and
media
coverage
to
encourage
action
by
government
officials
and
funding
organizations,
and
it
wasn't
until
the
1990s
that
effective
treatment
practices
for
HIV
and
AIDS
were
disseminated
to
the
wider
medical
community.
Surviving
&
Thriving:
AIDS,
Politics,
and
Culture
is
a
U.S.
National
Library
of
Medicine-sponsored
exhibition
about
the
history
of
AIDS
in
America.
Readers
may
scout
the
site
by
clicking
the
Exhibition
tab
and
then
peruse
chapters
such
as
Doing
Science,
Making
Myths
and
Government
(In)Action.
Teachers
might
be
especially
interested
in
the
Education
tab,
which
opens
to
lesson
plans,
higher
education
modules,
online
activities,
and
links
to
other
resources.
[CNH]
http://online.liebertpub.com/toc/ast/15/1
Put
simply,
Astrobiology
is
a
diverse
and
multidisciplinary
field
that
seeks
to
understand
the
origins
of
life.
Sometimes
it
manifests
as
a
search
for
life
on
other
planets,
other
times
it
might
be
a
deep
ocean
dive.
Astrobiology,
the
journal,
is
the
"leading
peer-reviewed
international
journal
for
astronomers,
biologists,
chemists,
geologists,
microbiologists,
paleontologists,
and
planetary
scientists."
Best
of
all,
readers
can
download
dozens
of
peer-reviewed
articles,
ranging
from
tributes
to
pioneers
in
the
field
to
intricate
studies
of
ocean
vent
microbes,
for
free.
Recent
articles
have
focused
on
the
debate
over
how
to
define
life
and
the
implications
for
the
detection
of
potential
bacterial
life
on
one
of
Jupiter's
moons.
Each
issue
features
a
tribute,
a
News
&
Views
article,
and
an
education
article.
[CNH]
http://www.thehighline.org
The
High
Line,
which
runs
1.45
miles
along
a
disused
railroad
line
on
the
Lower
West
Side
of
Manhattan,
is
one
of
those
successful
urban
projects
that
brings
beauty
to
a
neighborhood.
Funded
entirely
through
private
donors
and
drives,
the
aerial
greenway
provides
a
park-like
space
where
trains
used
to
rumble
through
with
cars
full
of
frozen
turkeys
and
coal
for
power
plants.
The
site
is
well-designed
and
visually
pleasing.
Readers
can
learn
about
the
project
in
the
About
tab,
which
provides
a
timeline,
a
design
section,
and
photographs
(including
a
link
to
the
organization's
Flickr
page).
The
High
Line
Blog
is
updated
regularly
and
features
posts
about
the
recent
goings
on.
For
anyone
interested
in
urban
renewal
projects,
this
site
offers
many
treasures.
[CNH]
http://blog.oup.com/
True,
Oxford
University
Press
is
a
publisher
and
most
of
its
content
is
available
on
a
for-purchase
basis.
However,
its
Academic
Insights
blog
has
a
lot
on
offer
-
free
of
charge.
For
example,
see
the
Series
and
Columns
section
for
short
pieces
like
"The
economics
of
Scottish
Independence"
by
Richard
S.
Grossman.
Grossman
is
one
of
Oxford's
authors
who
writes
a
series
on
economic
policy.
Other
current
pieces
include
"Reading
on-screen
versus
on
paper"
by
Naomi
Baron,
the
author
of
Words
Onscreen:
The
Fate
of
Reading
in
a
Digital
World.
While
there
are
prominent
links
to
buy
the
most
recent
books
by
these
authors,
some
reading
related
pieces,
such
as
"A
lifetime
in
the
library,"
contains
no
links
to
books
to
buy.
This
particular
piece
was
written
by
Rachel
Brook,
a
Marketing
Assistant
at
Oxford
University
Press,
in
celebration
of
UK
National
Libraries
Day
(February
7th).
[DS]
Network Tools
http://www.appxy.com/tinyscan/
The idea of TinyScan is simple - the app uses the camera function of iPhones to make them into portable scanners, so that users can scan documents and transform them into PDFs. The scanner automatically detects the page frame, making scanning extremely user friendly. PDFs can then be easily shared with others by uploading to Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and others. TinyScan requires iOS 6.0+ or Android 3.0+. [CNH]
https://getpocket.com
When you see something you'd like to read, but you don't have time at the moment, put it in Pocket and read it later. This is the simple, but powerful notion behind this helpful app. Once select items are placed in Pocket, there is no need for an Internet connection - a great feature for daily commuters or others who find themselves at various times throughout the day without an Internet connection. Items (articles, videos, etc.) can be added via email, web browser, or a handful of other apps, such as Twitter, Flipboard, or Pulse. Compatible with all operating systems. [CNH]
In the News
Smithsonian Folkways: A Tribute to Pete Seeger
http://www.folkways.si.edu/PeteSeeger
M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives: Remembering Pete Seeger
http://library.albany.edu/archive/seeger
Library of Congress Blog: Remembering Pete Seeger
http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2014/01/remembering-pete-seeger/
Remembering Pete Seeger
http://www.rememberingpeteseeger.org/
Pete Seeger: the man who brought politics to music
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/28/pete-seeger-man-brought-politics-to-music
NPR Music: Pete Seeger
http://www.npr.org/artists/15869924/pete-seeger
Pete Seeger, who died a year ago at the age of 94, stood for a great many things throughout his lengthy musical career. He stood for working men and women, he stood for peace, he stood for clean water and clean air. But above all, and always, he stood for the basic human connection that blossoms when people stand up and sing together. While Seeger was considered a political radical (his multimillion-record-selling band The Weavers was blacklisted into silence during McCarthy witch hunts), perhaps the singer and banjo player's greatest radical act was his sustained hope and his unwillingness to bend to the cynicism and heartbreak that has so often defined American politics since the 1970s. [CNH]
The
sites
listed
here
pay
tribute
to
Pete
Seeger
and
his
life.
Readers
may
follow
the
first
three
links
to
the
Smithsonian
Folkways,
The
University
of
Albany
Library,
and
the
Library
of
Congress,
each
of
which
offer
excellent
collections
of
articles,
videos,
and
recordings
of
Pete
Seeger
singing
through
the
years.
The
fourth
link,
Remembering
Pete
Seeger,
was
founded
just
after
the
singer's
death,
and
functions
as
the
sort
of
community
space
that
Seeger
would
have
held
dear,
with
the
opportunity
for
fans,
friends,
and
scholars
to
make
their
own
contributions
and
comments.
Fifth,
the
Guardian
offers
several
articles
about
Seeger,
the
first
of
which
begins,
"Pete
Seeger
was
a
good
man."
Finally,
NPR's
coverage
traces
some
of
Seeger's
later
performances
and
features
a
four-minute
In
Memoriam
2014
for
other
singers,
songwriters,
instrumentalists,
and
visionaries
we
lost
in
2014,
a
list
of
5
Pete
Seeger
Songs
to
Sing
Together,
and
other
great
tributes
to
the
man
and
his
memory.
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