New Websites and Resources

Archive for the ‘New Websites and Resources’ Category

A Massive and Interactive Directory of TV on the Web: More Positive Press for Clicker

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

We posted a positive in-depth overview about what Clicker has to offer a couple of week ago when the product left beta.

Today, more positive press for Clicker from Katie Boehret at AllThingsD/Wall Street Journal.

Katie’s column is part of the Mossberg (as in Walt) Solution portion of the site.

She writes:

I like Clicker and found it to be a quick resource for finding all sorts of shows online. In many cases, it directed me to find the episodes I wanted to watch and saved me the hassle of less efficient searching. It also suggested shows I might like and offered a playlist where I could subscribe to receive episodes as they became available or save available videos to watch later.

Access the Complete Review

Source: AllThingsD / WSJ

Access the ResourceShelf Overview from November 12, 2009.

Note: The Founder and CEO of Clicker is Gary’s friend, Jim Lanzone. He was the CEO at Ask.com when Gary worked there. They haven’t worked together in over 20 months.

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Multimedia Search, New Websites and Resources, Resources | No Comments »

CREW Launches Underinvestigation.org — A Comprehensive List of Members of Congress Likely Under Investigation

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

CREW Launches Underinvestigation.org — A Comprehensive List of Members of Congress Likely Under Investigation

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) launched UnderInvestigation.org, a comprehensive list of members of Congress who are likely facing investigations by the Department of Justice, House ethics committee, Senate ethics committee, and Office of Congressional Ethics.

UnderInvestigation.org, which currently profiles 17 U.S. Representatives and three U.S. Senators – including many who are listed in CREW’s Most Corrupt Members of Congress report, describes each member’s investigation status and background, as well as the government body conducting an inquiry. Due to the secrecy surrounding these investigations, the list is compiled from press reports, including an October 30, 2009 Washington Post article reporting on the contents of a leaked House ethics committee memo summarizing the committee’s inquiries.

Source: Citizen for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Lists and Rankings, New Websites and Resources, Source File | No Comments »

Wikipedia Founder Creates On-Line Source of Help for Tampa Bay’s Homeless

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Wikipedia founder creates on-line source of help for Tampa Bay’s homeless

Between stops in his globe-trotting life as an Internet mogul, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales came to Ybor City Friday to launch a new Web site that offers a wide range of resources for the homeless in the Tampa Bay area.

The new site, tampabayhomeless.wikia.com, was introduced after the Hillsborough Homeless Coalition’s annual meeting at Teatro on Seventh, a restaurant on Eighth Avenue.

Coalition CEO Rayme Nuckles said the site would be only the third of its kind in the world. The first two were created in San Francisco, where Wikipedia operations are based, and Los Angeles, Wales said.

Source: St. Petersburg Times

Note: Shirl Kennedy, ResourceShelf senior editor, is a news researcher for the St. Petersburg Times.

Posted in Access to Information, New Websites and Resources, Search News, Source File, Technology and Internet, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

FDA and Everyday Health Collaborate to Expand Reach of Consumer Health Information

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

FDA and Everyday Health Collaborate to Expand Reach of Consumer Health Information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Everyday Health today announced a collaboration that will expand the delivery of the agency’s vital consumer health information to the 30 million unique users who visit Everyday Health each month. This joint effort reflects FDA’s emphasis on using innovative, technology-based strategies to carry out its mission of protecting and promoting the public health.
…
The partnership will initially include:

A new online resource at www.EverydayHealth.com/FDA: The new co-branded Web site will feature a variety of health content from FDA. The latest information on food and medical product safety as well as prevention and wellness topics will be featured. In the event of breaking public health information, Everyday Health will also feature special “FDA Alert” modules in select locations throughout the site and network, and in e-mail newsletters.
A new FDA/Everyday Health co-branded weekly newsletter: The latest FDA consumer health information will be sent to subscribers in a weekly Everyday Health newsletter (www.EverydayHealth.com/FDA). The FDA/Everyday Health newsletter will contain “FDA Alerts” as well as up-to-date information on drug safety, cosmetics and skin care products and children’s health products, to name a few.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Source File | No Comments »

Australia: Historic Newspaper Digitisation: Early Editions of Sydney Morning Herald Now Available Online; What is Trove?

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

From an e-Mail:

The National Library’s Australian Newspapers service has recently made available https://mail.google.com/mail/?zx=1rjv366gqucji&shva=1#inbox/1250a7f37fa96144early editions of The Sydney Morning Herald.

The digitisation of The Sydney Morning Herald was made possible by a $1 million contribution from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation. Eventually, all out-of-copyright editions of the Herald will be available, from its inception in 1831 to 1954.

It is now just over a year since Australian Newspapers was released to the public and there are 8.5 million articles available from 33 newspaper titles. A community of volunteer ‘text correctors’ has now corrected 7 million lines of the electronically translated text in 318 000 articles, enabling more accurate search results.

Access the Collection (via Trove)

Btw, what is Trove?

“one search…a wealth of information”

Trove is our new free online service that gathers information about Australia and Australians in a single search.

Discover:
+ Digitised Australian newspapers, 1803 – 1954
+ Books, magazines and articles
+ Pictures and photographs
+ Music, oral histories and videos
+ Maps
+ Archived websites
+ Biographical information

Source: National Library of Australia

Posted in Archives and Special Collections, Digitization Projects, New Websites and Resources, Search News, Search Tools | No Comments »

Secretary Napolitano Unveils New Veterans Website Designed to Highlight Veteran Employment and Contracting Opportunities

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Secretary Napolitano Unveils New Veterans Website Designed to Highlight Veteran Employment and Contracting Opportunities

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today unveiled a new website designed to provide a one-stop location for veterans and veterans organizations to learn about DHS’ many veteran outreach initiatives and hiring and contracting opportunities.

“This new website reflects the shared commitment across the Department to hiring American veterans,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Veterans play a vital role in the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect the nation, and this website will help us build our veteran workforce to more than 50,000 Department-wide by 2012.”
…
The new website, available at www.dhs.gov/veterans, features information for veterans about how to find employment opportunities at DHS, ways to get involved in community-based efforts like Citizen Corps, and special veteran programs such as Operation Warfighter and Wounded Warrior, which provide employment opportunities for severely wounded or recovering service members to assist their transition back to the military or civilian workforce.

Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Source File | No Comments »

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

Posted in Education, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Source File | No Comments »

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.

Posted in New Websites and Resources, Source File | No Comments »

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

Posted in Business and Economics, Consumer Issues, Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Online Education, Source File | No Comments »

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

Posted in Business and Economics, Consumer Issues, Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Software and Web-Based Applications, Source File | No Comments »

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.

Posted in New Websites and Resources, Source File | No Comments »

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

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, New Websites and Resources, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

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

Posted in Education, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »

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

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Media, New Websites and Resources, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

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

Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Portals, Reference Tools, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »

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

Posted in Glossaries, New Websites and Resources, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

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…)

Posted in Information Industry, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Technology and Internet, Web Search | No Comments »

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.

Posted in Arts and Humanities, Libraries and Librarianship, New Websites and Resources, Print Publications, Webcasts and Podcasts | No Comments »

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »

Archive for the ‘New Websites and Resources’ Category

A Massive and Interactive Directory of TV on the Web: More Positive Press for Clicker

CREW Launches Underinvestigation.org — A Comprehensive List of Members of Congress Likely Under Investigation

Wikipedia Founder Creates On-Line Source of Help for Tampa Bay’s Homeless

FDA and Everyday Health Collaborate to Expand Reach of Consumer Health Information

Australia: Historic Newspaper Digitisation: Early Editions of Sydney Morning Herald Now Available Online; What is Trove?

Secretary Napolitano Unveils New Veterans Website Designed to Highlight Veteran Employment and Contracting Opportunities

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool

Census Bureau Launches 2010 Census Campaign With New Web Site

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

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

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

New Online Database: The Book of Odds

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

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

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

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

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

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

Pages

Archives

Categories