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October 27, 2002
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Between screenshot1870 and 1915, over 10,000 people -- mostly urban immigrants -- lived in one of the 20 apartments at 97 Orchard Street. Visit this site to explore the tenement, which typically housed seven or more people crowded into 325 square feet of living space. Visit a few of the families in the Urban Log Cabin section, which uses dollhouse dioramas to depict the homes of Russian Jews, Polish immigrants, New Yorkers of German descent, Greek Sephardic Jews, and naturalized Yiddish families. Dig under the floorboards to find old milk bottle tops, a Ouija board, cigarettes, and shoes, or peel through 13 layers of wallpaper that date from the 1870s to the 1930s. The QuickTime panoramas of two apartments reveal expressive details about people living under one roof. Look at the decorations a Sicilian family used to make the best of their tiny rooms. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum weaves a colorful tapestry from the backgrounds of these working-class Americans. (in New York)
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October 26, 2002
NASA's Origins Program
NASA screenshotfocuses its biggest telescopes on galaxies, stars, planets, and life itself. The Origins Program addresses two defining scientific questions: "Where do we come from? and "Are we alone?" Using both ground-based observatories and space-based missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA scans the skies. Scientists want to find out how galaxies and planets evolved and created the right chemical conditions to support life on Earth. Knowing how our own planet developed helps scientists pinpoint other planets capable of sustaining life. For a look at planned spacecraft, check out the Origins video. Learn about ultra-lightweight telescopes and other new technology being developed for the project. The timeline of the universe gives a refresher course on the Big Bang and what came after. If an extraterrestrial is out there, the Origins Program may be the first to find it. (in Science > Astronomy)
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October 25, 2002
New Wave Photos
Music screenshotaficionados consider the late '70s and early '80s to be the black hole of music history. Disco and corporate rock ruled the charts, but something interesting was happening under the pop-music radar. New wave and punk bands offered the original alternative to music fans tired of Top-40 drivel. Phillipe Carly was one of the disillusioned who flocked to this new breed of music, and the photos he snapped of the era make for an entirely entertaining retrospective of this subculture. Carly never considered himself a photographer. Rather, he prefers to say, "I was merely taking pictures." Well-known bands such as Siouxsie & the Banshees and New Order are represented, but the real treat is clicking through black-and-white photos of obscurities. From á;GRUMH... to XTC, the new wave movement is traced in this continually growing collection. If you long for your own piece of "livin' in the '80s," you're in luck -- all the photos are available for purchase (droning synths not included). (in New Wave and Synthpop)
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October 24, 2002
Invention at Play
Remember screenshotthe halcyon days of finding shapes in clouds, doodling on paper, creating cities from building blocks, and just letting your imagination run free? That same childlike wonderment and imaginative play is what inspired many past and present-day inventors. This Smithsonian exhibition invites you to tinker around an invention playhouse and see if you can spur any creative juices. In the case of Alexander Graham Bell, a few paper doodles were the first imaginings of the indispensable telephone. Drug pioneer Gertrude Elion likened her important experiments to playing with a jigsaw puzzle. Through the inventors' stories, you may notice a running theme of recognizing the unusual, borrowing from nature, and asking countless questions. You'll discover that necessity is not always the mother of invention. Sometimes, you just have to think like a kid. (in Inventions)
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October 23, 2002
TIME Asia: Asian Journey
While screenshotAmerica's trains chug along riderless and Europe's trains are packed with backpacking college students, Asia's trains serve as lifelines for local people in both remote areas and big cities. This Time magazine site explores the Asian continent by rail, from Pakistan to the Pacific with many stops in between. Start with the table of contents or simply poke around through the evocative essays and lush photographs. Travel the old silk roads from western China to Kazakhstan or take the trans-Siberian route from Beijing to Moscow. Discover how the legacy of the British Raj lives on in the iron horses that traverse the Indian subcontinent, almost connecting the warring states of India and Pakistan. From Burma to Vietnam, through South Korea and Japan, and across the expanses of China, Asia is defined by the wonders and the horrors that trains have brought into people's daily lives. This site is a first-class ticket to view a continent on the move. (in Recreation and Sports > Travel Photos)
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October 22, 2002
PBS: Borders Virtual Series
Through screenshotvideo, audio, and text stories, this web-only series from PBS explores the literal and metaphysical borders in our lives. A 10-week interactive drama told through the eyes of three teenagers near the U.S./Mexico border, Leaving Elsa uses the border between the countries as a metaphor for the borders between childhood and adulthood. The snapshots section is full of short digital meditations on the idea of borders -- some snapshots are commissioned for the site, other are submitted by viewers like you. Journey follows a family of migrant farm workers as they travel between California and Texas and chronicles the struggles they feel. The site also features weekly talks with writers, academics, and artists who chat about how border issues affect their work and their lives. Links to webcams around the world let you travel across borders yourself. Once again, PBS pushes the borders of the proverbial envelope with this thought-provoking site. (in Cultures and Groups)
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October 21, 2002
IraqJournal
As screenshotwar between America and Iraq looms, coverage by the mainstream media is called into question. Maverick reporter Jeremy Scahill and some impassioned colleagues feel that many journalists have lost credibility, marching lockstep with the Bush administration to a pro-war drumbeat. Live from Baghdad, Scahill and company are sorting out the facts and breaking rank. The goal of this project is to offer an insider's look at Iraq and how U.S. foreign policy affects the daily lives of Iraqi people. With candid photos, regularly updated field reports, and audio and video journals, it's not surprising folks are listening. The Saddam In Rumsfeld's Closet, an article published in August 2002, piqued enough interest in Washington that it eventually reached the desk of Senator Robert Byrd. Whether or not you agree with their angle, you have to admire the guts it takes to track down and recount these stories. (in Government > Politics)
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