Catching up

I've been out of town and hoped to update the blog during my trip but didn't see anything to blog anyway. I've been avoiding politics and there hasn't been much research news, but now that the political season is heating up even more, I expect it's time to start doing some politics links here. Watch for those.

Some things I've noticed, though:

In some really bad news, Genie Tyburski has announced she's shutting down The Virtual Chase. The website and weekly newsletter are incredibly helpful for legal researchers as well as news researchers, and it will be missed. Tyburski will keep the website open for several months, but is willing to hand it over to another legal librarian/researcher. Any takers?

New from Google, a website/blog/wiki blend called Knol (for unit of knowledge). This site makes it easy for writers to post long articles on subjects they have expertise in. So far the articles have a heavy medical lean, such as this excellent guide to Type 2 Diabetes, or this on Migraine. In the couple hours since I first looked at the site, many many articles have been added, however.
This concept certainly bears looking into.

And, one useful research site found last week: Motorcycle Accident Database linked to this Gannett investigative report on motorcycle accidents and safety. Accidents can be browsed by county in all states; records up to end of 2006.

Recent photos.