Archive for the ‘New Websites and Resources’ Category

Ten New or Updated Weblogs from the US Government

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

These new weblogs deal with science/technology, travel/transportation, business, education, and disability issues.

1) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) Blog (Dept. of Energy)

In the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) blog, members of the OSTI community discuss personal perspectives, national impacts, OSTI products and content, and technology.

2) TSA Blog

This blog is sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on innovations in security, technology and the checkpoint screening process.

3) Fast Lane

This blog from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) provides a forum for discussing the nation’s transportation system and making announcements about future projects. Contributors will include Secretary LaHood, other senior officials from DOT, and guest bloggers.

4) Business Law Advisor

Help complying with business laws and regulations from Business.gov.

5) In the Loop

Information about Business.gov’s plans and status.

6) Small Business Cents

The official word on small business grants, loans, and finance from Business.gov.

7) Small Business Matters

This blog from Business.gov provides information about a range of small and home business issues.

8] The Industry World

This blog brings together a lineup of notable small business professionals to share their small-business expertise with the Business.gov community.

9) ED.gov Blog

The official blog from the U.S. Department of Education.

10) Disability.gov Blog

Connects the disability community to information and opportunities.

Source: USA.gov

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool
From e-mail:

The NAEP Questions Tool, one of the most popular features of the National Assessment of Educational Progress website, now makes it easier than ever for teachers, parents, students, researchers, media and the general public to locate released NAEP assessment questions.

The updated NAEP Questions Tool still provides a quick selection of questions from past NAEP assessments, but now features many new capabilities. A tutorial and a detailed Help menu are available to help users of all levels navigate the new features. Also, be sure to check out the special localized help files, and information tags (i-tags) within the tool.

In the updated NAEP Questions Tool, users can:

  • select questions by choosing among different criteria, such as difficulty level, content classification, and type of question;
  • see actual student responses for constructed response questions, and learn why the answers were scored as they were;
  • explore detailed data for each question; and
  • bookmark results or individual questions so they can return to exactly the same place later.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Census Bureau Launches 2010 Census Campaign With New Web Site

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Census Bureau Launches 2010 Census Campaign With New Web Site

The U.S. Census Bureau today kicked off its communications campaign to reach every resident in America with the launch of its 2010 Census Web site, 2010CENSUS.GOV. The Web site will serve as a platform for a national dialogue about how the census develops a “Portrait of America.”

2010CENSUS.GOV features an animated marquee that symbolizes the Census Bureau’s place at the intersection of the American experience. By clicking on images representative of the population, visitors can view video vignettes that ease fears about the census and encourage participation in the once-a-decade population count. The marquee will evolve over time, bringing the diverse voices of America to the site.

SEC Launches Investor.gov — Agency’s First-Ever Web Site Devoted Exclusively to Investor Education

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

SEC Launches Investor.gov — Agency’s First-Ever Web Site Devoted Exclusively to Investor Education

The Securities and Exchange Commission today launched its first-ever Web site devoted exclusively to investor education, providing investors with in-depth information and “top tips” on how to invest wisely, plan for the future, and avoid being scammed.

By visiting www.investor.gov, investors can access information in a user-friendly format that is specifically tailored to their needs. The site includes sections specifically for those just getting started investing, for those saving for a child’s education, and for those planning for retirement. It also has a detailed “Seniors Care Package” section for senior citizens and caretakers.

Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Department of Labor Releases Unemployment Benefit Estimation Tool

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

US Department of Labor and partners unveil tool to help unemployed homeowners verify income received from unemployment compensation

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the creation of a new Unemployment Benefit Estimation Tool that allows mortgage companies and housing counselors to project a homeowner’s unemployment insurance income for loan modification purposes. The tool was created as part of collaborative effort among the Labor Department, the U.S. Department of Treasury, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Hope Now Alliance.

“Helping unemployed Americans stay in their homes while they seek out new careers is critical to their success and is simply the right thing to do,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Jane Oates. “This new tool will allow mortgage companies and housing counselors to accurately project the income homeowners may receive through unemployment compensation when processing home loan modification applications.”

New loan modification programs created through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — such as the Making Home Affordable Program — allow mortgage companies to utilize nine months of a homeowner’s unemployment insurance income as part of determining his or her qualifications for a loan modification. Recent extensions of unemployment benefits have made this possible, and the tool unveiled today will make it easier to calculate benefits over several months. Prior to this new program, unemployment made it nearly impossible to qualify for a home loan modification.

+ Unemployment Benefit Estimation Tool

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Department, U.S. Department of Treasury, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Hope Now Alliance

New Website from the EPA: Insect Repellents: Use and Effectiveness

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

Insect Repellents: Use and Effectiveness
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Effective insect repellents are an important tool to protect people from serious mosquito- and tick-borne disease. In the United States, mosquitoes can transmit diseases like St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus. Ticks can transmit serious diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Ehrlichiosis.

To help protect yourself from insect-borne diseases, it is important to understand the protection provided by insect repellents. In combination with other preventive actions, using insect repellents is an effective method of discouraging ticks, mosquitoes, and other biting insects from landing on treated skin or clothing.

New Online Database: The Book of Odds

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

NOTE: The Book of Odds site is now live. Registration is free. You can access the Book of Odds database here.

From the NY Times Article:

What’s more dangerous: a playground jungle gym or your office chair? As it happens, one in every 3,759 fatal accidental falls starts from a piece of playground equipment. You’re 85 times more likely, meanwhile, to fall to your death from a chair. That’s one of the many odd pairings waiting to be discovered in The Book of Odds, an online statistical encyclopedia launching Wednesday.

[Snip]

The Book of Odds is a searchable online database of “odds statements,” the probabilities of everyday life. You can search it by keyword or by the odds themselves — for instance, how many things stand a 1 in 142 chance of happening to to you.

[Snip]

The site’s founder, Amram Shapiro, says he wants to create a reference tool for better understanding the endless stream of odds that confront us…

Much More in the Complete Article

Direct to Book of Odds Database

Source: New York Times

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

The Earth currently has more than 400 so-called “dead zones”–expanses of oxygen-starved ocean covering hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles that become virtually devoid of animal life during the summer; the worldwide count of dead zones is doubling every decade.

Most dead zones, such as the Gulf of Mexico’s notorious dead zone, are caused by pollution that is dumped into oceans by rivers. But every summer since 2002, the Pacific Northwest’s coastal waters–one of the U.S.’s most important fisheries–has been invaded by massive dead zones that are believed to be caused by an entirely different and surprising phenomena: changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation that may, in turn, be caused by climate change.

How could climate change cause dead zones? What do dead zones look like and what are their ecological impacts? And how, on Earth, are scientists sleuthing out the causes of perplexing marine processes that cover such huge swaths of the sea? Find out in the National Science Foundation’s new online, multimedia package on dead zones.

Entitled Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed, the multimedia package is posted at http://nsf.gov/news/special_reports/deadzones. It features:

  • a webcast with Jack Barth, an expert on Oregon’s dead zones from Oregon State University;
  • a dynamic, narrated slide show;
  • compelling videos;
  • eye-catching photos;
  • enlightening illustrations
  • informative, easy-to-understand texts; and
  • downloadable documents.

Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed is ideal for reporters, general readers, fishermen, water-enthusiasts, teachers, students, researchers and conservation organizations.

Source: National Science Foundation

Reference Resources: EmmyTVLegends.org Adds Encyclopedia of Television to Its Library (Free)

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

From the Announcement:

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation announced today that EmmyTVLegends.org, the new web portal offering free, public access to the Archive of American Television video collection, has begun integrating the text of the definitive Encyclopedia of Television authored by Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC).

[Snip]

The MBC Encyclopedia of Television includes over 1,000 original essays from more than 250 contributors and examines specific programs and people, historic moments, trends and major policy disputes related to television. The full Encyclopedia is available at Museum.tv, and relevant articles can be found on EmmyTVLegends.org alongside interview videos from the Archive of American Television.

Here’s our ResourceShelf overview post about EmmyTVLegends.org (September 17, 2009)

Access the Full Text (Free) of the Encyclopedia of TV, 1st Ed.
A second edition is also available for purchase.

Access EmmyTVLegends.org

Source: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, Museum of Broadcast Communications

New EIA (Energy Information Administration) Web Portal: Energy Explained

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Energy Explained
From e-mail:

Energy Explained , a new web portal launched today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), celebrates Energy Awareness Month with the most comprehensive energy education resource available from the U.S. Government.

The site explains where gasoline comes from, what determines the price of electricity, how much renewable energy the United States uses, and hundreds of other energy topics.

“Energy touches us in many ways every day, from the electricity that lights our homes to the fuel we use in our cars,” said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. “Energy Explained uses plain language and clear graphics to help explain a sometimes complex, but vital subject.”

Energy Explained allows easy navigation between major energy topics:

  • What Is Energy?
  • Use of Energy
  • Energy and the Environment
  • Nonrenewable Energy Sources
  • Renewable Energy Sources
  • Secondary Energy Sources

Source: Energy Information Administration

New Resource from NIST: Information Technology: Glossary of Acronyms, Abbreviations

Monday, October 5th, 2009

From the Article:

NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) hopes to bring some order to the sometimes inconsistent and often confusing world of IT (information technology) acronyms and abbreviations by publishing a glossary of commonly used terms.

NIST Interagency Report (“NISTIR”) 7581 , “System and Network Security Acronyms and Abbreviations,” runs the alphabetical gamut from A (address resource record type) to ZSK (zone signing key).

“The capitalization, spelling and definitions of acronyms and abbreviations frequently vary among publications,” the report states. Some abbreviations, such as WWW, have a universally recognized meaning, while others have multiple definitions. For instance, MAC can stand for mandatory access control, Media Access Control, Medium Access Control or message authentication code. Others might contain an internal logic but can be confusing at first glance. For instance, Triple DES (Data Encryption Standard) is often abbreviated as 3DES.

Access the Full Text of the IT Glossary (32 pages; PDF)

Source: GCN

Wolfram|Alpha Officially Announces New Web Site for Educators and Students; Plans for “Homework Day” Webcast Also Released

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Last Friday we posted an item saying to expect an announcement (soon) from Wolfram|Alpha announcing a new web site for students and teachers. We also said that plans were in the works for a webcast aimed at that audience.

Well, that was fast. Today, the news is officially out. Here are some of the details.

First, the permanent new web site for educators (K-12 and Higher Ed) and students is now live online at: homeworkday.wolframalpha.com

On Homeworkday.Wolfrmam teachers will be able to contribute and discuss ideas and share lesson plans, screencasts, and online video. There are also sections for Higher Ed students as well as K-12 students.

Currently, in the educators section, there’s a link to a page where questions can be s†ubmitted and videos uploaded for the Homework Day Webcast?

What webcast?

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 (the start time is TBA), Wolfram|Alpha founder Steven Wolfram, will lead a multi-hour webcast for students, parents, and teachers. The event will not only feature Wolfram but also scholars, subject experts, and members of the Wolfram Alpha team.

According to the company:

The goal of Homework Day is to broadly share how students and educators are using Wolfram|Alpha in K-12 and college education and to demonstrate the advantages of using this free site not only to solve specific problems, but to inspire students to probe subject matter further and promote deeper understanding of fundamental concepts.

The Homework Day webcast on October 21st will feature:

+ step-by-step lessons that will give everyone the ability to use Wolfram|Alpha to tackle problems in a variety of subjects, including math, science, engineering, health and nutrition,
English, history, economics, and many more.

+ Content and segments tailored to specific age groups

+ Ideas and examples for how to make subjects like math and science more engaging and relevant to students

+ Live interviews and demonstrations by educators who are already using Wolfram|Alpha in their classrooms

+ Conversations with guest participants who will further discuss the role of technology in education

Finally, there is a Homework Day Facebook page. The event will also make use of the W|A Twitter feed.

Cool stuff. Will do our best to keep you posted with updates about Home Work Day that come from Wolfram|Alpha.
(more…)

Video Webcasts: Author Sessions from the 2009 National Book Festival Now Available Online

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Last week we posted a couple of items about the 2009 National Book Festival and how you could enjoy its many activities in person (over 130,000 people attended), on the web (including Twitter), or via C-SPAN.

Today, webcasts of a few of the many author sessions are beginning to come online with more to follow in coming days.

Here are Links to the Webcasts That are Accessible as of Today:

Sessions with:

+ John Grisham

+ Doug Brinkley

+ Michael Connelly

+ Kirsten Downey

+ The “Exquisite Corpse” team
(several children’s authors including Jon Scieszka)

+ Julia Glass

+ Liz Kessler

+ Mark Kurlansky

+ Valerie Martinez

+ Katherine Neville

+ James Patterson

+ James Swanson

More video webcasts are being posted daily.

Check back if the author(s) you want to see are not available. Here’s a list of all of the authors who took part in the festival. Click on an author name and look for a webcast link on the page.

Source: LC

See Also: Prior to the National Book Festival, Matt Raymond Interviewed Several Authors, You Can Listen to those Podcasts Here.

See Also: To Review/Search All Webcasts from National Book Festivals Back to 2001, Visit this Page. More Than 500 Webcasts are Currently Available.

The September, 2009 Issue of the Internet Resources Newsletter is Now Available Online

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

You can access Issue 176 from Roddy MacLeod and crew from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh here. An RSS feed is also available.

This issue includes:

+ Commentary
Random quotes and News items of interest

+ A-Z New & Notable Web Sites:
About 100 new and notable websites: new services, ejournals, directories, search engines, publishers, social networks, government sites, booksellers, calls for papers, software, news services, conferences, research groups, plus anything else of interest, etc, etc.

+ Nice Web Sites: Mendeley

+ Blogorama and Twittersphere
Selected interesting blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter items, related news items, etc

+ Get a life! Leisure Time

Source: IRN

New From Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam: YouTube Channel

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

From the Announcement:

Today the Anne Frank House is launching the official Anne Frank Channel on YouTube containing existing and new images about Anne Frank. These include excerpts from interviews with Otto Frank and witnesses like Miep Gies, as well as [our emphasis] previews of the virtual museum of the Anne Frank House, soon to be opened to the public. With the Anne Frank Channel on YouTube, people around the world will be able to explore the life and significance of Anne Frank through unique images.

The channel opens with the only existing film footage of Anne Frank, made during the wedding of her neighbor on 22 July 1941. In another film, Nelson Mandela talks about the strength he derived from Anne Frank’s diary during his imprisonment on Robben Island. The channel will also contain a series of new interviews with people who knew Anne Frank personally.

And there’s more. On YouTube, visitors can follow the development of the virtual museum, which will soon enable people to visit the Anne Frank House online. Visitors can watch the ‘making of’ the online secret annex in 3D. The virtual museum will be launched on 28 April 2010 as part of the 50-year anniversary celebrations of the Anne Frank House museum.

Access the Official Anne Frank YouTube Channel

Source: Anne Frank Museum
Hat Tip: Library Stuff

New Resource: Century Foundation Launches insideiran.org to Provide Insiders’ View of Political Crisis in Iran

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Century Foundation Launches insideiran.org to Provide Insiders’ View of Political Crisis in Iran

The Century Foundation today launched insideiran.org, a special project taking readers inside the political crisis in Iran. The centerpiece of the project is a Web site, www.insideiran.org, which features articles, analysis, and the latest media reports from some of the world’s most prominent Iranian scholars, journalists, and bloggers who are either inside the country or who live temporarily outside. The project will also feature a newsletter than can be delivered by email to those who sign up.

Century Foundation fellow and Iran analyst Geneive Abdo will lead the project and serve as editor for the Web site. The project is supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

As Iran’s internal crisis continues and information from inside the country becomes even more scarce, insideiran.org will be a critical resource, providing news analysis and provocative thinking that cannot be found elsewhere. This material is particularly relevant for policymakers, as the U.S. administration prepares to talk with Iran’s leaders at the highest level of negotiations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Despite the Iranian government’s attempts to impose a technological blockade, insideiran.org will tap into the networks of commentators who have managed to find innovative ways to get their voices heard outside the country.

Source: Century Foundation

New Online: Citizenship Agency Launches Interactive Web Site

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

From the Article:

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched a revamped Web portal that agency officials say is more user-friendly, interactive and informative than its predecessor.

The upgraded site allows applicants for citizenship and related benefits to follow the progress of their cases. They can choose to receive notifications through e-mail messages or text messages when the status of an application changes, the agency said.

The redesigned USCIS.gov has, for the first time, a Spanish language version. It also provides access to national trend data and raw data that can be used in additional applications.

Access the New U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Web Site ||| Spanish Language Version

Note: News RSS Feed Available (Not Working at the Moment)

Source: FCW

Social Media: New Web Site Says it Has Buzz on G-20 Summit and Other Resources

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

Note: The G-20 Summit September 24-25, 2009, will take place in Pittsburgh, PA.

From the Article

News junkies, social studies teachers and anyone just fascinated with the outpouring of information related to the upcoming G-20 summit in Pittsburgh might want to play around with this Web site set up by a local advertising agency.

Mullen’s new G20Buzz.com is set up [our emphasis] to pull information from online services such as Google News, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. Anything that’s tagged with the G-20 label should show up, said Aaron Clark, who designed the site for the Strip District agency.

Read more

Access G20Buzz.com

Source: PP-G
Hat Tip: P.W.

See Also: Official G-20 Pittsburgh Web Site

See Also: Must See Pittsburgh (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Includes Blogs and Twitter Feed and Archive.

See Also: Official G-20 Pittsburgh Media Center

See Also: G-20 Pittsburgh Summit Press Room

See Also: Official G-20 Web Site ||| FAQ

See Also: Interactive Graphic: G20 Pittsburgh: Objectives and action (via Financial Times)

New Addition to American Memory Project: American English Dialect Recordings, Over 100 Hours of Recordings

Friday, September 18th, 2009

From the Announcement:

The Center for Applied Linguistics Collection contains 118 hours of recordings documenting North American English dialects. The recordings include speech samples, linguistic interviews, oral histories, conversations, and excerpts from public speeches.

From the Web Site

The survey’s documentation covers social aspects of English language usage in different regions of the United States. It reveals distinctions in speech related to gender, race, social class, education, age, literacy, ethnic background, and occupational group (including the specialized jargon or vocabulary of various occupations). The oral history interviews are a rich resource on many topics, such as storytelling and family histories; descriptions of holiday celebrations, traditional farming, schools, education, health care, and the uses of traditional medicines; and discussions of race relations, politics, and natural disasters such as floods.

The collection includes recordings from forty-three states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and parts of Canada. They were made from 1941 to 1984, with the bulk being recorded between 1968 and 1982. In some cases, transcriptions made by the collectors are available as part of this web presentation.

Access the American English Dialect Recordings

It’s possible to browse the collection by:
+ Title
+ Name
+ Subject
+ Place

Source: American Memory Project (via Library of Congress)

See Also: From the British Library: Sounds Familiar (3/2007)

Clicker: A New TV Directory for Online Content Set to Debut on the Web

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Note: Clicker is currently in private beta. Stay current as the when the service goes live via the Clicker blog or Clicker Twitter feed. On the homepage, you can register to be added to the beta list.

From TechCrunch:

While there are no shortage of video search engines out there, Clicker believes its offering is superior because it creates a structured database of programming, organizing shows by things like network, genre, and show name. This type of data not only allows for better search results, but it allows you to browse content without having to do text-based searches, which you probably won’t be doing when television and future web-enabled tablets start to serve up this content. Clicker already has a deal with Boxee.

The goal is really to be the best search engine for video content. Clicker will point you in the direction of whatever you are looking for (and will do embeds if they’re available), but won’t serve up the videos themselves. They will also delve into surfacing content not explicitly produced for television, but is still high quality web video content. But they don’t want to be YouTube, which is cluttered with user-generated content. Clicker is going for a different market.

From the Clicker Blog:

Clicker aims to provide the most comprehensive, unbiased and user-friendly way to navigate what’s available (and just as importantly, what’s not) to watch online, where and when you can find it, and finally, what’s worth watching amongst your infinite choices. We have made it our mission to make it dead simple for you to find the RIGHT SHOW, RIGHT NOW.

To accomplish this, Clicker is a hybrid of many other kinds of information and entertainment sites: one part directory, one part search engine, one part Wiki, one part entertainment guide, and one part DVR. At the heart of it all is a massive structured database, created by a team of people from search, media, data and content management backgrounds.

From day one, Clicker has mapped more than 300,000 episodes, from over 5,200 shows, from over 1,200 networks – in addition to 1,200 movies (soon to be 14,000 movies with the addition of Netflix), and 50,000 music videos from 20,000 artists. All of this programming is organized by episode, show, network, media type, title, and artist, as well as over 1,000 categories and sub-categories.

Source: Clicker Blog / TechCrunch

UPDATE: See Also: Clicker: More Than Just A Video Search Engine (via SEL)