The Smithsonian Photography Initiative is a web site provided by the Smithsonian Institute with the intention of bringing “understanding of the integral roles photographs play in our lives.” The institute was established in 1846 with funds provided from the estate of James Smithson, a graduate of the University of Oxford who studied chemistry, geology, and mineralogy.  Smithson, always a shrewd investor, amassed a sizable fortune which he willed to his only heir, a nephew, with the stipulation that should the nephew die without an heir of his own, the money be used to found “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men” in America.  Smithson himself had never visited the United States and it is unclear why he made such a designation, but the money was well received and put to use through an Act of Congress that created the Smithsonian Institute.

Photography was born around the time of the inception of the Institute and it was quick to adapt the new technology.  In its early years, the Smithsonian cataloged animal and plant species, and 19th century America.  Today, the Smithsonian holds over thirteen million photographs in its collections organized by museum and discipline.  The Photography Initiative provides a look at these collections and serves as an educational tool for everyone to see and enjoy.

http://photography.si.edu/

Ted (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global community dedicated to speading ideas through talks, seminars, a yearly conference, and an annual $100,000 prize given to three exceptional individuals in their fields.  Within their site, Ted.com, they host an archive of over 100 of their best presentations and performances by the “world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers.” Among the videos are some talks by well known speakers like Jeff Bezos on the next web innovation, an explanation by Jane Goodall on what separates us from apes, Bill Clinton on rebuilding Rwanda, Peter Gabriel on using video to fight injustice, and Bono’s call to action on Africa.  However, not all Ted.com’s videos are by famous speakers or of dry global subjects.  Some are just fascinating looks at technology.  One that stands out and has been getting a lot of attention is the demonstration of Photosynth by Blaise Aguera y Arcas.  Photosynth is a software tool being developed by Microsoft Live Labs that can be used to browse and organize large collections of photographs. Rather than laying the photographs in the usual album format or by collection, Photosynth organizes each into a 3D space by its perspective and viewpoint. The results are amazing and can only best be best shown, not described.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129

The Telescope Science Institute provides a web site for the Hubble Space Telescope through http://HubbleSite.org/. The telescope is named for Edwin P. Hubble an astronomer who proved the existence of other galaxies and determined the relationship between the distance of galaxies and the speed at which they are moving.  The telescope was launched into orbit in 1990 with the simple mission of capturing detailed images of space. The results have been simply astounding. Throught the site, you can download free images captured from the telescope for use as desktop wallpaper or printed art.  The site also features a children’s section and resources for teachers.  Even those with casual interest in space exploration will be amazed with the images.

http://HubbleSite.org/