San Francisco's awesome museum of science and technology, The Exploratorium, presents a comprehensive guide to the northern and southern lights -- the auroras borealis and australis. We took the self-guided Aurora Tour to learn about these "paintings in the sky," what they look like from space, where to see them, and why they occur in a variety of colors. After completing the illustrated journey, we browsed awe-inspiring photo galleries, watched a movie, and even listened to the lights on NPR's Lost and Found Sound program.
Here's a new scholarly journal devoted to the "unmarked" aspects of everyday lives, the minutia and fleeting moments that we typically fail to notice. The inaugural issue includes studies of elevator interactions in Japan, male facial hair and shaving rituals, the social organization of space and place, and a manifesto on the uninteresting. The journal's editor refers to an inspiring 1906 title, "The Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans As Told By Themselves," and the cover image shows him in his backyard, cleaning up after his dog. Need we say more?
HighWire Press is a state-of-the-art academic archive and online publisher of scholarly journals focused on research in the fields of science, technology, and medicine. The site provides over 100,000 full-text articles freely accessible to the public, and hundreds of thousands more restricted to paying subscribers. The catalogue is searchable in a variety of ways -- and you can view statistics on what's being read and cited most frequently. Additional features include links to digital publishing news, and sites of interest to researchers. Go Stanford!
Here's an intriguing site that details a controversial triple murder case in West Memphis, Arkansas. The site's creators contend that the men convicted of the gruesome crimes are the victims of an all-too-common hysteria known as "Satanic Panic," where the furor surrounding tragic events overcomes the judicial system's ability to keep things fair and square. Already the subject of a movie, "Paradise Lost," the post-conviction crusade to help the defendants is explored in a new HBO film, "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations." The site includes a chronology of the case, the current status of the convicted men, and many fascinating police reports, trial transcripts, and miscellaneous documents.
Striving to live up to the tagline "the ultimate chess portal," Kasparov Chess provides links to all aspects of the game. Choose among the usual suspects: links to online chess events, shopping, global news, community, and more. You'll need to sign up for free membership to play online chess at the site. While you're at it, you can get your own free @kasaprovchess.com email address. We were impressed by the volume of news coverage found on this comprehensive chess site. Well worth the visit for fans of the game. Your move.
Everything you ever wanted to know about really big spiders, and then some. This labor of love offers a thorough look at tarantulas, including a brief bit on caring for the critters. (Do you know what a tarantula eats, for example? Or what kind of injuries he/she might get? Important information, all of it.) The site includes a healthy collection of related links, as well a guestbook and forum for your feedback and participation. You might find the text a wee bit small at times, but when you see the size of some of those spiders -- well, perhaps small is just right.
We've long been fans of this cool collection of visual widgetry. "The Shortcut" is a favorite when we've got hours to kill in a state of mezmerized wonder. Other diversions include an interactive version of Van Gogh's "Starry Night," a geometrical map of Internet search subjects, and strangely beautiful diagrams of famous musical compositions. Here's hoping that the design wizard behind Bewitched continues to add more delightful distractions in the coming weeks and months.
This just in from the shameless plug department: FinanceVision integrates streaming, real-time financial news with personalized stock quotes and Web browsing. The webcast includes a daily program of commentary and analysis from partners like CBS Marketwatch and TheStreet.com, brokerage house morning calls, interviews, and segments on hot companies and net trends. Use the desktop player to watch the live show while you surf, shop, or trade on the Web. The free downloadable software currently requires Windows, Internet Explorer 5, and at least a 56K connection. Have fun!