English 249S Course Links

Starting Points

Finding Online Discussion Lists

Caveat: Know Your Sources!
This page will grow over the course of the semester. You are expected to check back often for new information.

Some Basic Terminology

There are several basic terms and concepts which are essential to understanding how all of this works. Many software packages can be downloaded from the UConn FTP site, as noted below, free-of-charge. The UConn Software Distribution Server page can give you a great deal of information about which software is available in addition to instructions for downloading. The starting place is to download WS-FTP (this links is for the Win95 version--check the Software Distribution Server for links to the Win3.1 version and Mac FTP software).

Internet: refers to the worldwide network of computers connected through telephone data lines. No one "runs" the Internet, making it either completely democratic or completely anarchic, depending upon your point of view. Internet locations are designated by the ends of their addresses (.com .edu .org and .gov are most often used).

LAN: or Local Area Network, refers to a network of computers operating in a somewhat- closed environment such as a classroom, library, or other fixed space.

World Wide Web (WWW): refers to the "universe of network-accessible information, the embodiment of human knowledge" (W3C, The World Wide Web Consortium).

Hypertext: refers to a special type of database system, invented by Ted Nelson in the 1960s, in which objects (text, pictures, music, programs, and so on) can be creatively linked to each other. When you select an object, you can see all the other objects that are linked to it (from PC Webpedia). In web browsers, hyperlinks are coded in a color (usually blue) that change to another color (usually red) to indicate that you have already visited that link.

Web Browsers: the two most popular graphical browsers are Netscape and Internet Explorer (from Microsoft). Explorer has always been free, and Netscape may be downloaded free from the UConn ftp site. Both programs are currently on version 4 with one or two updates per year. Additionally, there are text-only browsers such as Charlotte, which is the text browser on the UConn Mainframe system.

HTTP: stands for "hypertext transfer protocol" and is the "method" used to transfer files using a graphical web browser.

FTP: stands for "file transfer protocol," a way of transfering files over the Internet. Download a FTP software from the UConn ftp site.

Telnet: a program which allows remote connection to a site. When you go to the Yale library on your mainframe account, you are using a telnet program. Download Telnet software from the UConn ftp site.

Eudora, Pegasus: two e-mail programs which may be used through a PPP connection or the university's backbone. Both can be downloaded from the UConn ftp site.

Backbone: the UConn backbone is an on-campus system allowing connection to the Internet and local networks. Connection to the backbone is only available through use of an Ethernet card and a special hookup. Most office computers are connected to the backbone as are the computers in the department's computer lab.

Usenet or Newsgroups: "a public place where messages are posted for public consumption and response. The most available distribution of newsgroups is USENET which contains over ten thousand unique newsgroups covering practically every human proclivity. The names of newsgroups are comprised of a string of words separated by periods, such as "rec.humor.funny" or "misc.jobs.offered". The first word (i.e. "rec" or "misc") represents the top level category of newsgroups. The second word (in these examples "humor" and "jobs") represents a subcategory of the first level, and the third word a subcategory of the second" (from NetDictionary).

PPP Connection: a PPP or Point-to-Point Protocol connection is the way one accesses the Internet through a modem. You may acquire a PPP account through the University's Computer Center for a nominal fee, or you can get a PPP account through an outside vendor (such as AOL or NECA); remember, however, that connection through an outside vendor may hinder your access to certain UConn-subscribed sites such as the MLA Bibliography. PPP connections are available for both the PC and the Mac, but you must have a modem with a speed of at least 9600 bps (14.4 or 28.8 recommended).

Virus Software: you can download McAfee Virus Protection Software free of charge as long as you are affiliated with UConn (faculty, staff, students). The software is available at the McAfee page of the UConn Software Distribution Page.

Multimedia Primer: you can find definitions and explanations for many terms used in the creation and use of multimedia at the Multimedia Primer site.

Citing Electronic Sources

Columbia Guide to Online Style

Beyond the MLA Handbook

Models for Citing Electronic Sources

The Future of the Internet

Internet 2

Internet 2 at UConn

Internet History

Internet History Timeline

ARPAnet: The Defense Agency

The Internet Society

Internet Architecture Board

Why is the 'Net So Slow at UConn?

Internet Engineering Task Force

Brief History of the Internet-- by the folks who created it.

History of the Internet-- from the PBS series.

The Roads and Crossroads of Internet's History--by Gregory R. Gromov.

"You're kidding! They still publish books?"

The Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing

On Hypertext Theory

Ted Nelson's Home Page

Ted Nelson and the Xanadu Project

A Nice History of Hypertext Timeline, from papyrus to bytes

Hypertext and Hypermedia Bibliography

A Master's Thesis: The Influence of the World Wide Web on Literature

"Hypertext Breakdown," by Mindy McAdams. Interesting essay.

"Tree Fictions on the World Wide Web"

Information and Report from Hypertext'87, the first conference on hypertext

Hypertext Resources, recommended by Eastgate Systems, the company that produces Storyspace

"Teaching Victorian Literature in the Electronic Age--particularly discusses George Landow's work

Hype and Hypertext

Victor Vitanza's Home Page-- great information on rhetoric and writing, especially for the Internet

Hypertext Works on the Net

Dark Lethe

Internet Road Map to Books--this site is not only helpful but is a good example of hypertext theory in action

Hyperizons: hypertext fiction on the web

City of Bits

Collaborative Fiction

253: interactive novel

Search Engines

A Very Extensive Page of Search Engines and Frequently-Visited Spots--good UConn site

Monster Searching

Mamma: The Mother of All Search Engines

Search Engines to Find People

Ancestry.com

Classmates

MapQuest-directions from address to address

Technology and Teaching

Association for Educational Communications and Technology

International Society for Technology in Education

Writing on the Web

Online Writing Centers

Resources for Writers

The Teacher's Internet Pages' Webzine

The Alliance for Computers and Writing

EduCom--subtitled "Transforming Education Through Information Technology, this site is updated weekly and offers a variety of services.

EdWeb--a "hyperbook" by Andy Carvin established "to explore the worlds of educational reform and information technology."

From Now On--an educational technology journal.

Questions of Audience

A Decent Overview on Types of Audience

On Defining the Audience When Writing HTML

Choosing and Writing for an Audience

Hypertext and Cutting Edge Experiments

The Slam Manifesto

Internet Poetry Archive

Go! Poetry

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

Work in Progress: A James Joyce Website

The Pompeii Forum Project

Information on Mt. Vesuvius and Other Volcanoes

The History of Plumbing--Pompeii and Herculaneum

The Philodemus Project

Interesting Question: Should We Link to the Unabomber?

Palinurus: The Academy and the Corporation

Net Ethics, Censorship, Free Speech, Pornography, Legal Issues

UConn's Policies on Computer Usage

The Electronic Frontier Foundation-- dedicated to free speech on the Internet

TRUSTe--concerns about privacy

Encryption Privacy and Security Resources Page

The Digital Future Coalition

The Internet Privacy Coalition

Computer Ethics/Cyberethics

Ethics on the Internet--a conference at UC Berkeley

Web Ethics

The Tavani Bibliography of Computing, Ethics, and Social Responsibility

Yahoo's Links for PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)

Electronic Privacy Information Center

Americans for Computer Privacy

Warning: the following links may contain objectionable material and content.

Computer Pornography Questions and Answers--from the Family Research Council

Marketing Pornography on the Information Superhighway--a report

Sex and the Internet--current situation and analysis

The Codex-dig up dirt on your enemies.

Freeality Internet Search-reverse lookups, etc

Security Issues

How to protect yourself on the Internet

Danger or Hoax?-check on virus hoaxes

Copyright Issues

Hot Property

NetLaw

The ILT Guide to Copyright

U.S. Copyright Office

Ten Big Myths About Copyright Explained

The Copyright Website

General Reference for HTML

W3C

Webreference

HTML Help

The HTML Writer's Guild

The HTML Station

Web Pages That Suck--see what not to do

More HTML Guides

UConn's Getting Started With HTML

The HTML Language

A Beginner's Guide o HTML

Yale Web Style Manual

Beginner's Guide to Forms

Yahoo HTML Page--you can find many other online HTML help files and guides at Yahoo's extensive site.

The Web Developer's Virtual Library

Internet in the Classroom Tutorial--offers a few templates and ideas for class homepage construction.

Ideas on Web Design from Award-Winning Pages

Images, Fonts, Etc., for Your Web Page--An Assortment of Sites

The Free Site--outstanding collection of free graphics of all kinds.

Jelane's Free Web Graphics

Free Graphics By Syruss

Free Web Graphics by Lauren

Free Web Graphics and 3D Animated Gifs

The Color Specifier--for background and font colors

Another Color Site

UConn Images You May Use Freely

HTML Goodies

The Mirror Group-tons of pix

Print Culture and Electronic Media

"The Places of Books in the Age of Electronic Reproduction," by Geoffrey Nunberg

Media in Cyberspace

The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe, abridged text by Elizabeth Eisenstein

Literary Resources on Bibliography and the History of the Book

The Message is the Medium, a reply to Sven Birkerts

The Potential 'Dangers' of Computers and the Internet

The Center for Online Addiction (COLA)

Article on Online Fraud

New Luddites

Terry's Neo-Luddite Web Sites

The Unabomber's Manifesto

Alienation on the Web

How to Make the Internet Evil

Society, Cyberspace and the Future

The Year 2000 Web Page at UConn

Filtering Software

NetNanny

CyberPatrol
There are others, but these two are the most popular and, supposedly, the most effective for filtering pornography. Other software works as spam filters for e-mail. See Yahoo for complete listings.