BioTech
URL: http://biotech.chem.indiana.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
BioTech is the premier source for information on genetic engineering, the ability to alter nature at a very basic level. The glossary of biotechnology terms is an inspiring launching point to gain literacy about this astounding branch of science. Annotated links, searchable databases, and pointers to other biotech professional resources make this site a one-stop shop for information. In addition, clean design and keen use of search engines help to ease the strain of information overload. Forget about virtual reality, let¹s design our own natural world. Stop here to explore what it means to play god.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Smithsonian Natural History
URL: http://nmnhwww.si.edu/nmnhweb.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
If you¹ve ever been to Washington DC, you know better than to ³drop in² to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. A day is the minimum requirement for this historical tour de force. But if you can¹t go to the mountain... This site, like the museum, overflows with news and notes about all that is natural. Anthropology, Botany, Mineral Sciences, and other scientific branches have sections here. The Entomology Monthly Newsletter is a real joy. Bugs galore, people! The Mammal Species of the World offers a multimedia taxonomic database of all 4,629 recognized species of mammals. Guess what ‹ Humans aren¹t nearly the most interesting.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Space Images Archive
URL: http://www.seds.org/ftpweb/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Pictures, pictures, and still more pictures. Search or browse through hundreds of space-related pictures: planets, space observatories, art, eclipses, launchers, and anything else having to do with space stuff. I typed in the word ³Pluto² and got seven pictures to choose from, ranging from the planet to satellites that track the planet. Very cool. It¹s quick and if you get a chance, look at the X-ray photo of the sun ‹ it¹s amazing.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

The Tele-Garden
URL: http://www.usc.edu/dept/garden/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
Tele-Garden is an actual garden planted, watered, and viewed by a robot controlled by members via the Web. The interface is excellent, and you can communicate with other gardeners via a message wall. This is one of the most technologically advanced sites I have ever seen on the Web. It¹s designed to be viewed for a short period of time on a regular basis. And I believe it personifies the nature of the Web. Like the Web, it¹s creative, offers an interesting use of technology, and, most of all, is a place you can waste away hours doing something completely useless.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

The Geometry Center Welcome Page
URL: http://www.geom.umn.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
The Geometry Center is a happening math research and education outpost at the University of Minnesota, and their home page offers much more than the definition of an isosceles triangle. You can even play with nifty Java or frame-based math programs. Orbifuld Pinball, for instance, is a nerdy-but-fun approach to exploring the effects of negatively curved space. Download math shareware packages, including plenty of graphing apps, and peruse the Geometry Reference Archive for formulas galore. The next step in high-tech sliderules.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Satlab Server
URL: http://satftp.soest.hawaii.edu/satlab/
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
For the last six years, the Satlab Server has been a dependable home for satellite images of Hawaii and the Central Pacific. The geographically privileged folks at the University of Hawaii are kind enough to provide satellite images and tidal news from the islands. Not excited by the view from a polar-orbiting or geostationary satellite? Then check out the live camera images of the islands to see what you're missing. The weather and wave info is enough to make any mainland surfer green with envy.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

@griculture
URL: http://www.agriculture.com
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
In this day and age farming is a lot more high-tech than just tractors and herbicides, as @griculture Online demonstrates in spades. An offshoot of Successful Farming magazine, @g Online has established partnerships with many large farming-related organizations including the Data Transmission Network and FFA, to increase both content and hits to the site. Busy bulletin boards, weather updates, equipment for sale listings, and new product reviews make @g Online to watch if you're in the business. Even if the closest you get to farming is the produce section of the grocery, stop here for a hint at what goes into those juicy tomatoes.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Explorations
URL: http://www.tc.cornell.edu/er96/science96/Explorations/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
The Cornell Theory Center's online science book Explorations is intended as an interactive journey into the world of computational research. Studies range in scale from the cosmic to the subatomic. One project uses animated VRML files to map the pressures affecting certain American ecosystems, and encourages policy makers and the public to join biologists in learning from and acting on the data. The goal of this ongoing project is to "make a meaningful linkage between identifying ground-level phenomena and tracking their behaviors from space" so as "to monitor large-scale environmental changes in the future." A scientifically innovative and rewarding site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Franklin Institute Science Museum
URL: http://sln.fi.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
Powerful and focused design makes this enormous site a complimentary extension of the Philadelphia museum. Among the exhibits presently open, a fiercely pumping java applet draws visitors into an exploration of the human heart that features crosslinked pages about circulation, the history of cardiology, and health. From there you can wander into a showing of the Hubble Deep Field photographs, which purport to capture light from the edge of the universe. One can also link to the Philadelphia Enquirer or post a query for the institute's scientists. The forthcoming search engine should greatly enhance future visits.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

The Why Files
URL: http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: Yes
Author: Patrick Joseph
A site co-sponsored by the The National Institute for Science Education and The National Science Foundation, The Why Files is a great idea, expertly executed and perfect for a science ignoramus like myself. Based on the simple notion of explaining the science behind the news, The Why Files integrates the much dreaded topic into the day¹s events, thereby making science matters matter. (Educators take note). Can¹t understand all this noise about mad English cows? Wondering about the reliability of all those dad-blamed political polls? Lost in the debate on The Endangered Species Act? All these issues and more have been profiled (and archived) at the site, each one given a straightforward treatment, while neither oversimplifying nor pretending to have all the answers. Indeed, most of the stories take pains to proffer contrarian viewpoints and link to other relevant sites on the Web. Each story also contains a bibliography. The pages are well-illustrated and easy to navigate. Difficult words are hotlinked to glossary definitions, and pages are numbered so you can jump around within the stories. Other jumping off points are the Sports and Cool Science Image segments. In the Sports section, you can quiz yourself on basic scientific principals as expressed in terms of sports. Not as compelling as the rest of the site, the questions are also geared a little lower. In Cool Science Image, you click on intriguing photos to explore the subject further. Visitors are encouraged to send in their ideas and photos for new installments in either section. Far and away, though, the best part of the site are the stories, which may be accessed via e-mail as well. Check for new stories weekly or subscribe to the mailing list at: majordomo@whyfiles.news.wisc.edu. It¹ll help you make sense of the headlines.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

SpaceBound
URL: http://www.nwlink.com:88/~sclick/space
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
Put simply, Shawn Click's SpaceBound is a beautiful place. Although dedicated largely to space simulation software, this site will hold the interest of anyone fascinated with space. Extensive news clippings, informative articles, and great links to the rest of the web make SpaceBound both educational and entertaining. Follow the 'News' link to obtain up-to-date reports on the progress of space exploration, or check out the monthly 'Destination' feature and learn about a particular astronomical object. The 'Explorations' page, a collection of space-related links, could stand alone as an umbrella site. Easily navigable and peppered with breathtaking shots from outer space, this site is not to be missed.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

HST Greatest Hits Gallery
URL: http://www.stsci.edu/pubinfo/BestOfHST95.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
This collection of dozens of beautiful images shot from the Hubble Space Telescope is a must-see for anyone interested in a better view of a starry, starry night. The red luminescent gas ³hula hoops² framing the debris of a 1987 supernova explosion put 2001: A Space Odyssey to shame. Truly mystifying. Snapshots of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet bombarding Jupiter or the suspected black hole in Galaxy NGC 4261 make me wish I¹d followed my childhood dream ‹ Astronaut Pesco reporting for duty.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Cockroach World
URL: http://www.nj.com/yucky/roaches/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: Yes
Author: Jon Phillips
Witness the noble cockroach. Six legs, sturdy, determined. Soul of a warrior, heart of a tiger. Eternally maligned but so often misunderstood. Have you hugged your cockroach today? Cockroaches ain¹t bad folk, they¹re just the victims of bad press. For the real skinny on these lovable garbage-eating vermin, scurry straight on over to Cockroach World. Dr. Betty ³Bug Lady² Faber, an entomologist with the Liberty Science Center, presents roach-oriented information with such levity and spirit, you¹ll hardly notice that you¹re being schooled in serious science. The site hits you from a variety of angles to impart just about every niblet of cockroach information one could imagine. The Around the World game provides you with a full dossier on a particular breed of cockroach, and challenges you to correctly pick the roach¹s geographical point of origin. A Day in the Life of Rodney Roach provides a wry chronology of a cockroach¹s typical day: ³10 pm. Rodney waves his antennae, picking up wonderfully icky food odors from the garbage and the delicious smell of rancid milk. He ventures from his hiding place. His eyes tell him that it's dark and safe, but he is guided by his sense of smell. He joins his family and friends already at work on the garbage can. They eat gobs of fat, takes sips of old beer, and finish off with rotting peach skins ‹ a five-star, gourmet meal.² Poor Rodney. Life is tough. If you have unusually urgent cockroach concerns ‹ and who doesn¹t? ‹ you can send the Bug Lady specific questions (she answers one query each week), or go straight to the Roach Facts page. Betcha didn¹t know that powdered Oriental cockroaches make a dandy diuretic? Or how about the scrappy, unflappable Headless Cockroach? Decapitated cockroaches can continue doing their essential cockroach business for about a week. They only die because they can¹t consume water. Video, sound and image files augment this wonderful site, but a simple text catalog of urban roach folklore may be the main attraction for macabre visitors. Even titles like ³Roach Toasties,² ³Horror In Pearland² and ³Why You Should Brush Your Teeth² cannot adequately describe the terror dished up by the alarming department. Giddy up, Rodney.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Physics Unbound
URL: http://uptown.turnpike.net/L/lindeman/physics_ub.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Ahhh. I get giggly and excited when I think that one person created this amazing physics resource page just for the fun of it, solely for the purpose of ³hypertexted scholastics². Our physicist Web friend has built some basic pages to describe some basic premises of physics: Newtons Laws, the periodic table, Hamilton¹s Principal, and so on. He encourages surfers to contribute their pages of knowledge, either to link, or to archive on his server. It truly is unbound and perfect for craving minds.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

ECOLOGY Channel Homepage
URL: http://www.ecology.com/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
The ecology channel wants to keep you current on the trials and tribulations of man vs. nature. There¹s an extensive news section that covers topical issues, a kids corner (with Captain Seaweed), a profile of species in danger (with photographs and information), and additional information on a wide variety of conservation and environmental organizations. The site itself is slow, however, and sometimes waiting for a page takes a little longer than any reasonable person has time for. But if you¹re determined, there is good stuff here.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Electronic Zoo
URL: http://netvet.wustl.edu/e-zoo.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Lydia Schwartz
If you¹re looking for any sort of animal-related information and want your list to have more structure than Yahoo! or Lycos, check out NetVet¹s Web extravaganza. It¹s out of control huge with links to, as mentioned, all animal-related everything. Don¹t worry, there¹s a search engine to help guide you through the site, and low and behold, it works! The graphics are so-so to great, depending on the section, but the information and organization will leave animal lovers smiling.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The NASA Homepage
URL: http://www.nasa.gov/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
It would take me literally months to dissect and review each and every section of NASA¹s infinite Web site. Dare I say NASA has more server space than anyone else, ever? Maybe not, but it¹s huge! There¹s art, science projects, spacey info, shuttle news, technology development, student projects, and more more more. Everyone and anyone can probably find something of interest here. My only qualm with a site this big is that there *should* be a search engine, else muddling through could take days. If they have one, I sure couldn¹t find it.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Ocean Planet Homepage
URL: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Speaking of NASA, it seems they¹ve conspired with the Smithsonian to bring us a hypertexted version of ³Ocean Planet,² a traveling exhibition to explore and present the planets ocean history. Surfers can search for specific ocean-related data they¹d like to learn about or take one the curators ³special tours² on biodiversity, women and the sea, pollution, sea surprises, or others. There is a lot of info here, so plan on spending a great deal of time soaking it all up.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Earthquake Info from the U.S.G.S
URL: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I¹m well aware that it¹s not a matter of ³if the Big One comes,² but ³when it comes.² This site is ³Earthquake Central² with up-to-the-minute information on tremors around the world, tips on how to prepare for quakes, and clear explanations of the science behind (or shall we say under) earthquakes. Besides the facts, some fine infotainment is at your fingertips, too. Worth a quick read, for example, is the ³Late Night Musings of an Earthquake Seismologist.² Next time I feel a shaking under my shoes, I¹m going to ³duck, cover, and hold,² then wait patiently for this page to load.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

NOAA Live Access to Climate Data
URL: http://ferret.wrc.noaa.gov/fbin/climate_server
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
While too complex for the layman, this site looks to be a technical wonder for meteorologists, climate researchers, and other weather folks. Using HTML forms, the user can search a comprehensive climate database to check sea surface temperature, wind speeds, sea level pressure, or other environmental variables. Enter your choice for view and time information, and the FERRET scientific analysis and visualization program coughs up the data for your review. Sounds great, if you're an oceanographer studying ocean temperatures along the equator or something. Otherwise, ...
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Tech Museum of Science
URL: http://www.thetech.org
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Tech Museum of Innovation is a hands-on educational playpen where children and adults can learn how technology affects industry and everyday life. Naturally, their Web site is a fine piece of infotainment. Prepare to spend some time in the HyperTech online interactive exhibits: Enjoy an animated robot graphic before learning about their place in culture and science, then click onto the DNA double helix to find out about the instruction manual for life. And that's only the beginning of the scientific trek. The stated mission of The Tech is to "inspire young innovators." Job well done. Where's my soldering iron?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

World Conservation Monitoring Centre
URL: http://www.wcmc.org.uk/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
WCMC provides information services on conservation efforts and the value of biodiversity, while helping others build their own info-management systems. Parts of its database can be accessed including lists of threatened animals and protected parks, and a publications catalogue. A scrollable menu prompts you to search a nation, revealing, for example, that Pakistan's snow leopard remains an endangered species. Furthermore, during "environmental emergencies", such as major fires or oil spills, this site has provided environmental information rapidly to support the efforts of ground operations. Simply excellent.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Nine Planets http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html This site consists of about 60 pages, one for each major body in the Solar System. A photo of each object appears in its page along with facts and links to related images elsewhere on the 'net. Meditate upon the Olympus Mons or map "the face" on Mars. The beauty of these pages lies in their depth and humour, and the wild amount of links to stunning photographs and detailed facts that will thrill a wide range of viewers. For especially harried cybernauts, webmaster Bill Arnett has even hyperlinked an "express tour" of the solar system. Aesthetics: 3 Content: 3 Smarts: 2
URL: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
This site consists of about 60 pages, one for each major body in the Solar System. A photo of each object appears in its page along with facts and links to related images elsewhere on the Internet. Meditate upon the Olympus Mons or map "the face" on Mars. The beauty of these pages lies in their depth and humour, and the wild amount of links to stunning photographs and detailed facts that will thrill a wide range of viewers. For especially harried cybernauts, webmaster Bill Arnett has even hyperlinked an "express tour" of the solar system.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Seeds of Life
URL: http://www.next.com/~jmh/SeedsOfLife/home.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
The Seeds of Life site is fun! Well, fun if you¹re interested in learning about seeds. Do you know the difference between a fleshy uniseminate fruit (mmm juicy) and a dry pluriseminate fruit? I bet you¹re curious now. The top level organization is aesthetically pleasing and technically smart, but the rest of the site isn¹t quite so design savvy ‹ don¹t go there looking for a Mona Lisa. It¹s science, kids: just facts, links and some neat-o diagrams.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Flora of China
URL: http://foc.harvard.edu:2048/
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
It starts with a splash of color (though a bit slow). Clicking a little deeper will reveal some somewhat cheesy icons and standard layout techniques, though admittedly, it¹s done well. There lies mucho content here. Pictures, illustrations and maps lace the pages nicely ‹ all with size labels so you know how big an image is going to be *before* you click. The site also boasts a hefty search engine, and if that ain't enough, it provides links to other flora search engines at affiliated institutions. Overall, it¹s a botanist¹s dream.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Amber
URL: http://www.emporia.edu/S/www/earthsci/amber/amber.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Blue Grrrl
While this site may not be the smoothest in layout, or spiffy HTML wizardry, I am thoroughly impressed to find a site on the net about amber that does not reference Jurassic Park or fossilized insects on the first page. Phew. Instead, what you¹ll find is a fairly comprehensive guide to all things amber; it¹s history, uses, and physical properties to name a few. The myths section is especially cool.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Discovery Museums
URL: http://www.ultranet.com/~discover/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: Yes
Author: Shel Kimen
Ahh, an example of how to promote a science museum ‹ effectively! The layout and top level organization is clean and looks swell enough. More than enough useful information about the logistics of the museum are readily available ‹ directions, hours of operation, phone numbers and special exhibit information. And the slide show tours offer a strong impression of what you might actually find if you visit the real-life museum. It¹s extremely well done and a good example of how people can use the Web to enhance local communities.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Museum of Science and Industry Chicago
URL: http://www.msichicago.org/
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
This museum has some really cool things in it, the kind of things that you don¹t expect to see in a museum. There is a German U-Boat and a Boeing 727 inside that you can walk around in. I believe in the 727, because I saw pictures of it, but the U-Boat will have to remain unconfirmed. My point is that the Web site has a very small slice of the over 2,000 exhibits that are in the physical museum. What is shown on the site makes it pretty enticing to come and see the museum, which may be the master plan, but with all the material it possesses, the museum could be a great contributor to the richness of Web content.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Virtual Chaos: A Theory of Everything
URL: http://www.virtualchaos.org/
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
More X-files than science, the authors of the virtual chaos theory, who wish to remain anonymous, propose that the simple statement ³1+2=3² permeates all phenomenon, and from this, they have concluded that time begins in the middle heads towards the beginning and the end simultaneously, the former being a red shift, and the latter being a blue shift. Maybe I¹m stupid, maybe the Web isn¹t the right medium to promote such far-flung theory, but reading this hasn¹t changed my life significantly. Can you solve this puzzle?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

EPA & Ozone Depletion
URL: http://www.epa.gov/docs/ozone/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
New technology obviously won¹t do us much good if there¹s no ozone layer to prevent us from being burnt to a crisp. This site offers information running the gamut from overviews and layman¹s explanations to detailed scientific studies on ozone depletion and related US regulations. Worthy of a read is the tips on how to protect yourself and your children from UV radiation. Sunglasses help, but just aren¹t enough anymore. Help save yourself and the atmosphere: Stay away from those tanning beds (they¹re cheesy anyway) and just say no to hair spray in a can!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Biotechnology Information Center BIC
URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/Biotech
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
This is the homepage for the Biotechnology Information Center. In fact, this is probably the most comprehensive single-topic site you will ever come across on the Web. A huge collection of related links, loads of files for downloading and perusal, and an enormous searchable index make this site of use to any biotech researcher or fan. Information of every sort is collected here, even patent information for the latest creations to crawl out of the lab. Be sure to check out the up-close-and-person profiles of your favorite bacteria!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Animal Resources
URL: http://www.bev.net/education/SeaWorld/infobook.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
These pages are part of the larger SeaWorld Web site, but taken on their own, they cover a large spectrum of general animal information, including reproduction, conservation, characteristics, scientific classification, and much much more. It¹s not the prettiest learning tool available, but it¹s quick to respond and full of hard-core animal facts. There¹s also an interesting section geared to interested young people on how to become a marine mammal specialist. Whales to hippopotamuses to birds in danger of extinction, it¹s all here.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Interactive Maps
URL: http://thunder.atms.purdue.edu/interact.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
It¹s weather. Plain and simple. It¹s about the same as watching the Weather Channel on cable, though there are no commercials and you can get the local forecast anytime you want. Click on the image map for a general region or type in the specific city you¹re looking for. It¹s fairly accurate (as accurate as any weather interpreter can be), and it¹s updated about about every six hours. Sometimes, the server gets bogged down (it¹s a popular site), so be prepared to wait for data at times.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Seeds of Life
URL: http://www.next.com/~jmh/SeedsOfLife/home.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
The Seeds of Life site is fun! Well, fun if you¹re interested in learning about seeds. Do you know the difference between a fleshy uniseminate fruit (mmm juicy) and a dry pluriseminate fruit? I bet you¹re curious now. The top level organization is aesthetically pleasing and technically smart, but the rest of the site isn¹t quite so design savvy ‹ don¹t go there looking for a Mona Lisa. It¹s science, kids: just facts, links and some neat-o diagrams.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Discovery Museums
URL: http://www.ultranet.com/~discover/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Ahh, an example of how to promote a science museum ‹ effectively! The layout and top level organization is clean and looks swell enough. More than enough useful information about the logistics of the museum are readily available ‹ directions, hours of operation, phone numbers and special exhibit information. And the slide show tours offer a strong impression of what you might actually find if you visit the real-life museum. It¹s extremely well done and a good example of how people can use the Web to enhance local communities.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Fluids Movie Archive
URL: http://www.swcp.com/itsc/movies/
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
One of the best things about the Web, the reason that it¹s more fun than e-mail or chatting or Usenet, is the multimedia content. But movies can be more than just fun, as this collection of MPEG clips proves. The movies located on this page are all examples of fluid dynamics: color-enhanced movies showing things like a plate being pushed through water. The clip shows how the fluid is pushed around either side, causing it to swirl in behind the plate. The information is somewhat limited here, but remember: a picture is worth a thousand words.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Uranium Information Centre
URL: http://www.uic.com.au/
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
This Australian-based site is filled with information on the Uranium industry. While some information relates to other countries, the majority is about Nuclear energy and Uranium mining in Australia. While the tone of the site isn¹t lunatic, it is definitely pro-nuclear energy, with sections entitled, ³The Peaceful Atom,² and such. An extremely content-rich site, UIC¹s newsletter is archived here, along with important briefing papers on nuclear issues. Some of the more interesting items are statistics on energy output from nuclear sources.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

COLD FUSION TIMES HOME PAGE
URL: http://world.std.com/~mica/cft.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Believe it or not. Ever the skeptic I chose the latter, but I¹m still interested in exploring the fringes of scientific thought. And it¹s hard to argue with the site¹s main assertion: ³Cold Fusion is important because even if there is only 1/10 of 1% possibility of its reality, given its low expense and ubiquity,...its safety...and its impact..., it must be investigated.² For those with the time, this cleanly-designed journal is the place to begin your investigation into research papers, conference proceedings, and a development timeline.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
URL: http://www.fnal.gov/fermilab_home.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Fermilab is home to the Tevatron, the most hardcore particle accelerator in the world. In fact, Fermilab is where the Top Quark was discovered last year. (Score one for Big Science!) No need to worry if you missed that news in high-energy physics. Click here for a clear and interesting explanation of what the hell atom smashing is all about, why you should care, and what¹s next on the particle physics horizon. A graphically bland but scientifically profound site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Bionomics Institute
URL: http://www.bionomics.org/
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Forget that old "the economy is a machine" rap. The Bionomics folks liken the economy to an "evolving ecosystem" where each specialized company "works to survive in its market niche just as each individual organism works to survive in its ecological niche." Interesting right? With the book Bionomics by Michael Rothschild as its bible, the Institute hosts conferences, archives related material, and, basically, spreads the word. Here you can check out the preface of Bionomics, read articles about the concepts, and drop some cash for informational tapes. (Using Cybercash!) Bionomics is a meme to watch.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Rich Signell's Professional Page
URL: http://crusty.er.usgs.gov/rsignell.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Dr. Richard Signell is an oceanographer with the US Geological Survey, and even if you're not a scientist, his work seems pretty darned exciting. Some of the data can only be accessed by USGS machines, but then again, I wouldn't know what to make of that stuff anyway. Signell's beautifully animated simulations of the push and pull of the ocean is enough for me. (The clips are in Autodesk FLC format, rather than MPEG, allowing for much faster playback.) Especially trippy is the simulation of the upwelling in Massachusetts Bay during June of 1990. Much more interesting than watching my toilet flush.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
URL: http://www.whoi.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
This Web locale for the country's largest indie oceanographic institute contains a wealth of information on all areas of marine research, including ocean physics, biology, and chemistry. Besides WHO's own research reports, oceanographic aficionados can drown in the searchable Mariner Library System and check out the specs on WHO's research vessels, from the DSV Alvin submersible to the 279-foot Knorr, apparently one of the largest academic research ships in the US.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN)
URL: http://www.cern.ch
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
It ought to be obligatory for all committed netphreaks to make the hadj to CERN, the WWW's Mecca: This is where the Web was invented just a few years back. Web development may have evolved beyond CERN¹s initial impetus (you can link to au courant sites from here), but the main business of the European Laboratory for Particle Physics remains: smashing atoms and naming the bits after obscure literary entities. Serious physicists can review arcane research projects with enchanting titles like,"Study of the isospin symmetry breaking in the light quark sea of the nucleon from the Drell-Yan process.² The light quark sea, far out.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

UW Fish Collection
URL: http://artedi.fish.washington.edu
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
The UW Fish Collection is part of the University of Washington's School of Fisheries. With over 230,000 fish in their collection, this Web site has plenty of support for its databases and ichthyological resources. Make sure you take a peek at the Featured Fish of the month. When I looked, Axoclinus Carminalis was in the spotlight. Sure beats a goldfish. By the way, if you happen to find a strange looking fish washed up on the beach, you can take it to the Fish Collection for identification. Freeze it first though--directions are on the site. Nobody likes a smelly dead fish.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

ShuffleBrain
URL: http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~pietsch/
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Open your mind as you float through this Indiana University professor's site devoted to the nature of intelligence, perception, thought, and other aspects of gray matter. Check here for mind-blowing information on hologramic theory, which explains why "stored mind is not a thing. It is abstract relationships produced by things." Very deep and thought-provoking reading. The articles are understandable, although some are quite dense (it is science, after all). But there's no doubt in my mind that ShuffleBrain will entrance all psychonauts.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Hobbyist
URL: http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Meet the Mr. Wizard of the Web, Bill Beaty. Beaty is determined to turn on kids of all ages to the amazing world of science. Demonstrations, explanations, experiments, links, and fringe talk of anti-gravity, free energy, and other weird science are yours to explore in this online laboratory. In fact, Beaty also runs the engrossing home page for Nikola Tesla, the genius mad scientist/inventor of alternating current. A gift to nrrrds online. Hey Bill, where I can get a *really* big capacitor for that Tesla Coil?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Marine Biological Laboratory
URL: http://www.mbl.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
The Marine Biological Laboratory, the hotbed of aquatic research from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, is an educational and research institution dedicated to the study of marine life. Their site is anything but shallow. Take a dip into their live marine specimen database, with information about hundreds of fish and marine plants. Then pay a visit to the Mariner Online Library for a good example of how useful scientific journals can be digitized and made accessible via the Net. Those things combined with MBL course lists, research background information, and good links, makes for a sea of aquatic information.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Great Globe Gallery
URL: http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/glob/glob1.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
This site consists of thematic and historical maps, planiglobes, and cartographic nets in various projections, as well as satellite images, icons, and artistic visions. Zbigniew Zwoliñski's aim has been to collect images of the Globe as a compliment to education in Earth sciences, geography, cartography, and Geographic Information Systems, as well as to exhibit the diverse artistic renderings of the globe. You'll also find a wealth of detailed data on the earth's history, composition, and relation to other objects in the solar system. Photo credits and annotations are sometimes lacking, but overall this is a striking show.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Alternative Energy Engineering http://www.asis.com/aee/ AEE provides serious information on how you can make your own electricity from solar, wind or water power. Its online catalogue and design guide covers 120 pages of design information and equipment for making electricity for homes, RVs and boats, as well as everything ranging from solar fans and coolers, to pumps, and hi-efficiency refrigerators. A well-illustrated introduction show you how solar light hitting photovoltaic cells yields energy to power electrical devices. Bookmark this site if you've got (or require) the energy to hack the system. Aesthetics: 2 Content: 3 Smarts: 2
URL: http://www.asis.com/aee/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
AEE provides serious information on how you can make your own electricity from solar, wind or water power. Its online catalogue and design guide covers 120 pages of design information and equipment for making electricity for homes, RVs and boats, as well as everything ranging from solar fans and coolers, to pumps, and hi-efficiency refrigerators. A well-illustrated introduction shows how photovoltaic cells turn light energy into electricity. Bookmark this site if you've got (or require) the energy to hack the system.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Alaska Volcano Observatory Observatory http://www.avo.alaska.edu/ Science 1196 7/10/96 2 2 2 A collaborative project from the United States Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the Alaska Volcano Observatory is a window onto some 40 active volcanoes in the 49th state. Text, maps and satellite images are online for study but most exciting are the weekly updates measuring seismic activity. If you live near any of those volcanoes, this information is probably more than just a fun thing to glance at--when the update shows a "Red" concern color code, you're advised to get the hell out of the way. David Pescovitz
URL: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
A collaborative project from the United States Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the Alaska Volcano Observatory is a window onto some 40 active volcanoes in the 49th state. Text, maps and satellite images are online for study but most exciting are the weekly updates measuring seismic activity. If you live near any of those volcanoes, this information is probably more than just a fun thing to glance at--when the update shows a "Red" concern color code, you're advised to get the hell out.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Crest Guide
URL: http://solstice.crest.org/online/aeguide/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Crest is the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology, and their site is a comprehensive guide to sustainable energy resources on the Internet. As expendable resources--like oil--are being depleted, solar, biomass, wind, and hydropower will become our power source. Rather than waiting until the Energizer Bunny winds to a halt, you may as well learn about the progress in these areas right now. Let's face it, solar energy didn't go out of style with Jimmy Carter and mirrored sunglasses. Tomorrow, it may provide the juice for your computer.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Dr. Bob's Home Page
URL: http://ny.frontiercomm.net/~bjenkin/science.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Doctor Bob is a smart one. He¹ll tell you about the sun, in simple basic terms. He¹ll tell you about the space shuttle, break down the mysteries of ³that amazing ice,² and brief you on the facts about tsunamis (giant tidal waves). This is an extremely useful and entertaining Web site for science fans, I just wish he¹d learn that dark, heavily patterned backgrounds make it difficult to read thin and light text. Even more the frustrating because the oft unreadable text is actually very interesting.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Earth and Universe
URL: http://www.eia.brad.ac.uk/btl/
Category: Science
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
For the astronomy aficionado or hobbyist, the Internet is a great place. There are thousands of NASA pages, and you don¹t have to be outside in the middle of the night getting eyestrain peering through a telescope. Earth and Universe adds a lot of astronomical visual content to the Web, with pictures of stars in various stages of formation, plus many other cosmic formations. There is also a Telescope Documentation Index with all sorts of articles on telescope systems. Unfortunately, the whole thing is slow as a rock, and the organization is poor.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

California Academy of Sciences
URL: http://www.calacademy.org/
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
This site From the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco could be a shining example of what it means to bring a museum online. Unfortunately, it¹s just... well... average. There are a few interesting exhibits presented here, most notably the ³Frogs Of The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest in Kenya,² with beautiful images of these surreal-looking toads in their natural habitat. But the site overflows with the mundane ‹ museum hours, list of classes offered, and, of course, the gift shop. This site is only worth a bookmark if you want to learn how to build your own Foucault Pendulum. Which I do....
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Galaxy Features
URL: http://hou.lbl.gov/galaxyfeaturesonline.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
This page will be of interest to anyone who has ever been dumbstruck by the thought of galaxies. Those REALLY big things spinning around in the heavens above us have always been a source of amazement, and this site will only fuel that interest. Basic information on galaxies, several images of the more noteworthy examples, and a quiz to test your knowledge make this a fun and distracting space to visit. Children with an interest in astronomy will be especially tickled, as they should be; HOU is the hands-on universe project sponsored by the NSF and DOE, targeting youngsters of all ages.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Miralite Communications Satellite Directory
URL: http://www.miralite.com/Glossary.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Miralite Communications manufactures earth station systems, those incongruous boxes sitting in the middle of the arctic tundra which track the Sputniks zipping by overhead. Miralite's site is standard corporate fare, offering an introduction to the firm and its products with a few clever graphics. Making the site more palatable is this glossary of satellite terms ‹ yes, you too can sound like a rocket scientist. Impress your friends by deciphering the control room chatter in Apollo 13; wow your family by translating astronaut gobbledygook off the evening news. This space is worth visiting, if only to pick up a few pieces of technoslang.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Albert Einstein Online
URL: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~smfriedm/einstein.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Well, I can¹t hide my disappointment. I had hoped to find this a page created by an Einstein fanatic who had spent years researching and writing and compiling archives of or about Mr. Relativity. But no. It¹s just another hotsy shotsy link list of other people¹s content. Big deal. Sure, the layout and organization are nice, and the links are a bit more selective than, say, a Lycos search might provide, but overall, it¹s nothing special. Sigh.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Shorebird Migration
URL: http://www.utm.edu/~phertzel/migration.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Another example of how the Web can provide an open database that anyone can use, the Shorebird Migration page unites and informs birders interested in Plovers, Sandpipers, Tattlers, and more. The site maintainers get bird sightings from a variety of sources, and diagram them on a U.S. map. The home page isn¹t beautiful, so don¹t go here if you are allergic to the standard gray browser background, but the maps are nice.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Global Change Data Center
URL: http://ame.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcdc/gcdc.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
This site provides background on the Global Change Data Center, an ongoing NASA project to develop archival and distribution systems for all the fancy figures gleaned from high-tech Earth observation systems both on the ground and in orbit. Gigabytes of information fly in daily about global environmental changes, and the ultimate product of the GCDC will be ³access to (this) data.² Without proper organization or access systems, this important information about the planet¹s health remains a bunch of ones and zeros, all downloaded with nowhere to go. Pretty soon, we could be in the same boat.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Polar Regions
URL: http://www.stud.unit.no/~sveinw/arctic/
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Is there really a sign that lets you know when you're at the North Pole? Before packing your warm clothes, check out The Polar Regions site for plenty of information on both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Hint: Both are chilly. This site is a launch point for virtual explorers of the far north and far south. Links to maps, scientific resources, expedition reports are included in this cleanly-designed - if somewhat sparse - resource. And if you feel compelled to learn more, delve into the tourist information. Just make sure you're wearing long johns.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Game Theory
URL: http://www.pitt.edu/~alroth/alroth.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
In the simplest terms, Game Theory is a mathematical method to predict the outcome of any contests that result in winners and losers, such as war or business. But of course that's only the tip of the iceberg. If you want the real scoop on Game Theory as part of empirical economics, Professor Al Roth at the University of Pittsburgh is the numbers nrrrd to visit. Roth has posted dozens of his esoteric papers in this field, and combed the Web for other worthy resources. From the technical to the introductory, learn the science of the bargaining game on Roth's home page.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Solid Earth Geodynamics
URL: http://banzai.msi.umn.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
This department at the University of Minnesota is concerned with the forces that originate from, and impact upon, the integument of our dear planet. Not as boring a place as it may sound, this site sports graphics with an interesting fractal quality. Unfortunately, they're a bit heavy for the bandwidth. Perhaps the authors were compensating for just missing the cover of National Geographic (the Rolling Stone of earth science mags)...I still don't know what a bluff body is, but I¹m convinced it's worth paying a PhD candidate to find out.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

GIS
URL: http://info.er.usgs.gov/research/gis/title.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
According to this site, a geographic information system "is a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information." So? Well, for example, you can take both a map of an area and population data from that area and use GIS to combine them for analysis. It's useful. I promise. This government site is a fine introduction to those uses, with clear and concise explanations, examples, and history of GIS. Textbook-style fun--interesting in a strictly educational way.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Earth Observation Guide and Directory
URL: http://gds.esrin.esa.it
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Brought to you by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Earth Oberservation Guide and Directory Service provides a wealth of nerdy tech information transmitted from above the atmosphere. The ESA operates several satellites and this site is one of the forms of media they use to disseminate information and present ideas about new projects. For instance, learn how "the work-around solution for the wind scatterometer, currently under evaluation, will eventually introduce an additional attenuation in the transmission path also in Image and Wave mode, and the AMI on-board gain setting in these modes shall be adjusted accordingly to compensate for this attenuation."Umm... Yeah.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

ChemWeb
URL: http://www.softshell.com/SSO_HTML/ChemWeb/chemweb.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
By Web page design standards, this is a dog. The site itself only has a few pages, and the home page is a bit too long for it¹s own good. Not much in the way of colors or graphics, it does get high marks for accomplishing product distribution. The product in question, ChemWeb, is a brilliant tool for diagraming chemical structures and saving them in GIF files, easily publishable on a Web page. ChemWeb has a tool pallet that includes all the standard shapes for chemical symbols, a built in periodic table for easy element selection, and utilities for calculating things like the mass of your chemical equation.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
URL: http://www.rain.org/~inverts/
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
My expectations were pretty high when I hit the home page and saw these great animated GIFs of butterflies. The design was exceptional. Other pages had some spectacular design elements, as well, like lizards with drop shadows, a postmark graphic, etc. Dropping in on a special report on insects, though, I quickly found the site lacking in content. A page of text described the museum¹s insect efforts, but didn¹t include much in the way of pictures. In fact, in every area, content was sparse aside from a bit of text describing this department or that program. Not a museum on the Web so much as a newsletter about the museum.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Cyberbotanica
URL: http://biotech.chem.indiana.edu/botany/
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Produced by Lucy Snyder of Indiana University's Biotech Project, Cyberbotanica is a hyperlinked guide to plants that can be used in Cancer treatment. Currently, only a small section of the guide is posted containing information on plants and chemotherapy. Find out about hemp and periwinkle for example, and how certain ingredients in those botanicals can be used for pharmacological purposes. Among planned future chapters is one on fungi which produce antibiotics. Organized clearly and simply by plant and medicinal compounds, Cyberbotanica could become a very useful research and health aid as the site develops.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

New England Aquarium
URL: http://www.neaq.org/
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Aside from a basic virtual tour (with neat aquatic sound samples), the majority of the information on this site is press releases and background information about the Aquarium's projects and events. Their work in conservation is absolutely interesting and worthwhile, but perhaps they could balance the big picture with more ways to "act locally." Even their kids' section -- including "Virtual Whale Watch," in which you can go along on a whale adventure (meaning, you can look at snap shots) -- is banal at best. The New England Aquarium site is better than an aquarium screen saver I suppose, but doesn't compare to pushing your face against a tank and looking a fish right in the eyes.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Matt's Solar Car
URL: http://www.-lips.ece.utexas.edu/~delayman/solar.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
As we deplete our oil supplies, some ingenious folks are busy designing solar automobiles that may replace the current gas-guzzlers. And a few adventurous nerds are even racing these solar cars! For a window into the solar car world, check out this site. Find out which universities are building and racing solar race cars and scroll through photos of the Jetsons-esque automobiles. Then link to information about upcoming solar car races. Matt has even archived digests of the Electric Vehicle Email List, where you can learn about technical stuff like the latest advances in batteries, a key component for electric and photovoltaic vehicles. Solar cars--what a bright idea.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Jane Goodall Institute
URL: http://www.gsn.org/gsn/proj/jgi/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
The Jane Goodall Institute, named for the passionate scientist who became famous for hanging with chimps, is dedicated to wildlife research, education, and conservation, and, more specifically, with studying chimpanzees. Here, you can find out about the Institute and its protective efforts for chimps, who are more closely related to us, genetically speaking, than they are to gorillas! If you want to join the Institute in preserving the balance between humans, the Earth, and the other creatures who share our world, their Roots and Shoots program is a good place to start. Here, kids can learn how to start and join environmental and community service projects in their own area.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

San Diego Zoo
URL: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
If you're fond of the venerable and gigantic San Diego Zoo, then this site should prove appealing. Its elegant and smoothly crosslinked pages connect an illustrated web of information spanning the zoo's history, its grounds and all its collections. You can take a virtual tour of the simulated rain forests and wildlife animal park, read about a rare albino gator and other recent acquisitions, or learn about endangered species and conservation efforts. Details are also provided on how to become a member of the San Diego Zoological society.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Centre for Visual Sciences
URL: http://cvs.anu.edu.au/CVS.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
Research in Visual Sciences seeks to achieve a better understanding of how the image captured by an eye is analysed by the visual system to produce a useful percept of the world. This is where scientists of the University of Australia upload their results. Studies on motion recognition and the navigational technique of insects are slowly coming online. If you've got time to kill, you might want to view the Single Image Stereograms, pictures that would have you screw up your eyes in hopes of revealing an encrypted image. Also available are images corresponding to the sight of a honey bee.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Oregon Dept. of Forestry
URL: http://salem10nt.odf.state.or.us/homepage.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Most of the information on the content-rich Oregon Dept. of Forestry site is concerned with forest fires in the area -- statistics, progress of groups battling blazes, and other news. Forest fires are a science to be studied, and outdoor adventurers will appreciate this detailed insight into the matter. The photo gallery features intense images of burning land while the Q & A section explains the point behind things like "prescribed burning." Weather information and links are also well-organized for more information on the amazing greenery in our national backyard. And don't forget to check out the Smokey Bear posters!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Life on Mars?
URL: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marsfile
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
As most of us know, several single-celled organisms hitched a ride between Mars and Earth on meteorite ALH84001 a few million years ago. After spending two years studying this meteorite and its fossilized creatures, the scientists at NASA and Stanford have made their findings available on the Web. Whether you read the scientific reports on the discovery or check out some stunning electron microscope images, you can be secure in the fact that you're getting your information straight from the horses' mouths. Drop by, see what all the ruckus is about, and watch your tax dollars at work.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Tree of Life
URL: http://phylogeny.arizona.edu/tree/phylogeny.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
If words like Seymouriamorpha and Scarabaeoidea don't make your eyes glaze over, then you could spend days climbing around the Tree of Life, an ambitious title for an ambitious project. Beginning with the Eukaryotes, you can descend through phylogenies and clades seemingly forever (I never made it to the bottom). Each page contains pictures of the chosen organisms, linked branches that allow you to descend the tree, and information about the class (or phylum, or whatever). Toolbars, coupled with powerful search engines, make navigation a breeze. As one might expect, this is a work in progress so there are still several noticeable gaps.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Evolution and Behavior
URL: http://ccp.uchicago.edu/~jyin/evolution.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The opening paragraph serves as a great teaser, describing this graduate student¹s study of ³ the evolution of animal social behavior, ethology, and behavioral ecology.² Unfortunately, he¹s either too embroiled in his books or just isn¹t far enough along in his studies yet to have any original content on the site. All that¹s offered is a set of links to documents on evolution. They are really good links for evolution buffs, though, and there is some value in that.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Northwest Fisheries Science Center
URL: http://research.nwfsc.noaa.gov/
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
The NFSC provides scientific and technical support for the management, conservation, and development of the Pacific Northwest fishery resources. Their mission includes ecological and genetic research on salmon, and the evaluation of the effects of marine pollutants on U.S. coastal ecosystems. Their home page loads a bland photo of the fisheries into a table against a backdrop of ghostly gray salmon. A somber image, in keeping with the site's exceptionally dry writing which, illustrated with technical diagrams, is targets fellow researchers rather than casual browsers.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

The Wonder of Physics
URL: http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/wop.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
In 1984, the University of Wisconsin-Madison began a program to turn on people of all ages and backgrounds to the astounding world of physical science. Presented by the charismatic Professor Clint Sprott, The Wonder of Physics, a nerdy edu-magic show of sorts, plays at the campus periodically and even tours the area. On the site, videotapes, lecture kits, and computer software are sold. In addition, some of the subjects Sprott covers are outlined and interesting pictures of the Professor's extravagant demonstrations are presented. But the site's one major flaw is obvious: The Wonder of Physics may be a fine treat if you're lucky enough to catch it live, but why not offer an online version for the world to enjoy?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

ChemCenter
URL: http://www.ChemCenter.org
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
ChemCenter won't tell you how to start a thermite reaction in your driveway. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society and primarily comprised of links to other sites , ChemCenter provides an electronic meeting place for professional chemists. Currently in its infancy, the stated goal of the site is to become a spot not only for the researcher, but for anyone with chemistry questions. At this point, you can learn about chemistry conferences, find out who's selling what chemicals, and check out numerous electronic publications. While I doubt it will ever become a chemistry playhouse, it may have more to offer the average person in the near future.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

NIST Physical Reference Data
URL: http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/contents.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
Has your work ever come to a grinding halt because you didn't know the latest accepted value for the muon g-factor or you lacked the information to properly calibrate your infrared spectrometer? Well, NIST has got the web site for you. With a smorgasbord of physical constants for serious researchers and/or the seriously anal, this site also provides numerous articles (in PDF) on how they do their least-squares fits and how they calculate the uncertainties in their reported values. If things like bremsstrahlung cross-sections don't figure largely into your daily plans, you may want to skip this one; otherwise, NIST has the information you need.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

SkyNotes
URL: http://www.injersey.com/Media/SkyNotes
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
For all of us who've ever peered through a telescope, then realized that we had no idea what in the hell we were looking at, InJersey offers SkyNotes, a monthly posting of "celestial highlights." With a night by night account of what to look for in the sky, along with special postings about particularly spectacular heavenly events (e.g. September's lunar eclipse), SkyNotes is a concise guide for the amateur astronomer. Follow the links at the bottom of the page to such places as NASA and find in-depth information about our various astronomical neighbors.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Chaos Network
URL: http://www.prairienet.org/business/ptech/
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
I¹m a big fan of Chaos Theory, an examination of the complex order in seemingly-random systems. I also find fractals, the visual representation of chaos math, quite beautiful. So, needless to say, I was jazzed to join the Chaos Network with its cyberdelic name and fractal-adorned home page. But alas, each click of my mouse was met with the dreaded 404 Not Found message. Perhaps the real message here is that we don¹t need to join the Chaos Network because, after all, we¹re already members. But probably not. Get busy, Webmaster.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Cumulative Units of Binary Excellence
URL: http://www.voicenet.com/~enrich/
Category: Science
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
One quark, two quark, red quark, blue quark,...CUBE is a list of links to sites dealing with the trippiest subjects in physics--Quantum Mechanics, Particle Physics, and ³the subatomic realm.² With only five or so annotated links per section, this site is not comprehensive by any means, but does shed some light on where to find information about hypermatter, Schrodinger¹s Cat, and other *relatively* interesting things. Ever wonder why that one quark is so ³strange?² Cube can point you in the right direction.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

NIPA Data Visualization
URL: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/socsci/nipa
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
The National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) data tell you everything about the nation's output, distribution of incomes, employment, savings, and the like. The NIPA visualization system uses this data, obtained from the STAT-USA web site, to produce yearly and quarterly plots per your specifications. You also have the option of downloading the data, which frankly seems like the way to go since the plots generated by this service don't particularly catch the eye. If you're a social scientist in a hurry, or a zany character looking for a mind numbing experience, then check it out; otherwise, download the data and plot it at home.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Virtual Antarctica
URL: http://www.terraquest.com/
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
Dump your Thursday night ³Deep Space Nine² TV-watching ritual, and check out the equally alien environs presented by Virtual Antarctica, a superb marriage of nuts-and-bolts scientific data, novice-friendly language, and dignified, intuitively navigated Web design. Stuck smack-dab on the bottom of our spinning globe, Antarctica begs very few comparisons to typical earthly ecosyetms. In fact, when you leave this online tour of the globe¹s most inhospitable and misunderstood continent, you¹ll feel like you¹re sharing this earth with a land as distant as Beta Antares XI. Virtual Antarctica may be considered an experiment in ³instant-publishing.² The girth of the site¹s content was accumulated and uploaded via satellite links during a 16-day expedition on the Livonia, a sturdy, no-nonsense sea vessel expressly built for traversing the frigid polar ice caps. The ship¹s crew included members of Terraquest, an innovative ³adventure travel² company that intends to publish many more online expeditions of exotic locales (future stops include the Galapagos Islands and Mount Kilimanjaro). One could hardly ask for more comprehensive or well-illustrated content. In many ways, Virtual Antarctica is a glossy coffee table book come to life through the power of interactive hot links. You¹ll find classy illustrations, artistically rendered maps, and beautiful photography suitable for *National Geographic*. The background textures, which include screened-back images of flowing cursive script and sea-depth notation, are particularly effective. All of this art direction is complemented by a wide breadth of text. Topical areas include an extensive ship¹s log, and easily digested information on Antarctica ecology, science, history, and environment. And should all this heady data bog you down, you can always read the crew members¹ poetry: ³Twas the week before Christmas/And all through the ship/Few passengers were stirring/For most were quite sick./Some tourists were restless and pacing the bridge/With visions of penguins and ice, not from the fridge.² Aesthetics aside, the poem reflects the Terraquest levity. Passage aboard the Livonia doesn¹t seem to have been like a Club Med adventure, but neither does it appear to have been like a winter in Stalingrad. All in all, Virtual Antarctica lends a sense of inviting accessibility to an extremely remote locale, and should beckon adventuresome Web surfers to drop their mice, and sign up for an exotic research expedition.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 12

National Science Foundation
URL: http://www.nsf.gov/start.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
Must say I was disappointed with this homely offering from the vaunted National Science Foundation. Unless you have a specific problem you're researching within NSF's purview there's very little to recommend pointing your browser here. Graphically flaccid, sparsely linked, it's hard to believe that the NSF boasts of having had a seminal role in the development of the Internet. I wonder if this is a result of, or a reason for, anemic Congressional funding. Either way, a real snoozer.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 12

Honolulu CC Dinosaur Exhibit
URL: http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/dinos.1.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
The Honolulu Community College bought some replicas of dinosaur bones from the New York Museum of Natural History so that its students could study T. Rex without having to leave the islands. Add Triceratops, Iguanadon and Stegasauros, and you have a bona fide exhibit, which is what these pages document. However, to make this a worthwhile online pitstop for the budding paleontologist, HCC needs to upload superior photographs and beef up the descriptions that only vaguely indicate things like "carnivore teeth" and "stereoscopic vision." The downloadable audio commentary is an effort, and, anyway, you¹d probably rather read a book.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 12

Bigfoot
URL: http://fox.nstn.ca/~raygavel/links/bigfoot.html
Category: Science
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Mike Hase
Sasquatch, Bigfoot, the Yeti. Whatever alias they travel under, these hairy bipeds have allegedly been with us for quite some time. Raymond Gavel's brief introduction to the topic encapsulates the findings of John Green's 1976 book "Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us." Gavel takes a "just the facts" approach, providing a summary of reports on Sasquatch's size, hair color, dietary habits, etc. While this is by no means a comprehensive Bigfoot page, it gives you the background you might want before following Gavel's links to several truly monstrous Bigfoot sites.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 12

Seeds of Life
URL: http://www.next.com/~jmh/SeedsOfLife/
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
Francoise Brenckmann has created a very handsome bilingual site extolling the virtues of seeds, how cleverly they travel and germinate, and how they provide us with life in the from of fruits, cereals, and grains. Brenckmann wanted to document ³this tiny and scattered world² through photos, and also wanted to share her findings. Seeds of Life is like an excellent research paper, with various sections and terrific photos. Brenckmann is something of a poet, and liberally borrows from Henry Thoreau to present the value of seeds in a larger context. Seeds of Life is a wonderful site, and is a model for employing the Web as a learning tool.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 11

Fun With Numbers The Home Page
URL: http://www.mind.net/xethyr/numbers/index.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Not Rated
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
This is one of those sites that remind me why I like the Web so much. Some math fan with an interest in writing C programs that calculate prime numbers, Pi, and other series that excite mathematicians decided to put the results on a page. To top if off, the guy has a really good sense of humor. He also has some useful items, such as all 100,000 digits of 2 to the 33,333 power, and fractional equivalents of Pi. Be sure and check out the author¹s home page.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Astral Projection Home Page
URL: http://www.lava.net/~goodin/astral.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
If you¹re into astral projection and lucid dreaming, tell your analyst this site may be a trove of useful information. The meat of the site is a searchable library of all the articles and pages on the Web relating to these topics. There¹s a a fairly extensive collection of articles and an interesting feedback form the author uses to collect data for future articles. There¹s also a place where readers can leave tips on how to improve your astral projection skills. The site lost marks from me because over half the navigation links did not work.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

The Aurora Page
URL: http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
Those who have seen the Aurora Borealis never forget it. Geologist Michael Dolan¹s homage to the Northern Lights illuminates the whys of this seemingly magical phenomenon; links to forecasts and geophysical reports on sitings; and provides a host of images of various auroral happenings in the far north of Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia. There are also lots of links to other space, sun, and astronomy sites, too.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

IMLAB
URL: http://imlab9.landarch.uiuc.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
IMLAB is the satellite imaging lab of the University of Illinois. The site gives a good general introduction to imaging and its benefits. It also goes into detail about many of the projects that the lab is currently involved with, from inner city revitalization to Asian reforestation projects. I found the site fascinating. The projects are interesting to read about and the images are impressive.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

National Zoological Park Home Page
URL: http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/zoo/homepage/nzphome.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
This is an extremely well-done site. It is very much geared toward persons planning on taking a trip to the park. Included are maps of the zoo, schedules of activities, and a wealth of other information that would help plan a trip. There are also interesting behind-the-scenes articles that talk about the reality of managing a zoo and the ideals and goals of the zoo itself. You can currently FTP animal pictures, but hopefully they will put a full-blown zoo on the Web soon.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Home Page of VolcanoWorld
URL: http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
This site is geared toward children and designed for classroom use. That didn¹t stop me from spending several hours searching through it. This site does a good job of giving enough information about volcanoes to keep readers interested without burying them in a sea of data. There are several good information and interactive sections (including ŒAsk the Vulcanologist,¹ complete with FAQ). The site is searchable and has a good bit of volcano tourism info.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Laser Focus World
URL: http://www.lfw.com/www/home.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
Feeling electro-optical? Then come on down to Laser Focus World, a monthly trade publication for those in the laser and optics industries. You can search back issues, read selected portions of the current edition (news, features and departments), send mail to the editor, or fill out a form that may qualify you for a free subscription. You¹ll also find links to other Pennwell publications including Laser Report, and Industrial Laser Review.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

The Tomb of Niankhkhanum and Khanumhotep
URL: http://www.sirius.com/~reeder/niankh.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
Egyptologist Greg Reeder has created a page focusing on the 1964 discovery of the tomb of two men who were part of a Fifth Dynasty Pharaoh¹s entourage. Reeder provides excellent inline images of what archaeologists have reconstructed, including a floor plan of the building itself. There is no documentation of sources, however. For more information, it¹s best to head to Reeder¹s home page, which contains scores of links to Egyptian sites and resources.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Southern Forest Nursery Management Cooperative
URL: http://sofserv.forestry.auburn.edu/coops/sfnmc/sfnmc.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
This a site with extremely limited appeal. I¹m sure those of you who are professional foresters will find it fascinating. The rest of us will be less than dazzled. The high point for me was the collection of Pesticide Information Profiles, which informs about the acute toxicity of the hundreds of chemicals served to us on our food. Click on over to the Methyl Bromide section to ponder deep forestry philosophy questions such as, "Is soil fumigation with methyl bromide consistent with ecologically sound principles?" The site does have a lot of good information for those who are serious about silviculture.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

THE ULTIMATE UFO PAGE
URL: http://www.serve.com/tufop/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
UFO mania (or is it awareness?) has reached an all-time high. This site appears to be an attempt to capitalize on this to sell books. The site features several articles, most of which are links to other sites, and a few pictures. Links to only 15 other UFO sites are provided, surprising considering the deep interest in this subject on the Web. The design is good and if the page were greatly expanded, it would be an excellent site. Perhaps we should all send in our abduction experiences to be added to the site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

Rob's Granite Page
URL: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rmr/
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
There¹s something charming about a guy fixated on granite. This page has everything you ever wanted to know about one of our most common rocks. A lot of it are technical research papers that were way over my head. Any serious geology buff, especially one who¹s into granite, will probably enjoy this site. Also, for those of you who live in Texas, there¹s an excellent section on the Llano Uplift written at a lay level. There¹s also a comprehensive set of links to the granite research community.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

Holography
URL: http://www.holo.com/holo/gram.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
It would be nice if this site included more background information on holography for those who aren¹t yet familiar with the science behind this amazing 3-D imaging process. The Holography Domain includes a cool ³holographic pattern generator² that you can manipulate by changing number parameters ‹ excellent for math and trig-heads. The Domain also features a few links to holo news, answers to holo-related e-mail, and references to companies working with holograms and lasers.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

Society for Amateur Scientists
URL: http://www.thesphere.com/SAS/
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
Science literacy is the goal of the Society for Amateur Scientists, a support organization that wants to help people ³with a passion to do science find the limits of their own genius.² You can learn about the interests of its members and contact them via e-mail; join SAS or start a chapter yourself; share your research or questions in an electronic forum; and query SAS for help with technical illustrations. There¹s even an online swap meet, so if you need a vacuum tube kit, X-ray tubes, or an oil diffusion pump, SAS is a good first stop. An interesting caveat: SAS ³does not conduct research into paranormal phenomena.²
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

Aquatic Ape Info
URL: http://www.brad.ac.uk/~dmorgan/aat.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
You¹ve gotta love Dewi Morgan, the creator of this page and the grandson of science writer Elaine Morgan, a proponent of the theory that certain primates experienced an ³aquatic stage² before evolving into humans. An alternative to theories promoting the more generally accepted ³savannah² stage, this theory has its fans too, and you can read their opinions here. To be fair, Dewi addresses other evolutionary theories, and admits his inherent bias. This somewhat plain page will make you curious about our biological evolution.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

3-D Reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian Mummy
URL: http://www.pavilion.co.uk/HealthServices/BrightonHealthCare/mummy.htm
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
Our intense fascination with mummies can lead to intensive research, and this page is a good example. It¹s a technical paper by seven medical scientists reporting on the use of computer tomography, radiology and 3-D reconstruction to study unwrapped mummies in the British Museum¹s huge collection. Most of the page describes various research findings, and there are excellent large GIFs illustrating a number of their descriptions. The site should be fascinating to Egyptologists, amateur detectives, and those pondering the human response to death. Not for the faint of heart ‹ how the ancients removed the brain of the deceased is decidedly gross.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

Search the Light Holography
URL: http://www.holo.com/search/search.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Brian Bearden
This is an advertisement for a book you¹re supposed to get excited about and buy. It did not work for me. The site does feature a whopping one photo of a hologram by one artist. There¹s a list of holographic artists and one of their works, which may be of interest to those with a newfound interest in holography. The site¹s creators also have mastered the art of having lots of pages with lots of text while saying nothing. Pretty much the site is just bizarre.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 4

Kinship and Social Organization
URL: http://www.umanitoba.ca/anthropology/kintitle.html
Category: Science
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Karen Wickre
This page from the University of Manitoba anthropology department is a good idea that falls short. Someone¹s uncredited research paper on social organization is laid out as an ³interactive tutorial.² All this really means is that you jump from one page or section to another ‹ as if any other action would be possible. The tone of the presentation is very clinical. Since there are no footnotes or bibliographic resources, you¹re limited to internal content. If you¹re already up on ³systems of descent² or ³lineage exogamy,² then stop here. But if not, better find some more accessible anthropology lessons first.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 4