Bioethics for Beginners
http://www.med.upenn.edu/~bioethic/outreach/bioforbegin/

Maybe you've found yourself contemplating the pros and cons of cloning from time to time, questioning the role of one Dr. Kevorkian, or considering the terms of your own living will. Bioethics for Beginners encourages these and other debates surrounding the more problematic aspects of science and medicine. As you might guess from the name, the site's approach is instructional. A no-nonsense design is backdrop for introductory discussion on bioethical issues, information about how to enter into the growing field, and a roster of faculty who are available for online queries and speaking engagements. If you are stopping by the site for help or inspiration with a paper or homework assignment, you wont be disappointed: there is a section specifically for such purposes, with a search function, bibliography, and hyperlinks to supplemental sources. - Katherine Stevenson


Inroads Into Harlem
http://chat.carleton.ca/~obollman/hosd/main.html

At first glance, one might buy the claim that Inroads Into Harlem is an established revitalization project whose "careful studies and strategies" present a viable means for cultivating Harlem's "new urban core." There are, after all, some nice photos of the neighborhood; menu tabs promising Analysis, Plans, Intervention, etc...; and an impressive array of digitally rendered maps and grids of Harlem's streets and structures. Closer inspection of the site, however, reveals paragraphs full of idealism and ambiguity, unexplained restoration models, and inexcusable technical problems such as a Continue tab that leads to the previous page. If, in the end, Inroads seems like the naive collaboration of a few college undergrads, that's because it is. - Katherine Stevenson


Preserve & Protect
http://www.preserve.org/

If you're in New York and are concerned at all with historic and environmental preservation (and you should be, at least a little bit), Preserve & Protect is a good source for news. Visit for bulletins on landmark conservancy, information for owners of historic homes, and a memorable slide show of images from old New York. Preserve & Protect also designs and maintains free sites for other organizations such as the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation and the Historic House Trust of New York City. Worth a look even if you're far from the Big Apple. - David Pescovitz


Academy of Achievement
http://www.achievement.org/

The Academy of Achievement claims "this is no ordinary museum. This is an experience that can change your life." Well, the Academy of Achievement is pretty cool, but.... Hyperbole aside, the site is quite interesting. Learn about great ideas from our history and the minds behind the curtain. Read the words of Dr. James D. Watson, discoverer of the DNA molecule, browse biographies of James Michener, Amy Tan, and dozens of others, and flip through the prose that influenced members of the Academy (Jimmy Carter: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men; Francis Ford Coppola: A Streetcar Named Desire). Go to the Academy and enjoy virtual meetings with remarkable men and women. - David Pescovitz


Jerome B. Wiesner: A Random Walk Through the 20th Century
http://ic.www.media.mit.edu/JBW/

Bring a Java-enabled browser (preferably Netscape 3.0 or higher) and QuickTime to experience this unusual Web site. Using streamed images, still pictures, and text, the site takes you through the life of Jerome Wiesner, former MIT president and Kennedy advisor. The site utilizes a Java-powered grid to allow you to select your own path through Wiesner's life, and you can do so either thematically or chronologically. Although the history is fascinating and the programming effort impressive, the monstrosity of many of the files makes visiting this site with anything less than a T1 connection downright annoying. - Mike Hase


Ancestors
http://www2.kbyu.byu.edu/ancestors/

The Ancestors site takes its title from the recent PBS television series that chronicled various efforts at tracking genealogy and creating family trees. The site provides an overview of the series and summaries of each episode, while the FAQ focuses on how to order tapes and when the series may air again. If all this leaves you wondering about your own lineage, the site also features a variety of do-it-yourself tools, including the Family Finder Index, blank charts and record forms, and links under headings such as Genealogy Gifts and Reunion Supplies. - Katherine Stevenson


Making of America
http://www.umdl.umich.edu/moa/

Making of America (MOA) represents a massive mission to gather, digitize, and make available large numbers of primary source materials dealing with the development of U.S. infrastructure. With sponsorship from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, MOA's librarians, researchers, and instructors perform this daunting task. After two years, the team has only produced half of the 1.5 million scanned images that will document the mere 27-year span between the antebellum period and reconstruction. Clearly, this site is an academic affair, and while highly informative, it's also a bit dry. - Katherine Stevenson


The Immortality of Frankenstein
http://www.scottiedog.co.uk/frank.html

Frankenstein's monster has reigned as a dominant icon of horror in popular culture for over 150 years. The monster in Frakenstein, the gothic novel written by Mary Shelley in 1831, continues this popularity on the Web. The Immortality of Frankenstein examines the theater, film, and television presence of the monster, as well as its new residence on the Internet and in new media. This academic study includes a detailed bibliography that caters to Frankenstein fans wishing for more analysis and links to lighter fare for those who don't enjoy the site's erudite tone. - Clary Alward


American Treasures of the Library of Congress
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trupscale

Site of the month!!
Itself an American treasure, the century-old Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress reopened last spring after a decade of renovation. As impressive as the glorious Italian-Renaissance architecture is the inspiring exhibition housed within. American Treasures of the Library of Congress is a rotating exhibition of 200 artifacts drawn from an astonishing collection of 110 million items. So what exactly constitutes a "treasure"? The exhibition's Web site accurately reflects the Library of Congress's diverse answers to that question. Unlike other museum sites (such as the Warhol and Air & Space museums) that show off expected art and artifacts, this one continually surprises visitors with completely unexpected delights. Here "treasure" is a broad umbrella term covering everything from old baseball cards to historical documents, from Native American flutes to Maya Lin's sketches for the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. The broad range of items and the prospect of new additions make American Treasures worthy of repeated visits. The site is a dignified, easily explored presentation worthy of the subject matter. The collection is divided into three large areas-Memory, Reason, and Imagination-with about 20 items in each. Memory includes Major Bowes's notes on Frank Sinatra's original audition and the contents of Lincoln's pockets on the night he was assassinated; Reason has Lewis and Clark's maps and early slave narratives; Imagination offers a first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and John Philip Sousa's sheet music (and words) to "The Stars and Stripes Forever," among other glittering gems. A Top Treasure button pulls up one of the main attractions, such as Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout the site you can enlarge images, and each item is accompanied by an informative, reverential essay. While it gives a tantalizing taste of the current exhibition, the Web site leaves you hungry for more. You'll wish you could actually see Edison's first film of a sneeze, not just still pictures; some documents are frustratingly illegible when enlarged; and a photo of a Jelly Roll Morton record isn't the same as hearing what's on it. Still, history lovers looking for Mr. Wright (Orville, Wilbur, or Frank Lloyd) will embrace this handsome site. It's serendipity defined. - Chris Strodder