Archive for May, 2009

Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map

May 19, 2009 at 1:10 pm · Filed under Cool Software, Uncategorized ·Tagged ,

For science geeks, the United State Geological Survey (USGS) is a beloved and respected organization providing a source of thorough scientific research which delves into the subjects of geology, biology, geography, and water, among others.

An important and lasting project of the USGS has been their work with topographical and interactive maps. The Internet Archive houses a collection of more than 50,000 of their United States maps which are given freely for use in outdoor recreation, scientific research, emergency response, or general interest.

Here are some particularly interesting maps:

  • Glen Arbor, Michigan
  • Half Dome, California
  • Central Park, New York
  • Chicago Loop, Illinois
  • Grand Canyon, Arizona
  • New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Honolulu, Hawaii

    • –Cara Binder

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    The Days of Sexy Cigarettes

    May 12, 2009 at 10:49 am · Filed under Cool Movies, Uncategorized

    Elegant women, strong cowboys, powerful executives, and Fred Flintstone smoked. Shouldn’t that make you want to, too?

    Cigarette ads once ran as frequently as alcohol ads run today. Today we see a voluptuous woman ordering a Disarono at a male-packed bar or a seemingly over-worked CEO kicking it on the beach with a freshly-cracked Corona, but not too long ago similar ads were run to encourage smoking. Although cigarette advertising seems in the not-so-distant past, taking a look at the ads themselves seems surprisingly shocking as we now live in a world that slaps “SMOKING KILLS” and pictures of black lungs on the packs themselves. Take a peek into the University of California, San Francisco Tobacco Industry Videos Collection to recall the days.

  • Phillip Morris sponsored I Love Lucy which scored them a pitch from Lucille Ball herself. “Don’t say cigarette! Say Phillip Morris,” Lucy exclaims to Ricky.
  • Similarly, Winston sponsored The Flintstones. The pitch comes in the form of a “Winston break” Fred and Barney take while their wives run around doing housework.
  • Pouncing on the untapped market of female smokers, Virginia Slims was always known as the woman’s cigarette. Here, it is marketed as empowering: “You’ve come a long way, baby. You’ve got your own cigarette now, baby.”
  • Marlboro, on the other hand, is the man’s cigarette. Out in Marlboro Country, this cigarette is perfect for the rugged cowboy who can wrangle wild stallions.
  • Wild horses were apparently quite the draw for male smokers. Mustang had a similar campaign, including the slogan, “If you think it would take wild horses to make you change, you’re right! You’re ready for Mustang!”
  • This Newport ad is a great example of the jingles and and songs used in all kind of cigarette ads.
  • In a much different approach, this ad shows the good people behind the tobacco and pipe industry, reaching for feelings of community and patriotism through the business of tobacco.

    • To hearken back some more, check out the UCSF Tobacco Industry Audio Recordings Collection and visit their homepage.

    –Cara Binder

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    Welcoming the “Share” Button

    May 8, 2009 at 10:37 am · Filed under News ·Tagged ,

    This week, archive.org released a beta version of our new upload tool, created to ease sharing of your material on Internet Archive. We’ll be moving away from FTP uploads in favor of HTTP uploading which allows you to upload right on the web. When you click on the “Upload” button, you’ll be prompted to use the HTTP method, if you choose.

    To use the new beta uploader:

  • First click the “Upload” button near the upper right-hand corner of the site or click here.
  • Now you can see the Share button.
  • Click the Share button to browse for the media you want to upload. You can select more than one file, or you can click the Share button again to select additional files.
  • Archive.org will automatically detect which media collection (movies, audio, texts, or other) your item belongs to, according to the type of the first uploaded file.
  • You will have the option to click the link to change the file type if needed.
  • As the file(s) upload, enter the information about your file in the given fields.
  • When everything is complete, click the “Share my File(s)” button at the bottom of the page to create your item page on Archive.org.

    • For instructions on how to upload to the Live Music Archive, click here.

    We encourage you to give it a shot and offer any feedback you have on the new system. Here is a conversation that is currently taking place about the switch.

    Additionally, we have a new edit tool for your items on the Archive. You can use this tool to change an item’s title, description, file formats and titles, running time, language, etc. You can also use it to remove, add, or rename files within an item.

    To edit your item:

  • Make sure you are logged into the account you used to upload your item.
  • Go to your item’s details page.
  • Click on the “Edit Item” link at the top of the page to the left of the upload button.
  • Make your changes and wait 20-30 minutes for them to appear on the page.

    • Note: If you would like us to make derivative files, click on “Item Manager” after you click on “Edit Item” and click the “Derive” button. This will make smaller, more compressed versions of your upload.

    As always, we greatly appreciate all of your generous contributions to the Archive, and we hope this new process will make this open sharing even easier.

    –Cara Binder

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