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September
30, 2002
Bad Astonomy
http://www.badastronomy.com
This website has been maintained since 1997 by Phil Plait, who holds a
doctorate in astronomy. Among his
favorite subjects is Hollywood’s version of space – from Star Wars to Armageddon to Space Cowboys. He also address topics like UFOs, egg
balancing at the equinox, laser cannons, Planet X, and other bad science –
and does so with a good bit of humor.
And, sometimes, the bad astronomy is just funny all by itself. Astronomy magazine describes the website as
an excellent education tool for educators who are helping students understand
the abuses of pseudoscience. The site
is educational, interesting, and entertaining.
September 23, 2002
SCIway
http://www.sciway.net/
SCIway – South Carolina’s Information Highway – is the largest
collection of South Carolina information on the Internet. SCIway contains links to facts,
directories, events calendars, jobs, maps, schools and colleges, counties and
towns, history, real estate, weather, web cams, and hundreds more resources. This site is an excellent starting point
for anything you want to learn about our state. Under history, for example, you will find
sections on SC people, places, periods, genealogy, documents, lighthouses,
and much more. The genealogy section
provides birth and death records for virtually every historical family
name. You can also sign up for a
SCIway newsletter that is emailed periodically. The newsletter contains interesting,
informative, and entertaining links to special South Carolina topics. If you need to know more or just want to
learn more about South Carolina – past, present, and future – SCIway is the place to start.
September
16, 2002
HotMath for High School
http://www.hotmath.org
The HotMath website was created for students who “are not as fortunate as
others who have math-talented relatives, friends, or tutors who can help
them.” HotMath covers actual problems
in more than 30 textbooks for Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus,
and Calculus. If a student – or a
parent – is having trouble with a problem, she can click on the icon for her
textbook and give the page number for the problem. After choosing the problem, she can then
request a hint or ask for the next step in solving the problem. The problem is worked, one step at a time,
until it is solved. The website
includes only the odd-numbered problems – for which most answers are given in
the textbooks – so students cannot use the site to complete all math
homework. This site can also be
helpful to parents who try to help their children with high school math. It can also be helpful in after-school
programs, homework centers, and adult education programs.
September 9, 2002
The Hygiene Hypothesis
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0209/resources_who.html
National Geographic magazine has started a new monthly feature entitled
“Who Knew?” The first article asks the question: Why are allergies becoming so common? Some scientists theorize that our lives
aren’t dirty enough – which is the premise of the “hygiene hypothesis.” Hygiene, says one researcher, is the major
health change of the past 200 years, making unsanitary crowded environments
and the associated bacteria, viruses, and parasites—for the most part—things
of the past. That may explain some
compelling findings: Respiratory allergies appear to be less prevalent in
poor societies than in rich ones. People
raised on farms have lower allergy rates than those who grew up in
cities. And children who attended day
care have lower rates of allergies.
This webpage has links to several organizations that deal with
allergies and asthma. It also has a
bibliography related to hygiene and the roles of germs in relation to
allergies. So … do you think Charlie
Brown’s friend Pigpen has the right idea?
September 2, 2002
TECHtionary
http://www.techtionary.com
TECHtionary is an online dictionary of
technology terms – with a twist. Each
term is defined and explained with diagrams, graphics, and pictures as well
as with text. The site was first
developed to show how things work for the Internet, data networking, telecommunications,
and other things related to today’s technology. It is the first animated online
dictionary/glossary of that technology.
It covers everything from “access edge routers” to “zettabyte” –
including an excellent description of the way the Internet works. The site can be used in information
technology classes or by anyone who wants to understand better the way the
home computer works as you browse the web and get your email.
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