3 posts tagged “web sites”
It's been nearly 150 years since Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species" (okay, 148 years, since it was published on November 24, 1859, for you sticklers). While the work iitself is well known, the research and thought process that led him to those ineluctable truths about life on this planet is not. But thanks to a new online research project we can follow some of what Darwin went through on his intellectual voyages.
The project is Cambridge University's Darwin Correspondence Project. It was actually initiated in 1974 as a way to collect Darwin's letters and publish them in book form. However, it quickly expanded to include not only letters from Darwin but also missives to him. There are over 9,000 letters now in the collection (Darwin had correspondence with about 2,000 different people, which makes me feel really guilty about all those letters I didn't send to grandma.)
The Project Web site, which launched this month, contains roughly 2,000 letters, including some fascinating exchanges with naturalist Alfred Wallace. Darwin and Wallace jointly published a paper that appeared before "Origin of Species" expounding their views and theories. There are also more personal epistles that give us a glimpse of life in 1800s, and notes about how Darwin regarded his studies (he thought being on the Beagle, for example, was a wonderful "lark").
Sites like the Darwin Correspondence Project are what the World Wide Web was supposed to originally be all about. So why not quit clicking on those silly monkey vidoes on YouTube and go to the source.
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This Sunday marks the 70th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster. On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg was attempting to land at the Navy base in Lakehurst, New Jersey, when it bust into flames. The conflagration took just 34 seconds to claim 36 lives
Captured on newsreel footage, in numerous still photos, and on the now nearly iconic radio recording by Herbert Morrison, the Hindenburg crash all but ended the idea of luxury airship travel. No one would ever again want to board a lighter-than-air craft filled with hydrogen.
Still, there's something awe inspiring about an object the size of an apartment building gently floating through the sky. Anyone who's ever taken a ride in a hot-air balloon can attest to the euphoric calm instilled by gliding silently and slowly over the landscape.
Unfortunately, today airships and blimps are largely relegated to promotional and experimental uses. But there are still plenty of airship enthusiasts out there willing to share their knowledge and first-hand experiences riding in the great floating beasts of the past. For a look at some of the more entertaining and informative airship sites, visit Blimps at J-Q.com.
FOR MORE OF JQ'S NEWS AND REVIEWS, VISIT J-Q.COM
JQ is John R. Quain, technology reporter, writer, and television correspondent. If you're looking for more information on John R. Quain, visit the J-Q.com Web site where you'll find a growing collection of past articles, video clips, and news. After over a decade of neglect, I'm updating the site with a newsletter, podcast, and other digital gimcracks.
In the meantime, if you're looking for a recent article of mine, simply search The New York Times, CBS News, PC Magazine, or U.S. News & World Report sites. Or you can go the old-fashioned route and just Google me.
JQ's Articles have also appeared in:
Entertainment Weekly
Rolling Stone
Spin
Popular Science
Popular Mechanics
Fast Company
Men's Journal
Men's Health
The Globe & Mail
Good Housekeeping (yes, Good Housekeeping)
Computer Shopper
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