NOAA's National Hurricane Center is tracking Hurricane Dennis as it churns in the Atlantic, and now it's easier for internet users to follow the storm, too. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the hurricane center's parent organization, has built a new network of web servers it hopes will reduce the response time during peak periods.

If you're more interested in yester-weather, NOAA has also made available historical data dating back to the late 1800's. The new Climatic Data Online system can provide data by region, country, state, climate division, county, and station, and by time period, such as year, month, or day. The service is currently provided at no charge to educational institutions, with charges by credit card for others. Charges are significantly reduced compared with off-line orders.