ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
Much has changed since the early days of the Internet. My
initial "web
experience" was back in the early 90's using the first PC webbrowser called "Cello" 
developed
at Cornell Law School. Cello opened up the new cyberworld of the
WWW to a mass audience. See
what a webpage looked like at that time in Cello. You can even download
a version of Cello here .
Soon replaced by Mosaic and then Netscape, the early Web experience was very
simple, lacking the flash and glitz of contemporary websites. See an Internet
Timeline for more details.
Read More >
Search
Essentials
News
DoCoMo, KTF to sell Google phone next year: report (Reuters)
Reuters - Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc and South Korean partner KTF Co will jointly develop a smartphone using Google Inc software for launch next year, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.
Mobile considers free Wi-Fi for downtown upgrade (AP)
AP - Mobile officials are considering providing free, wireless Internet services in the downtown district, joining the ranks of other cities with free wi-fi for roving laptop users on Main Street.
Google's Voice-Search App for iPhone Needs Refining (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - The much-anticipated Google voice-search application for Apple's iPhone, which was trumpeted to be available for download on Friday, has arrived on Apple's App Store a bit later than expected. A reviewer says the application is okay, but needs some fine-tuning.
Who Should Perform at the Obama Inauguration? (E! Online)
E! Online - The economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the choice of First Puppy aren't the only things President-Elect Barack Obama has to worry about these days.
'Suge' Knight faces Vegas drug, battery charges (AP)
AP - Marion "Suge" Knight is facing criminal charges in Las Vegas, stemming from an incident in which police found the hip hop mogul allegedly beating his girlfriend just off a busy thoroughfare.
Pink and Her Pal Rock Out Together (E! Online)
E! Online - Despite what it looks like, Pink is not dating musician Todd Morse.
The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time
Our blue-ribbon panel of 179 experts ranks music's finest vocalists 1 | Aretha Franklin by Mary J. Blige Photo: Goodwin/Redferns/Retna BornMarch 25th, 1942 Key Tracks"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Respect," "I...
What Makes a Great Singer?
By Jonathan Lethem There's something about a voice that's personal, not unlike the particular odor or shape of a given human body. Summoned through belly, hammered into form by the throat, given propulsion by bellows of lungs, teased into final form by tongue and lips, a vocal is a kind of audible kiss, a blurted confession, a soul-burp you really can't keep from issuing as you make your way through the material world. How helplessly candid! How appalling! Contrary to anything you've heard, the ability to...
Janis Joplin by Stevie Nicks
Janis Joplin by Stevie Nicks You could say that being yelled at by Janis Joplin was one of the great honors of my life. Early in my career, Lindsay Buckingham and I were in a band called Fritz. There were two gigs we played in San Francisco that changed everything for me: One was opening up for Jimi Hendrix, who was completely magical. The other was the time that we opened up for Janis at the San Jose Fairgrounds, around 1970. It was a hot summer day, and things didn't start off well...
Word Of The Day:
- inanimate
- DEFINITION: (adjective) Not having the qualities associated with active, living organisms. SYNONYMS: pulseless, breathless. USAGE: I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.
Latest Resources In The Site:
Reference
Websites with Reference Collections
Refdesk.com nothing fancy but this is a terrific resource.
Martindale’s Reference Desk vast collection of resources on every subject imaginable, one of the first on the the Net.
Yahooligans Reference
RefDesk Fast Facts comprehensive collection of sites for every reference need. Check here first!
US Government By Sterby This is an absolutely incredible list of every agency, committee, departments, court , etc. Well maintained and updated regularly.
Calendars every calendar imaginable
Policy Almanac background information and links on major U.S. public policy issues
Reference Sites
Fact Monster geared to the young learner but still useful
A Virtual Library of Useful URLs amazing resource organized by Dewey Decimal system setup spcifically as a research aid for students.
Research It all-in-one reference desk: dictionary, quotes, translators, more
LibrarySpot Extensive guide to online reference works
Library of Congress
The World Wide Web Virtual Library
Information Please Almanac Almanac, dictionary and the full Columbia Encyclopedia
Biography.com offers brief, cross-referenced biographies of more than 25,000 notables.
Internet Public Library U of Michigan’s comprehensive site of reference materials and resources on the Net with reviews and commentary on each resource.
Open Directory Project Human powered directory.
Citation Guides for Electronic Documents
Newspapers In Education online lesson plans and other materials for use of newspaper-oriented resources to teachers through the Internet.
LookSmart find articles in various magazine publications.
Copyright and Fair Use from Stanford everything you need to know about copyright and fair use of materials found on the Internet and elsewhere.
Copyright Website everything you need to know and more.
Social Security death index
Consumer World has consumer finance rates, company contacts, consumer information
50states.com good basic starting point for info about all the states. Includes links to resources in many spscific topic areas for each state. A good starting point for any research project
StateMaster compare every fact and statistic among states 3000 ways
NationMaster compare countries
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Answers.com great search reference with real answers not just links
Merriam-Webster Online: The Language Center
YourDictionary.com and Onelook give access to hundreds of dictionaries, specialized and general
Encyclopedia Britannica The one and only. (Now with a fee for full articles.)
Encyclopedia Mythica gods, goddess, myths, foklore and more.
Encyclopedia of Educational Technology comprehensive collection of short, multimedia articles on a variety of topics in the field of education technology. Many include links to supporting resources. A invaluable resource.
Bartleby best of both contemporary and classic reference works into the most comprehensive public reference library ever published on the web. Look here first.
Double-Tongued Word Wrester serious look at words as they enter and leave the English language, focusing on slang, jargon, hybrid, archaic, obsolete, and rare words.
H.Net Encyclopedia of Economic and Business History
Symbols.com online encyclopedia of graphic symbols
Ryhming Zone Rhyming dictionary
Free Oxford Dictionary: AskOxford
Sites with Links
Online Dictionaries, Glossaries and Encyclopedias 100s of links to every subject imaginable.
Frank Deitz’s 2400 Glossaries
The Glossarist a searchable directory of
glossaries and topical dictionaries.
Business Glossary Washington Post glossary of more than 1,250 business terms.
Unusual Dictionaries
Dictionary of Difficult Words
Phrontistery 15,500-word dictionary of obscure and rare words
Luciferous Logolepsy a collection of over 9,000 obscure english words
Study Guides
SparkNotes study guides on all the basics
Flashcards world’s largest library of flash cards, even make your own!
Feature:
Free Speech In The Electronic Age
The First Amendment of Bill of Rights reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Since its ratification in 1791 the Bill of Rights has been tested and affirmed under a variety of circumstances. Today perhaps more than at anytime in the past the First Amendment is being tested like never before. The Internet has made related issues of privacy, intellectual property, libel, and censorship hot topics for both secondary schools and universities. The Children’s Internet Protection Act CIPA requires that schools and libraries filter Internet content to protect children from pornography and other objectionable material. The fast pace of emerging technologies add to the difficulty these groups have in handling new ways students and others find to test the boundaries of acceptable speech and forms of expression.
Some resources on these issues:
Free Speech and the Internet FAQ
Online libel explained
Student Webpages ethical and policy issues.
Legal and Ethical Aspects of the Internet explained.
Internet and the First Amendment FAQ
Student Cyber-Liberties reprint of an law review article on student websites.
The SAT: The King of High Stakes Testing
For most high school students with college aspirations the specter of the SAT is a reality they must contend with like it or not. The SAT got its start in the early 20th century when the presidents of 12 leading universities formed the College Entrance Examination Board in an effort to find methods for screening college applicants. Using IQ tests first developed for the US Army, this group became the champion of a movement to employ entrance exams on a large scale. The first actual test called the SAT was given in 1923, see sample questions from the 1926 test . It was not until the 1950s that the test assumed its current form. In 1960 the State of California became the SAT’s biggest customer requiring it for all college admissions in the state. Read more history here
From the start the SAT and related tests were controversial. Some critics pointed to racial and ethnic baises that put minorities at a disadvantage. Others believed the test not an appropriate measure of intelligence and potential for college success. While others saw the ETS (Educational Testing Service), the company that owns and administers the test, as nothing more than a profit minded business looking to maximize and maintain their marketshare of the hugely profitable college entrance exam business. These are still matters hotly debate today under what has become known as: “ high stakes testing ”.
In recent years a number of institutions have begun deemphasizing the SAT in favor of other methods of accessing suitablity for college. Critics of the SAT have suggested that the recent test overhaul to include a writing component was nothing more that an attempt to retain the State of California’s requirement of the SAT and subsequent profits.
Critics of the SAT and other testing:
Fair Test
Students Against Testing
Alfie Kohn
Rethinking Schools
Testing Resources and Advocates:
Education Trust
Achieve.org
ETS
College Board register for the SAT here.
Kaplan prepare yourself.
ACT SAT’s biggest competitor
Testprep.com
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