http://patents.uspto.gov/patbib_index.html
IBM and Optipat, Inc. have made a searchable US Patent Database available on the web. Patents from 1971 to the end of 1996 are here and retrieval includes bibliographic information about the patent, claims, reference, and abstract information. In addition, for patents since 1987, images of the patent are available.
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/toyota/
The John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera, one of the largest and most important collections of printed ephemera anywhere in the world, was the source of the thousands of motoring and transportation images now accessible at this site. This image database can be searched by keyword or by browsing through images categorized by type of transport (motor cars, carriages and coaches, bicycles, ships, and railways, among others). Images range from single page advertising leaflets for 19th century bicycles to complete early 20th century motoring manuals. There are three screen display formats: text only, thumbnail images with brief descriptions, and full-screen images.
http://netec.mcc.ac.uk/eadnetec/WebEc/framed.html
This is an effort to categorize free information in economics on the WWW. Bill Goffe, author of Resources for Economists on the Internet, notes WebEc is "...a particularly good place to look for a broader array of business and economic resources." In addition to every known facet of economics, other supporting sections are also listed. Produced as a joint and volunteer effort, the intended audience is academic economists. Version 2.4 is the most current issue available, although 3.1 is scheduled for release this month. WebEc is a part of NetEc, which also provides information on printed working papers (BibEc), on electronic working papers (WoPEc) and code for econometrics (CodEc).
http://www.forbes.com/asap/120296/the_big_issue.htm
For "Internauts" interested in the future of technology in general and of the Internet in particular, two recently released web resources are a must. Forbes ASAP has recently made "The Big Issue" available. The theme is "The Digital Revolution: Why and Whither." The site is composed of 52 articles discussing history and politics, private life, science and technology, and public life.
The Observatorium is a cooperative project among NASA's Information Infrastructure Technology & Applications Program, BDM International, and West Virginia University. This site currently offers four new features: Applications of Satellite Data, Fun and Games, Tools & Data, and the Birth of Stars.
http://www.cris.com/~Driveway/
In an attempt to keep you informed on sites that are an eccentric use of bandwidth, but are interesting or entertaining in concept or content, I draw your attention to Driveways of the Rich & Famous. Only in California, the heart of the site is made up at present of 59 celebrity driveways, from Andre Aggassi to Robin Williams.
Al Massey is a HAL-PC member.
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.
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