Free University Classes Online

Free University Classes Online

• MIT Open Courseware: free videos of lectures, lecture notes, and exams in dozens of disciplines
• University of California – Berkeley: webcasts of lectures for a couple dozen classes
• Stanford University’s iTunes U: dozens of classes of free lectures, through the popular “iTunes U,” used by other universities too
• Harvard@home: a selection of lectures, events, and talks at Harvard
• Open Yale Courses: a few dozen classes’ worth of free lectures

Hugo Awards

Best Novel: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)

Best Novella: ''The Erdmann Nexus'' by Nancy Kress (Asimov's Oct/Nov 2008)

Best Novelette: ''Shoggoths in Bloom'' by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's Mar 2008)

Best Short Story: ''Exhalation'' by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)

John W. Campbell not-a-Hugo Award for Best New Writer: David Anthony Durham

Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)

Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)

Best Editor, Short Form: Ellen Datlow

Best Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell

Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola

Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan

Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima

Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu

Emergency Notifications - Star Alert System

Emergency Notifications - Star Alert System
Did You Know?
QUESTION: If there's a campus emergency, how will you know?
ANSWER: Star Alert, an emergency notification system that sends you an e-mail and a text message.
But, first you have to sign up for the free service.
Star Alert messages briefly note the nature of the emergency, what action, if any, should be taken, and where to find additional information. Multiple numbers and addresses can be registered, including those of parents or others a registrant would want notified. Star Alert is one of several ways students and employees might be notified of a campus emergency. Depending on the nature and severity of the emergency, notification methods could include:
Alerts on the M State Web site
E-mail message to SpartanNet addresses
Voicemail message on campus phones
Flyers posted on building doors
Loud tone and message on the outdoor chimes/music system
Message on closed-circuit televisions

250+ Killer Digital Libraries and Archives

Hundreds of libraries and archives exist online, from university-supported sites to individual efforts. Each one has something to offer to researchers, students, and teachers. This list contains over 250 libraries and archives that focus mainly on localized, regional, and U.S. history, but it also includes larger collections, eText and eBook repositories, and a short list of directories to help you continue your research efforts. http://oedb.org/library/features/250-plus-killer-digital-libraries-and-archives

The Horror Writers Association presented the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement at a ceremony on June 12-14 in Burbank, California. The Horror Writers Association was started by Alabama's own Robert McCammon in 1987, and the award is named in honor of one of the first true kings of horror. As early as 1984 McCammon expressed a desire for a professional organization and support group for writers of horror. Stephen King's Misery and Robert McCammon's Swan Song tied for best novel in the award's first year.

The 2008 Stoker Winners

Novel: Duma Key by Stephen King
First Novel: The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti
Long Fiction: Miranda by John R. Little
Short Fiction: "The Lost" by Sarah Langan
Fiction Collection: Just After Sunset by Stephen King
Anthology: Unspeakable Horror edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder
Nonfiction: A Halloween Anthology by Lisa Morton
Poetry Collection: The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston
Lifetime Achievement: F. Paul Wilson and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Cool site of the day (for me anyways)

Cool site of the day (for me anyways) A project devoted to discovering all the words and everything about them:http://www.wordnik.com/

The 50 States Project

The 50 States Project has brought together 50 photographers from across the USA.
Each photographer lives in one of the 50 States and during the year long project each photographer will represent the State where they live. Every two months each photographer will be sent an assignment by e-mail, they then have two months to produce one image in response. The images must represent both their style and the State in which they live.

The World Digital Library will launch on April 21, 2009.

The World Digital Library will launch on April 21, 2009.

The World Digital Library will make available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from cultures around the world, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and other significant cultural materials. The objectives of the World Digital Library are to promote international and inter-cultural understanding and awareness, provide resources to educators, expand non-English and non-Western content on the Internet, and to contribute to scholarly research.

http://www.worlddigitallibrary.org/project/english/docs/World_Digital_Library_Demonstration.pdf