Course Links

Caveat: Know Your Sources!
This page is constantly changing. If you find new or broken links, please notify me. You are expected to check back often for new information.

Starting Points

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 free from the Internet, as noted below. You rarely need to pay for software necessary to use the Internet.

  • 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, coined or 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). Netscape is currently up to version 4.7 and Internet Explorer is up to 5; both programs usually update once or twice per year, but you should be wary of using so-called "beta" versions of new software. Beta versions are still in the testing phase, are often filled with bugs, and sometimes will not work completely until the final version is released. Additionally, there are text-only browsers such as Charlotte, and other graphical interface browsers such as OPERA.

  • 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.

  • 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. This is a program which emulates a remote system; thus, it is usually termed an "emulation" progam.

  • Eudora, Pegasus, Outlook: three e-mail programs which may be used through a PPP connection or the university's backbone. All are available free of charge; only Microsoft Outlook is supported by BHSU.

  • Backbone: the BHSU 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 classroom.

  • 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 BHSU free of charge while you are a student; only Spearfish phone numbers are available, so take that into consideration if Spearfish is not a local phone call for you. Or you can get a PPP account through an outside vendor (such as AOL or MATO); remember, however, that connection through an outside vendor may hinder your access to certain BHSU-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 (28.8 or higher recommended).

  • Virus Software: you should always make sure that virus software is installed on your computer. The two most popular packages are produced by Norton and Mcafee.

    Citing Electronic Sources

    The Future of the Internet

  • Internet 2
  • Outline of Internet 2
  • Next Generation Internet--official government sight

    Newer and (sometimes) Stranger Links

  • The Dealy Plaza Cam--see what Oswald would see from the Book Depository window . . . live
  • PARTENIA--excommunicated Catholic priest develops virtual diocese
  • Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies
  • SETI Screensaver--help find extraterrestrial life
  • Tour the Christian Catacombs of Rome
  • Artificial Life, Inc.
  • Thad Starner's HomePage

    Have We Gone Cam Crazy?

  • The Vaalimaa Border Cam--in Finland
  • The Trojan Coffee Cam--in Cambridge, UK
  • The Corn Cam--in Iowa
  • Duct Tape Cam--huh?

    Internet History and Structure

  • ARPAnet: The Defense Agency
  • The Internet Society
  • Internet Architecture Board
  • Internet Engineering Task Force
  • Brief History of the Internet-- by the folks who created it.
  • The Roads and Crossroads of Internet's History--by Gregory R. Gromov.

    History of Print, Print Culture, and Publishing

  • The Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing
  • Digital Gutenberg
  • History of Print and Writing Timeline
  • Printing: Reformation and Renaissance

    On Hypertext Theory

  • Hypertext Theory as if the WWWeb Matters
  • Hypertext Reflections, by Palmquist et al
  • Ted Nelson's Current Home Page
  • Ted Nelson and the Xanadu Project
  • A Master's Thesis: The Influence of the World Wide Web on Literature
  • "Hypertext Breakdown," by Mindy McAdams. Interesting essay.
  • Information and Report from Hypertext'87, the first conference on hypertext
  • Hypertext Resources, recommended by Eastgate Systems, the company that produces Storyspace
  • Victorian Web, George Landow's Project
  • Cyberspace, Hypertext, and Critical Theory
  • Victor Vitanza's Home Page-- great information on rhetoric and writing, especially for the Internet

    Hypertext Works on the Net

  • Dark Lethe
  • Hyperizons: hypertext fiction on the web
  • Lisa Scottolines's Home Page
  • 253: interactive novel

    Search Engines

  • Altavista
  • Excite
  • Lycos
  • Webcrawler
  • Hotbot
  • Search.com
  • Yahoo
  • Metacrawler
  • Google

    Search Engines to Find People and Places

  • Ancestry.com
  • Classmates
  • MapQuest-directions from address to address

    Technology and Teaching

  • Association for Educational Communications and Technology
  • Teaching and Learning on the Web

    Writing on the Web

  • The Alliance for Computers and Writing
  • EduCause
  • From Now On--an educational technology journal
  • TRaCE Online Writing Community

    Questions of Audience

  • An Overview of Audience
  • Choosing and Writing for an Audience

    Italo Calvino

  • In Calvino Veritas
    •  

    Raymond Queneau

    Hypertext and Cutting Edge Internet Experiments
  • Internet Poetry Archive
  • Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"
  • Work in Progress: A James Joyce Website
  • The Pompeii Forum Project
  • The History of Plumbing--Pompeii and Herculaneum
  • The Philodemus Project
  • Virtual Anatomy

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

  • 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
  • Yahoo's Links for PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)
  • Electronic Privacy Information Center
  • Can Congress Censor the Internet?
  • John Perry Barlow's Cyberspace Independence Declaration

     

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

    Security and Encryption Issues

  • Truth about Computer Viruses -check on virus hoaxes
  • Microsoft Security Advisor
  • NIST Computer Security Resource Clearinghouse
  • Data Encryption Techniques
  • E-Money Overview
  • Privacy and Online Commerce

    Copyright Issues

  • Copyright and Fair Use
  • U.S. Copyright Office
  • Ten Big Myths About Copyright Explained
  • The Copyright Website
  • Copyright and Multimedia Law
    Print Culture and Electronic Media

    Luddites, and Potential 'Dangers' of Computers and the Internet

  • The Center for Online Addiction (COLA)
  • Internet Fraud Watch
  • New Luddites
  • The Unabomber's Manifesto
  • Alienation on the Web
  • How to Make the Internet Evil

    Filtering Software

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

    Computers, Education, and Reading, K-12

  • JOE: The Journal of Online Education
  • ERIC
  • Reading Online
  • Reading and Language Arts
  • Yahoo Links for Distance Learning, K-12

    Regarding Funding Education

    In memory of Mrs. Polly W. Cracka
  • The Changing Economics of Higher Education
  • US Department of Education's Educational Technology

    MOOs, MUDs, and other dirt

  • Research on MOOs and MUDs in Teaching
  • Kairos: Writing Classes on the MOO--a special issue of an online journal devoted to MOOs
  • Quick Guide to Mooing

    Free Online Reference Tools

    Online Research Tools and Resources

  • JSTOR: Electronic Journals--BHSU only
  • MLA Bibliography--BHSU Only
  • A Literary Index--impressive
  • Famous English Majors?
  • Carl UnCover
  • The British Library
  • Library of Congress
  • National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Scholarly Societies, Literature
  • The Web Concordance
  • Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Directory of International Universities
  • Yahoo Directory of American Universities

    Electronic Texts--A Sampling

  • Bibliomania--The Network Library
  • British Poetry 1780-1910, A Hypertext Archive
  • Project Bartleby--an effort to collect electronic editions
  • Hypertext Classics
  • Poetry Online
  • Master Works of Western Civilization
  • Online Book Initiative (OBI)
  • Project Gutenberg Index
  • The Western Canon

    Using Libraries Virtual and Actual

  • Library of Congress
  • The World Wide Web Virtual Library

    Issues in Computers and Writing

  • The Alliance for Computers and Writing--extensive links page (USE IT!)
  • CWRL: The Electronic Journal for Computer Writing, Rhetoric, and Literature
  • Internovel--inexplicable, go see for yourself

  • Major Newspapers on the Web

  • New York Times
  • Washington Post
  • The Times of London
    Last updated January 1, 2005.