Last discussed in the 11-04-2005 Scout Report, Folkstreams is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving independent films that "focus on the culture, struggles, and arts of unnoticed Americans from many different regions and communities." Folkstreams was founded in 1999 by filmmaker Tom Davenport and is partnered with iBiblio.org, the University of North Carolina's School of Information...

Frank Loesser was able to use his remarkable songwriting talents to create such classic Tin Pin Alley songs as “Once in Love with Amy”, “Standing on the Corner”, and of course, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”. His career spanned four decades, and he was responsible for crafting a number of fine musicals (including “Guys and Dolls) and songs for film and television. This website, which features some of...

The Freakonomics empire was born of reluctance - a journalist on assignment, an economist resistant to being profiled. But Steven D. Levitt (the journalist) and Stephen J. Dubner (the economist) hit it off, cowrote two bestsellers, started a blog, made a documentary, and founded a radio show. Readers will find much to titillate their imaginations in these weekly radio broadcasts. Recent hour-long...

While Fresh Air is classified as a "talk show", its host Terry Gross takes listeners all over the broad cultural landscape, including trenchant interviews with saxophonist Sonny Rollins and animated discussions with rappers (turned actors) Ice T and Ice Cube. The show is aired daily on National Public Radio and is broadcast from affiliate station WHYY in Philadelphia. This website serves as the...

This podcast is for fans of science fiction and fantasy in all of its forms - including "books, movies, games, and comics." Geek's Guide to the Galaxy is hosted by fantasy writer David Barr Kirtley and John Joseph Adams, editor of science fiction anthologies and Lightspeed Magazine. The show features interviews with a diverse group of authors and conversations about a wide variety of issues, from...

What is the altogether mysterious "ghost sign?" Simply put, it is a painted advertisement on a building, most prominent prior to the 1930s. Many of these advertisements appear on brick walls in urban settings. This unique collection came out of a partnership between the University of Louisville Libraries and the school's Fine Arts department. Students in a course titled Documentary Photography...

While it is still common to send postcards from one's travels, today more and more people might just opt to send images via their smartphones. But a century ago, major postcard companies produced hundreds of postcards for cities small and large. Milwaukee was no exception: years ago, visitors could send images of the Milwaukee County Zoo, the homes of Astor Street, or the 3rd Ward. This digital...

The University of South Florida has expanded their digital collections by leaps and bounds in the past few months, and this particular addition is a real find. The Hampton Dunn Postcards Collection contains over 2600 digitized postcards that feature scenes from early twentieth century Florida. Within this collection, visitors will find color images of street scenes, natural vistas, and Floridians...

As one of the lyrics by the Brothers Gershwin goes: "They told Marconi/wireless was a phony." Of course, the wireless world of the radio and its galaxy of musical choices has changed from the transmission of mere Morse code in its early decades to today's overwhelming choices afforded by different satellite radio companies. This recent documentary by the American RadioWorks program explores the...

As the cold weather begins to move in, many people might find themselves wondering: what can I possible keep busy inside my home or apartment? The answer may be found in one word: crafts. Crafts have made a significant comeback in the past few years, and a variety of online sites, such as this one, have made it possible to learn about this activity that encompasses everything from finger puppets...