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Saturday, September 2, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Tech Tracks blog
News and perspectives from our tech team. Brier Dudley's blog
A critical look at tech and business issues. A back-to-school gift for you: Web sites to help you through most any subjectLos Angeles Times
It's great to get a new laptop, music player and cellphone for heading back to school. But here's a tech item you can use free: a list of Web sites on a variety of academic topics. Most include links for exploring subjects in detail. Cut this article out and tape it up in your dorm room, your apartment, your Mom's basement or wherever you do your studying. First up: a group of sites you definitely want to bookmark no matter what classes you'll be taking this year. Academic all stars Internet Public Library www.ipl.orgTough to say enough good about this little-known site. It was started by the University of Michigan and provides links to online pages in numerous academic fields. And it will probably get even more comprehensive because 14 other schools have signed on to join the project. SparkNotes The primary mission of this site from Barnes & Noble is to feature study guides to novels and nonfiction. But it also has free reference guides to other topics such as biology, math and physics. How Stuff Works
Takes questions in plain language. Works best with simple queries such as, "When was Benjamin Franklin born?" Still the best search engine. Anatomy Anatomy Atlases The Atlas of Human Anatomy on this site offers fantastic images of human body parts. Anatomy of the Human Body This is the 1918 version of the classic Gray's "Anatomy of the Human Body" on the Bartleby.com site. Still a handy, basic guide. Human Anatomy Online Interactive site that's used to identify body parts (not just skeletal but also digestive, muscular and other systems) and to learn about their functions. Archeology ArchNet Arizona State University's list of links to museums and other resources, organized by geography and topic. Archaeology Assorted links, organized by region. Art history Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art's timeline of art history, from Mal'ta carvings in Asia in 20,000 BC to video installations by Bill Viola that the museum purchased in 2001. Art History Resources witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html Extensive links to art periods, artists and museums. Artchive Not the easiest site to navigate but worth the trouble. The online guide provides images of works by prominent artists. Biology University of Arizona Biology Project University of Arizona's site has links organized by topic. BioLinks www.mnstate.edu/weibust/internetresbiostu.htm Minnesota State University Moorhead's list of links, by topic. Census U.S. Census Bureau Factfinder Official U.S. population numbers, by ZIP code, from the federal Census Bureau. Breaks information down by race and other factors. Chemistry Of the many sites on the Web about the periodic table of elements, this one's particularly well-designed. It began as an eighth-grader's science project in 1996. The Sheffield Chemdex Originating from the University of Sheffield in England, this site features more than 7,000 links. General Chemistry Online antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/index.shtml Quizzes, glossaries and tutorials from Frostburg State University in Maryland. Conversion tools Metric Conversions www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html Metric conversions of distance, area, weight, speed, temperature and more. Also converts fractions to decimals. Universal Currency Converter Converts more than 180 world currencies. Continuously updated. Languages Translates words and phrases in 13 languages. Verbix www.verbix.com/webverbix/index.asp Conjugates verbs in numerous languages. Ethnologue Information on nearly 7,000 living languages. Literature Project Gutenberg Now in its 35th year, this spectacular collection of 18,000 public-domain books includes all works by Shakespeare, "Moby Dick" and numerous religious texts. All selections can be downloaded to be read either on the computer screen or on paper. Literature (in English) vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=3World literature links from UC Santa Barbara. Cliffs Notes The famed Cliffs Notes study guides to hundreds of books can be read on the Web site free, although you'll have to pay to download a print version in a PDF file. Math Algebra.help Algebra practice problems. Math Playground www.mathplayground.com/flashcards.html Remember flashcards? Here's an online version. Music Worldwide Internet Music Resources www.music.indiana.edu/music_resources This list of links, organized by music genre, composer and performer, comes from Indiana University. Carolina Classical Connection www.carolinaclassical.com/links.html Good set of links, organized by era. ClassicalNet More than 5,000 links, plus thousands of CD reviews and recommendations. Philosophy Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu/contents.html This is a work in progress that provides short essays on nearly 1,000 names and concepts. All are written by professionals in the field. EpistemeLinks www.epistemelinks.com/index.aspx These links are organized according to philosophers, eras and topics. A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names Dictionary of names and terms, many of which include links to other resources. Physics Center for History of Physics Interactive exhibits from the American Institute of Physics on landmark discoveries in the field. Physics 2000 www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl An interactive site from the University of Colorado at Boulder demonstrates physics principles behind microwave ovens, X-rays, lasers and more. Political science Library of Congress' Thomas The Library of Congress site includes the daily Congressional Record and updates on pending legislation. Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm Links to government websites worldwide. Psychology AllPsych Online A glossary of basic terms, plus numerous other features such as a timeline. Encyclopedia of Psychology Links to publications and resources. Reference Enter a word and get a definition from the American Heritage Dictionary among other sources. HighBeam Encyclopedia Brief entries from the Columbia Encyclopedia. Infoplease Almanac of statistics and information on politics, business, sports, weather and entertainment. World facts The World Factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook Not everything the CIA does is secret. The agency's public directory of countries includes such information as a nation's population, government type, terrain, agriculture, health systems, languages and broadcast stations. Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
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