Scott McLemee,"Notes from the Underground," Inside Higher Ed, 18 January, sees a shift taking place in the creation of virtual academic communities. He glimpsed it at gatherings around the MLA convention in Washington; and might have seen it again in similar gatherings around the AHA convention in Philadelphia.

Scott Jaschik,"The New Class Monitors," Inside Higher Ed, 18 January, explores the UCLA controversy that Chris Bray addresses in"Toward a New Purity in Academic Culture."

The new Common-Place is up! It features Mary Beth Norton on"Salem Witchcraft in the Classroom," Jeff Pasley on"The Kingness of Mad George," and many other things.

Finally, Caleb McDaniel and eb at No Great Matter recommend that you familiarize yourself with the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, an excellent resource. They both illustrate a bit of what they've been able to do with it.