Thursday, August 12, 2004

Perseid Meteor Showers Tonight!

In case you didn't have a chance to step outside last night to see the Perseids meteor shower, fret not! Tonight will also afford a great view of this annual meteor shower, which can produce up to 50 or 60 meteors an hour - more, on a clear evening.

Space.com has a Perseid viewers guide, Perseid facts, and even tips on photographing meteor showers. So what are you waiting for? Get outside and watch for shooting stars!

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

2004 Election Time

Political campaigns are well underway, so it's time to surf for the latest voting and election information!

Voter registration forms are available through the Secretary of State's website.

Need a 2004 Indiana Voter Information Guide? Find a .pdf version here.

The University of Michigan Documents Center has put together a comprehensive site on all things Election 2004 for the United States. The site includes links and information on the issues, voting, the media and the candidates themselves.

FactCheck.org is hosted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and touts itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit, consumer advocate" for voters.

Want to learn more about our presidential candidates? Check out John Kerry's official site, Ralph Nader's official site, and George W. Bush's official campaign site.

Rock the Vote is politics for the MTV generation! RTV is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1990. Rock the Vote engages youth in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities. From actors to musicians, comedians to athletes, Rock the Vote harnesses cutting-edge trends and pop culture to make political participation cool.

The Smithsonian has created an online display entitled The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden, which walks you through the history of the presidency and the men who served in the White House.

Need some inspiration to become more politically engaged? Look no further than MoveOn.org. MoveOn is working to bring ordinary people back into politics and serves as a catalyst for a new kind of grassroots involvement, supporting busy but concerned citizens in finding their political voice. MoveOn boasts more than 2 million online activists.

Monday, August 09, 2004

New CDs

New music CDs received this week by APL:

Big & Rich - Horse of a Different Color

Bond - Classified

Brandy - Afrodisiac

Jimmy Buffett - License to Chill

Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething

The Cure - The Cure

The Cure - Galore (Singles 1987-1997)

Celine Dion - A New Day (Live in Las Vegas)

Josh Gracin - Josh Gracin

Kiss - The Best of, Volume 2

Lenny Kravitz - Baptism

Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin

Los Lonely Boys - Los Lonely Boys

George Michael - Patience

Various Artists - Spiderman 2 Soundtrack


Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Need Help with Google?

Google has long been considered one of the largest and most powerful search engines on the web. But do you really know how to use Google to its fullest?

Google Guide is a site that helps novice and experienced users learn more about how to effectively use Google by walking through two separate tutorials. The author of the site has released this tutorial site under a Creative Commons license and did some research on Google Answers to prepare the tutorial for users, and is the co-author of the book How to Do Everything with Google.

AnswerBag

Answerbag is a universal, user-generated collection of frequently-asked questions. It is built and moderated by its users, and includes such offbeat questions as "How did the term 'bogart' come to mean 'steal'?" and "What United States president has had the most vacation days during a four year term?"

AnswerBag is browseable by subject area, is fully searchable, and on the homepage they highlight things like Top Categories & Top Contributors. So what are you waiting for - go ask an offbeat question or two!

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