The American Century Get the big picture of 20th-century America. The Whitney Art Museum and Intel created The American Century Web site at http:// whitney.artmuseum.net This site throws an interactive curveball into American history by showing how big events, trends and art grew together throughout the century. Check out the online exhibit first to get the wide-angle view. Colorful, slick animation and historic sound tracks bring the decades to life. Follow the timeline through the years, from the invention of the car to the birth of the computer, and be sure to make a LOT of pit stops to take in the art all along the way. See the photos, paintings, architecture and sculpture that bring the century to life. The famous artists are there, and you'll discover some great "unknowns," too. For smaller kids in the family, you'll want to check out the learning page for tons of ideas for family art projects. The American Century is a high-tech scrapbook for all of us. (This site is no longer available.)
The Art of Animation At the Origins of American Animation, http:// lcweb2.loc.gov/ ammem/ oahtml/ oahome.html you'll discover the roots of cartoons and find 21 animated films spanning the years 1900 to 1921. You'll check out cool clips like "The Enchanted Drawing," "Krazy Kat" and "The Dinosaur and the Missing Link." These animations aren't all fun and games; many look at the politics and social attitudes of their time period. You'll also read about the creators and the stories behind the films themselves. A Bay of Beauty As one of the largest protected shorelines in the world, Monterey Bay is truly a natural wonder to behold. Thanks to National Geographic, you now have the opportunity to discover this explosion of life for yourself. Dive in at www.nationalgeographic.com/ monterey and immerse yourself in a world of seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises and more. Site-see at the bottom of the ocean in a submersible exploration vehicle. Keep an eye out for exotic species of fish. Or dive through the Monterey Canyon, where you'll plunge miles below sea level into a mysterious abyss. Best of all, the site lets you come face-to-face with the bay's amazing animals, including the jack mackerel, the herring gull, harbor seals and sea otters. And if you're looking for more, check out great links to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, National Geographic's Sustainable Seas Expeditions and more. (Disclaimer: This site now contains advertisements.)
1. Name Rockwell's 1921 painting at the Whitney.
Dear Amy: Are there really spiders on the World Wide Web?--Alan, San Jose, Calif. Dear Alan: Yes, but these spiders are software robots that crawl from Web site to Web site, taking one link after another, adding information to the huge databases of major search sites like Excite and Alta Vista. Even with their constant crawling around, it's reported that these huge databases contain less than 20% of the millions of Web sites that can be found on the Internet. If you want to know more about how to make sense of all this information see The Spider's Apprentice at www.monash.com/ spidap.html. Remember to ask your parent's permission before searching. (Disclaimer: This site now contains advertisements.)