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Electronic Highways
Stay tuned via the Web
For those of you who are news and entertainment junkies stuck in front of a computer all day, don't despair! There are plenty of online resources that can connect you to the outside world.
Best of all, you are not limited to a simple email alert service. Many Web sites offer access to videos or short clips of breaking news and even complete recordings of special television programs. Recent press conferences, sporting venues and interviews with politicians and celebrities can be viewed right from your desktop. While you may have to download the appropriate software needed to watch the videos, the service is usually free.
For streaming videos of major events in news, sports and entertainment, visit the multimedia section of the MSNBC Web site at http://www.msnbc.msn. com/id/4999736. This site offers an impressive archive of news photos and a collection of videos containing detailed footage of breaking news, such as the worst blizzard to hit the east coast in a hundred years.
Many documentaries or special reports produced by public television also are readily accessible. Selected frontline stories can be viewed in their entirety at http://www. pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/.
Research-TV http://www.research-tv.com/ produces video news releases, filmed and edited by news professionals and distributed to more than 2000 news organizations worldwide. Viewers can access free streaming videos of stories related to health, medicine and wellbeing; technology and engineering; society, politics and government; sciences, the environment and rural issues; and the arts, culture and creative industries.
For live footage of political news, visit C-Span http://www.c-span.org/. The site features live feeds of Senate committee hearings, as well as a comprehensive video library capturing such major events as the recent State of the Union Address.
International news can be followed at BeelineTV http://www.beelinetv.com/. From Arabic to Ukranian TV, Beeline links you to streaming or live feeds of news, music, entertainment and sports from around the world.
If you eventually need a break from all the serious news clips, there are plenty of leisure-oriented sites. Maybe you're an amateur chef and interested in watching the pros create mouth-watering entrees, appetizers or desserts. The Food Network http://foodnetworkvideos. com/ offers a sample of free cooking videos. Watch renowned chef Emeril Lagasse prepare an elegant but simple to make dinner, or learn how to make low-carb meals using your grill.
Movie buffs can catch interviews with some of the world's most accomplished actors and directors. Hosted by New York's famed New School for Social Research, interviews are taped before an audience of students at The Actors Studio Drama School. Selected episodes are available for casual viewing from the Web site at http:// www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio/
Whether you're looking for the latest summary of a U.S. congressional hearing or the inside scoop from Hollywood's most popular actors, you can rest assured the Web is a great complement to the traditional television broadcast.
—Laura Taddeo and Cynthia Tysick, University Libraries