HOLIDAY SCIENCE WEBSITES (fwd) elnezest, hosszu

1998. Dec. 22., K, 09:52:54 CET

T. lista,

elnezest a tobbszori postazasert. A kozelgo unnepek arra batoritanak,
hogy az NSF Library Newsletter unnepi kulonszamat tovabbitsam a listara
es egyszersmind kellemes unnepeket kivanjak.

Udvozlettel

 Zimanyi Magda

 KFKI Reszecske- es Magfizikai Kutato Intezet !Tel:    (+36-1)-395-9242
 Szamitogep Halozati Kozpont                  !   (+36-1)-395-9220/1342
 H-1121 Budapest,Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33!FAX:    (+36-1)-395-9151
 Levelcim: H-1525 Budapest 114, Pf. 49        !        (+36-1)-395-9221
 E-mail: mzimanyi at sunserv.kfki.hu     URL: http://www.kfki.hu/~mzimanyi
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 09:46:20 -0500
From: STS-L Listserv <gbsts at scholar.lib.utk.edu>
Reply-To: "STS-L (Science and Technology Section, ACRL)" <STS-L at UTKVM1.UTK.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list STS-L <STS-L at UTKVM1.UTK.EDU>
Subject: HOLIDAY SCIENCE WEBSITES

Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 13:47:45 -0500
From: Stephanie Bianchi <sbianchi at nsf.gov>
Subject: HOLIDAY SCIENCE WEBSITES

(Posted to several listservs, please excuse duplication)

This is a special holiday edition of the NSF Library Newsletter.  The Staff
of the NSF Library presents it as our holiday gift to you.   We have dusted
this off from last year, repaired the links, and added a few.   Enjoy!

There are lots of Holiday sites on the WWW, but you won't find just Santa
and dreidels here!  We have chosen sites for your enjoyment that are of
special interest to NSF, but still, we hope, reflect some of the joys of
the season!

1.  E-MAIL A HOLIDAY POSTCARD

There are lots of sites that allow you to send a traditional holiday
postcard to your friends, but NASA provides a site that has lovely
postcards with an astronomical theme--for example, a picture of the earth
taken from space and presented as a Christmas tree ball!  Add your own
personal message and enjoy!  Visit the Observatorium at:

http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/postcard/sendcard.html

2.  NORTHERN LIGHTS ABLAZE ON YOUR COMPUTER

For gorgeous photographs of this phenomenon, from both the earth and from
space, and for a quick-time movie showing the shimmer, check this site from
San Francisco's famous Exploratorium Museum:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/

Or check out the contribution of Norway's Northern Lights Planetarium at:

http://www.uit.no/npt/nordlyset/nordlyset.en.html

3.  SOLO FROM THE POLE

Will Steger has returned from his solo visit to the North Pole, and the
National Geographic Society presents this site with photographs and journal
entries:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/ice/index2.html

Or check the discussions of the various exploration expeditions of the
Arctic and introductions to the indigenous peoples of the Arctic around the
world on the Arctic Circle page at:

http://www.lib.uconn.edu/ArcticCircle/HistoryCulture/

Greenland is close enough to the North Pole to count as possible Santa-land
in my book!  You can get a fabulous free Yupik Mask Screensaver at:

http://www.greenland-guide.gl/masks/default.htm

4.  REINDEER AND THEIR COUSINS

What would the holiday be without reindeer?  Or at least their close
cousins, the caribou.  The 160,000 animals that make up the Porcupine
Caribou Herd range throughout the Northern Yukon and neighbouring Alaska
and Northwest Territories. What are the effects of global climate change on
the Herd? How do they distribute themselves within their range? What is the
influence of snow density, wind, and insect harrassment on them? Such
knowledge is essential in building computer models to predict the impact of
climate change in the caribou population. Enjoy the gorgeous SLIDE SHOW at:

http://www.cciw.ca/eman-temp/reports/publications/nysoe/index/pch/pc_index.h
tml

Or the slide show (of real reindeer) at the University of Alaska Reindeer
Research Program at:

http://reindeer.salrm.alaska.edu/slideshow.htm

For information on these lovely animals, go to the fact-filled Caribou FAQ at:

http://www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/arctic/carcon.html

5.  YULE CAT

Of course there are other animals associated with the holiday season as
well, bound by myths and folktales and cultural traditions.  For instance,
"from Iceland comes the legend of the sinister and gargantuan Yule Cat,
who, it seems, is ready to eat lazy humans. Those who did not help with the
work of their village to finish all work on the autumn wool by Yule time
got a double whammy -- they missed out on the Yule reward of a new article
of clothing, and they were threatened with becoming sacrifices for the
dreaded Yule Cat."  Read about this and other traditions of Yule, Solstice,
and Saturnalia at:

http://www.candlegrove.com/home.html

6.  THE HOLLY AND THE IVY (AND THE MISTLETOE)

What would the season be without wreaths and garlands?  This site at Texas
A&M has gorgeous botanical images, full plant, leaves, flowers, etc.  Do a
search on Ilex, Hedera, or Loranthaceae.

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/gallery.htm

For those with a special interest in folklore and legends, you might enjoy
visiting a page with discussions of the various beliefs about mistletoe at:

http://www.scenicity.com/mistletoexpress/lore.html

Find other traditional beliefs about these botanical specimens at:

http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/YulePlants.html

7.  THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

Many planetariums present shows on the Star of Bethlehem at this season,
but no matter how hard you try to be careful and well-researched, errors
can creep into the presentation.  Find out what some of the common errors
are in the article by John Mosely, program director at the Griffith
Observatory, at:

http://www.griffithobs.org/IPSChristmasErrors.html

Griffith Observatory also offers a good list of Star of Bethlehem web
resources at:

http://www.griffithobs.org/StarofBethlehem.html

You may not expect something as spectacular as the Star of Bethlehem this
year, but to keep track of what you might see in the holiday night sky,
check out the weekly report of the Star Gazer, whom you may have heard on
various NPR stations, at:

http://www.jackstargazer.com/scriptoftheweek.html

8.  FOR THE SCROOGES AMONG US

For a discussion of the scientific reasons Santa cannot possibly exist, try
the "Science--Bah Humbug!" page by Bill Drennon at:

http://www.cvc.org/christmas/science.htm

9.  WILL THERE BE A WHITE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR?

The National Climatic Data Center brings you a region-by-region examination
of the climatological chances for a white Christmas in the continental
United States at:

http://www.stormfax.com/whtexmas.htm

(Only 13% chance for Washington, DC.)

What does snow really look like, anyway?  Check out the fascinating
electron microscope images of snow crystals at:

http://www.lpsi.barc.usda.gov/emusnow/

or join the fun by making your own snowflake images (if you have a
microscope handy) using the instructions at:

http://www.micscape.simplenet.com/mag/articles/snow.html

More snow resources can be found at the links page at:

http://www-nsidc.colorado.edu/NSIDC/EDUCATION/SNOW/web_resources.html

10.  WHEN IS WINTER, ANYWAY?

For the exact time of the winter solstice for any year between 1992 and
2000, check the chart provided by the University of Virginia at:

http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~eww6n/astro/WinterSolstice.html

11.  HOLIDAY FUN FOR LINGUISTS

The Linguists among us will enjoy a discussion of the 15 ways Hannukkah can
be transliterated into English at:

http://www.comsynrye.org/xanuka.html

Or marvel at the 32 words for snow in the Inupiat Eskimo Dictionary, listed
at:

http://www.peaknet.org/rec/snoword2.html

or the 49 compiled from the West Greenlandic Dialect by Stuart P. Derby at:

http://www.peaknet.org/rec/snowword.html

Or learn to sign "Merry Christmas" at:

http://www.cvc.org/christmas/sign_mc.htm

12.  THE CHEMISTRY OF CHRISTMAS

Ever wonder what the "smell of Christmas" might look like?  Check out the
"Swedish Christmas Chemistry site at:

http://www.santesson.com/christ/chemhome.htm

You will find chemical formulas for compounds and processes in spices,
lutefisk (yummy!), Christmas trees, candlelight, sparklers, and glogg
(spiced wine).  If you want more information on these chemical structures,
check them out in CS Chemfinder at:

http://chemfinder.camsoft.com/advanced/

You can search by name or chemical structure (and more) to find detailed
structure, melting points, boiling points, specific gravity, and more!

MORE TRADITIONAL SITES:

For fuller coverage of Internet sites on Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa,
Ramadan, and the other holidays we all enjoy, go to the Yahoo "Holidays"
site at:

http://www.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Holidays/

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR, FROM YOUR NSF LIBRARY STAFF!

THIS NEWSLETTER IS DISTRIBUTED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND DOES
NOT REPRESENT ENDORSEMENT OF ANY PRODUCT OR ENTITY OR WEBSITE BY THE
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION OR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

Compiled by Stephanie Bianchi, 12/97.  Revised 11/98.

Stephanie Bianchi, NSF Library.