Resources of the Week: Another Handful of Niche Sites
Resources of the Week: Another Handful of Niche Sites
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor
In all likelihood, you don't need any of this information right now. But you never know -- and maybe someone in your life could benefit. Sometimes you are searching for something very specific, and that is how I unearthed this eclectic assortment of sites.
Ballotpedia is a free, collaborative, online encyclopedia. It focuses on ballots, ballot measures, ballot access for initiatives and candidates, petition drives, the supporters and opponents of initiatives and, in general, all things ballot.
Ballotpedia is a wiki, which means that anyone--including you right now--can edit any article by clicking on the "edit this page" link that appears on every article on Ballotpedia. By helping to edit, add information, any fix any mistakes you see, the quality and depth of the information steadily improves and grows over time.
The Sam Adams Alliance became Ballotpedia's sponsor in March 2008, sponsoring two paid editors and underwriting the server space and other expenses. Ballotpedia was originally sponsored by the Citizens in Charge Foundation. The project commenced on May 30, 2007. As of March 15, 2008, Ballotpedia had 4,030 pages and 238 registered users.
I don't know what it's like where you live, but here in Florida, there always seem to be a wealth of "citizen initiatives," etc., on the ballots at election time. The ballot language is often dense and impenetrable, and it can be difficult to figure out what you are voting for -- or against. Ballotpedia attempts to keep track of these things and provide some context. It explains how the measure got onto the ballot in the first place, and tells you which groups/organizations are for it and against it -- something that can be particularly helpful in the case of those ballot initiatives sponsored by special interest groups, but disguised by language to seem like something other than what they are.
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+ Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library Animal Sound & Video Catalog
Nestled in the wilds of Ithaca New York, the Macaulay Library preserves recordings of animals. We collect examples of animal behavior, as well as recordings of all species.
We are part of the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.
More than 80 years of recordings
67% of the world's birds
More than 160,000 recordings
Videos of more than 3,000 species
We collect & film video in High Definition
Anyone who enjoys birds and animals -- and who doesn't? -- will love this site. You can browse or search (an advanced search form is available) the collection. If you're not looking for anything specific, a good place to start is with the Best of Collection links:
You'll find both sounds and video clips here. If you like, you can "visualize" sounds in something called RavenViewer, which allows you to "display and control the spectrograms, waveforms, and power spectrums of audio and video files over the Internet." (Requires QuickTime.)
Have you ever heard of the Horned Screamer? Me, neither...but apparently it is very cool: "This is a goose-sized bird with what looks like a TV antenna growing out of its forehead. Contrary to its name, the Horned Screamer makes a loud hooting noise." Believe me, this is a don't miss.
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+ Diplodocs
How many user manuals available only on cd-rom, on the internet? They are sometimes very hard to get your hands on. And will they be here when you get back? What can you do when an e-bay auction you won ends with you getting the item without the instructions? On this site you will easily be able to find the required instruction guides and user manuals that you need.
This is essentially a large archive of instruction manuals for appliances and electronic equipment, including cameras and computers. Browse by manufacturer or search. Multiple languages are supported here, and an extensive FAQ is available. You can help the cause by uploading any PDF manuals you happen to have, especially one of the "most requested user's guides."
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+ Manual of Traffic Signs
This website is a listing of the most commonly used traffic signs in the United States.
On most pages, clicking on the smaller sign images will bring up a larger GIF image of that sign.
This site is the work of Richard C. Moeur, whose home page identifies him as a professional traffic engineer and a member of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (Bicycle Technical Committee). Most of the information here comes from the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the FHWA's Standard Highway Signs book, the Arizona Department of Transportation's Traffic Engineering Manual of Approved Signs and similar resources. The images on this site are Moeur's original creations and are protected by copyright (although basic U.S. traffic sign designs are in the public domain). Non-commercial use of thse images is permitted, under Moeur's Standard Use Agreement. Note that the site is currently undergoing remodeling.
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PDF Search Engine is a book search engine search on sites, forums, message boards for pdf files.
You can find and download a tons of e-books but please respect the publisher and the author for their creations if their books copyrighted.
Though it is billed as an e-book search engine, this thing turns up plenty of PDFs that are not e-books -- government documents, forms, reports... Definitely worth a try if you're looking for something you suspect is online somewhere in PDF format. The site is currently looking for advertising support. Let's hope it gets a sponsor because it's quite useful.
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