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| Sacred Geometry |
| Sea Level Change |
| Just the FAQ's on Tornadoes |
| Psychology of Hackers: Steps Toward a New Taxonomy |
| Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission |
| GalacticSurf |
| Toxic Chemicals in Coastal Environments |
| Fermilab |
| The Wizard of Odds: Gambling Strategies |
| Taluga's Cave of the Glowing Skulls |
| Spoilheap |
| Netsurfer Recommendations |
| Autopsy Resource at Johns Hopkins |
| The Public Interest in Postmodern Nursing |
| Epilepsy Research |
| The Raptor Center |
| A Line in the Sand |
| But Mulder's Degree Comes from Oxford (Which, We're Pretty Sure, is a Real University) |
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REVIEWERS' CHOICE
Is there a Mrs. Swamp Thing?
Yronwode: http://www.luckymojo.com/sacreddefined.html
Temple Geometry: http://www.sciam.com/1998/0598issue/0598rothman.html
EARTH SYSTEMS
No matter where you go, there you are
http://earth.agu.org/revgeophys/dougla01/dougla01.html
"Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) have been written on thousands of topics since early online users found it useful to capture information about a topic in the form of commonly encountered questions and their answers. Now, this economical approach to conveying information has been applied to the phenomenon of tornadoes by Roger Edwards of the Storm Prediction Center. Don't look for pictures and videos on this page. It's straightforward text that aims to enlighten you quickly, particularly if you have a question in mind. Edwards even provides an index at the end of the page in case you can't identify a specific category of question in which you're interested. For those who live in Tornado Alley, this FAQ is indispensable if vacation plans don't include unexpected visits to the Wizard of Oz.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/
COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING
Open the pod bay doors, Hal
Psychology of Hackers: Steps Toward a New Taxonomy
A Van Winkle or Beauty who dozed off in 1960 and awakened today would no doubt be puzzled by many of the terms in common use. One of those terms is the word 'hacker'. Before the computer age, a hacker was a person inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity. However, during the evolution of the computer, the term took on a new meaning. Today, it essentially refers to people attracted to the intricacies of computer networks and computer code. Initially, hackers were mostly gifted programmers, computer scientists, and professionals at institutions such as MIT. This site asserts that there are four generations of evolution of the term, beginning with the one just cited and leading to its general meaning today. Author Marc Rogers has written a scholarly article complete with citations and references. If you're interested in the term 'hacker' or if you have a paper to write for anthropology class, this site will provide ample information.http://www.infowar.com/hacker/99/HackerTaxonomy.shtml
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission
Well, 'near' is relative term; the asteroid known as 433 Eros was about 16 million miles away from Earth when the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft finally reached it last February. The size of the asteroid is about 21x8x8 miles, one of the largest in near-Earth orbit. During its year-long active mission, the spacecraft has attempted to determine the mass, structure, geology, composition, gravity, and magnetic field of the asteroid, not to mention taking lots of cool pictures, many of which are available at this official site. Current news, daily images, and friendly information on the mission are also available. No aliens, so far.http://near.jhuapl.edu/
A genuine portal, this site from France has an illustrated 3 by 7 array of links to sections on such topics as the solar system, space art, exoplanets, black holes, relativity, astro software, exobiology, galaxies, and more. In each section the links are well described and sometimes rated (with stars suitably enough). Edouard Reny, a professional materials scientist, put this place together. It's a fine example of a personal site that's useful, well done, and with some personality. And, of course, it's also available in French.
http://galacticsurf.free.fr/
MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY
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Toxic Chemicals in Coastal Environments
What's the government doing about hazardous materials spills, you ask? Well, it's the Coastal Protection and Restoration Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that happens to be on the job, and they've put together a pretty good Web site to show what they're doing and to serve as a clearinghouse for information on the subject. Downloadable publications, computer programs with hazardous chemicals database and digital maps to assist in assessing spill/leak severity, and a nice kids' section, all strung together with friendly navigation. A large photo gallery (including Exxon Valdez photos) can give you some nice choices for attachments with threatening letters to enemies. Whether a huge tanker runs ashore on your private beach, or your neighbor is dumping used motor oil behind your shed, you're sure to find something useful here.NOAA: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/cpr/cpr.html
Oil-Spill Sucking Pillows of Hair: http://www.adn.com/evos/stories/EV318.html
New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.co.uk/ns/980516/nhair.html
Fermilab is home to the Tevatron, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, whose beamlines, injector, and Main ring proton synchrotron sprawl across (or should we say sprawl inside?) miles of countryside at this US Department of Energy national laboratory for basic research about matter and energy. It's always fun to poke around a facility like this, even virtually, getting the grand tour, peeking into labs, brushing up on particle physics, looking up names in the phone directory (surprising where some of your friends end up!). You can also investigate job opportunities, check out PR materials and read FermiNews the biweekly lab newspaper online, or request a subscription. What shines through here is the successful collaborative atmosphere involving staff from scores of different organizations and nations, all working intensively together using elaborate, expensive machinery to hack and slash at the undergrowth at the frontiers of science.
http://www.fnal.gov/
The Wizard of Odds: Gambling Strategies
The world of gambling is about as full of unscientific notions as your mailbox is full of spam. It's strange that something that can be so easily broken down to straight math can engender so many mystical, fuzzy, and unproven notions. Actuary Michael Shackleford helps us sort through the nonsense by exploding some of the myths around gambling and odds. He looks at many of the common so-called betting systems, like the enjoinder to double your bet after every loss. Using simulations, he also examines and discredits the cancellation system and the six cartridge roulette revolving system. You'll find probability sheets for various common games, such as poker, bingo, lottery, sports betting, and dice games. For those of us unfamiliar or only passing familiar with the casino floor can find rules that govern the games to which the odds apply, and for extra measure we can see how the games operate through Java simulations. Not surprisingly, a site about gambling attracts a lot of ads, past which you'll have to navigate.http://www.thewizardofodds.com/
ARCHEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY
What is past is prologue
Taluga's Cave of the Glowing Skulls
Some 3,000 years ago, the people of what is now called Taluga Village in Honduras entombed honored citizens in a burial chamber in a cave. That cave was re-discovered in 1994 by US Peace Corps volunteers and Hondurans who left it undisturbed, wisely calling in the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History. Professional archeologists investigated the cave and found many artifacts along with the calcite-covered bones of a few hundred Talugans who had lived in the area in about 800 BCE. There are two sites associated with Taluga Cave. The first one is a technical assessment of the find from an anthropologist's point of view. The second is more robust with a tour of the cave, pictures, and a wider discussion of the entire village as an archaeological dig.Cal State: http://nss.calstatela.edu/anthro/Talgua_pre.htm
Latin American studies: http://www.geology.utoledo.edu/research/latin-am/trip.html
What does a human bone excavated from the earth have in common with a person's medical chart? They both tell a lot about the subject's health and life. Osteoarthritis of the knee, osteoarthritis of the hip, fractured tibias, and more can be found in the spoilheap of human bones. Not only does this site feature a photo gallery, it also offers papers on the subject and links to other sites offering information on human bones and their excavation. Sound morbid? Of course, but it's also educational and fascinating from the checking-out-the-train-wreck perspective. There is enough of a scientific posture at this site to justify its examination by serious students of forensic medicine and by those just interested in boning up on their knowledge of human decay.
http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/index.htm
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Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival 
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MEDICINE, BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY
It's alive! It's alive!
Autopsy Resource at Johns Hopkins
The term 'autopsy' comes from the Greek, meaning "seeing with one's own eyes". Certainly, this is so when one is opened up stem to stern. Johns Hopkins attempts to provide an online resource for autopsy information on cases dating back to the 1800s. A snappy search engine allows you to search for terms in the text of these autopsies. For example, a search on the word 'heart' yielded a young person who died of syphilis in 1890, along with other symptoms and observations. Although this site might be considered slightly macabre or even gruesome for the general public, it's also fascinating information with enough scientific rigor to interest professionals.http://www.autopsydb.org/
The Public Interest in Postmodern Nursing
Say it isn't so! Nonetheless, Sarah Glazer examines the corrosive influence of postmodernism and new-age pseudoscience on the noble profession of nursing. Zoom in on nurse Linda Rosa who encountered brochures dealing with crystal healing, color therapy, and therapeutic touch, advertising courses that would satisfy the requirements for continuing education for nurses in Colorado. As Glazer notes, Rosa was aghast. Holistic healing lacks the scientific rigor of empirical science and therapeutic touch, one of the most common of these techniques, is widely used by nurses. Endorsed at the highest levels of the profession, it is said that more than 100 colleges and universities around the world teach this technique. Glazer examines this trend and illuminates what she calls scientific mysticism as it relates to the practice of nursing in the world today. Where do you weigh in? Is there something to these techniques that escapes the empirical method? You'll have to find the article once you home in on The Public Interest. Look for Postmodern Nursing.http://www.thepublicinterest.com/
Once upon a time a person with epilepsy was considered sacred, one in direct contact with the gods. We all know, though, that assessment changed, and such people were, at best, neglected, put at the extreme borders of our civilized society. Today epilepsy is studied and cured. without superstitions or fears. This Web site shows the activity of the epilepsy research group, formed by three London-based institutions. Here, you'll find all the information and images related to the clinical and basic scientific research in epilepsy (Acrobat Reader required).
http://www.erg.ion.ucl.ac.uk/
Who hasn't admired a bird of prey at one time or another? The American Bald Eagle, the Red Tailed Hawk, and other raptors have something about them that inspires awe and respect from us. Maybe it's the fierce talons or the deep dark eyes of the birds that affect us. Maybe it's the sweeping arc of enormous wings that make us feel there's something special about these creatures. The Raptor Center is an international medical facility for birds of prey that to preserve and protect raptors. If you're wondering what to do with an injured raptor, how to seek adoption of a raptor, what legislation is pending concerning raptors, or where to track down a newsgroup discussing raptors, you can find it here.
http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/
ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, ECONOMICS, AND GEOGRAPHY
All that we see or seem
http://www.hanksville.org/sand/
PSEUDOSCIENCE, BAD SCIENCE, AND WORSE
I rarely use it myself, Sir. It promotes rust.
But Mulder's Degree Comes from Oxford (Which, We're Pretty Sure, is a Real University)
The benefits of a visit from Jacob Marley notwithstanding, it's good to know who we're gonna call. Oh, if only it could be Ghostbusters. Instead, it might be Dave Oester and Sharon Gill, hosts at Ghostweb.com and purveyors of home study courses that net you certification as a Ghost Hunter or a Paranormal Investigator. Eschewing - even disdaining - 19th-century hoo-haw like ouija boards and seances, Oester and Gill instead offer a great deal on 20th-century hoo-haw like Dave's TriField EMF Ghost Detector, a steal at a shade under $200 and hailed as "the best ever available under $2000". Proof positive that better things await folks toiling in Sears Portrait Studio, Dave and Sharon began their professional careers as photographers. Sharon moved on to earn a PhD in metaphysical counseling from the University of Metaphysics. Dave holds a PhD in religion and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity through Universal Life Church. All of their many degrees [sic] are accredited by the International Accrediting Association. (We're including a link to degree.net, where you can see just how stringent the IAA's standards are - and you'll like the circularity, too.) Lest you think that Dave and Sharon are merely hawking their wares on the Web, you should know too that the site is rife with ghost photos, articles as laughably preposterous for their bad writing as they are for their dim logic, and the ever-predictable members-only features.Ghostweb: http://www.ghostweb.com
Degree.net: http://www.degree.net/guides/non-gaap_listings.html
Universal Life Church: http://ulcmonastery.safeshopper.com/7/cat7.htm?936