581 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
581 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
"There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX.
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We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
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- Jeremy S. Anderson
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=====================================================================
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BBB III TTT SSS BBB Y Y TTT EEE SSS ONLINE EDITION:
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B B I T S B B Y Y T E S =THE ELECTRONIC
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BBB I T SSS AND BBB YYY T EEE SSS =NEWSLETTER FOR
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B B I T S B B Y T E S =HIGH-TECH
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BBB III T SSS BBB Y T EEE SSS =DUMPSTER DIVERS
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======================================================================
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Volume 1, Number 15 (November 19, 1993)
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======================================================================
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CONTENTS =
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Top Cities For Knowledge Workers -|- Returned For Retooling =
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The Dow Jones Investor Network -|- The Fedworld BBS =
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Drowning in the Datastream -|- The Karaoke Killings =
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The New World Order -|- NEWS, ACCESS, EMAIL TRICKS =
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======================================================================
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On Surfing the Internet, and Other Kid Stuff (Bob Metcalfe)
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As the Internet enters its 25th tax-supported year, I say it's done
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already. It should be privatized. Let's clear the way in cyberspace
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for a new generation of entrepreneurs. I'm with Bill Gates, who
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recently said in a San Francisco speech that the National Information
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Infrastructure (NII) shouldn't cost taxpayers another red cent.
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Many Internauts say commercializing the lnternet would destroy it.
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That it's too fragile to endure free markets. That the profit motive
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will lead to exploitation of the information have-nots. That the
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future of our democracy depends on federally funded information
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interstates with mandated universal access and guaranteed freedom of
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speech. That surfing the Internet is fun, fun, fun -- please, Daddy,
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don't take the T-bird away.
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Whenever they catch me talking up commercialization, my many friends
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in the Internet bureaucracy ask whether I've been on Mars. They point
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out that most traffic on the Internet is already commercial, so what
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am I worried about?
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Well, I worry that Intercrats have been colonizing the Beltway since
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the 1970s. That those directing the Internet's evolution do seem naive
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about, unprepared for, disinterested in, and sometimes ideologically
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opposed to commercializing cyberspace. I worry that unbilled
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commercial traffic will soon bring the Internet to its knees. I worry
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about Interprises now starting up as if their packet plumbing will
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grow with them, and as if federal support for NII will not, with all
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the good intentions in the world, pave their information superhighway
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to hell.
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Frankly, commercial traffic notwithstanding, what we're seeing is
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still amateur night on the Internet. I see today's many new
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Interpreneurs sitting brightly behind just so many lemonade stands in
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cyberspace. (SOURCE: InfoWorld 11/1/93, p. 67)
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(Bob Metcalfe, the publisher of InfoWorld, invented Ethernet in 1973.
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Elsewhere in the article he urges all interested parties to join the
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debate. As a first step he recommends reading Clinton's NII Agenda
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Document. I heartily concur. If you're on the Internet, you can use
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File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to anonymously access agenda.asc in the
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/pub directory at ftp.ntia.doc.gov. Or just call the NII Office in
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Washington at (202) 482-1840. See the Stupid Email Tricks section for
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access using FTP Mail.)
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======================================================================
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THE ONLINE WORLD
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=> AOL. Aol's internet gateway is inching closer to being a reality.
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Currently they offer internet mail services, albeit with a limit on
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the size of a piece of mail, but Gopher, Usenet newsgroups and access
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to WAIS DATABASES are under construction. AOL added the Atlantic
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Monthly and Windows Magazine to their growing list of over 25 online
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magazines and newspapers, including OMNI, Time, and WIRED.
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=> TRAFFIC JAMS ON THE INTERNET. The internet is growing at an
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estimated 10% per month, and various sources are reporting traffic
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jams. The National Center for Supercomputer Applications reports an
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increase in World Wide Web requests from almost 100,000 in June to
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almost 400,000 in October. Center officials say "the only solution
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may be to take a $15 million supercomputer away from its normal
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scientific number-crunching duties and employ it full-time as an
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electronic librarian." (SOURCE: Tampa Tribune 11/3/93 A9, EDUPAGE)
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=> DOD TO DISCONNECT FROM INTERNET. In a possibly related story, a
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Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) representative, Mr. Robert
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MacNab, announced at the Defense Technical Information Center's
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Annual Users Training Conference that DISA is planning to move forward
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with the separation of the DDN from the Internet early in 1994. This
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separation will be accomplished by the installation of a mail-relay
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between the DDN and the Internet. Exchange of electronic mail between
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DoD and Internet users will be allowed, although some accomodation
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will be required by users to communicate through the new mail-relay.
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Network connections (for Telnet, FTP, etc.) from DoD sites into
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Internet resources will continue to be available to DoD users.
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However, Internet users will not be allowed to make direct network
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connections to DoD host computers. Mr. MacNab solicited comments from
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the user community on how these changes would effect them. His phone
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number is 703-285-5143 or email address is macnabr@cc.ims.disa.mil.
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I'll bet they won't be the last network to put a little distance
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between themselves and the growing juggernaut that is the Internet.
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(SOURCE: PACS-L mailing list, 10/17/93)
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=> WALL STREET JOURNAL GETS WIRED. See if you can find a copy of
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Monday's WSJ. It featured a special technology supplement on networks
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and networking. There are articles on online basics, BBSs, netiquette,
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campus computing, the World Wide Web, flaming, the digital classroom,
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scientific networking, networking in Europe and Japan, and more. An
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interesting mix of articles. Your library will of course have a copy,
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but reprints can be purchased for $2 (the address is in the
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administrivia section), and an interactive diskette edition is
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planned. Call 800/541-7800 for information on this.
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=> HYTELNET 6.6. Attention Internauts: The latest version of Hytelnet,
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a FREEware utility which gives an IBM-PC user instant access to
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information about Internet-accessible library catalogs, FREE-NETS,
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BBSs, Gophers, WAIS, etc. has recently been released. This is a nice
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hypertext reference to Internet resources, and you can modify it by
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adding your own links. You can get it via anonymous ftp from:
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ftp.usask.ca in the pub/hytelnet/pc subdirectory where it is listed
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as hyteln66.zip. The UNZIPPED files total over 1.2 mb...but remember,
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you can always edit out any information you don't need in order to
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save space. A UNIX/VMS version is available for browsing by telnet to
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access.usask.ca login with hytelnet (lower case). For more
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information on this version contact Earl at: fogel@herald.usask.ca.
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(SOURCE: net-happenings)
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======================================================================
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Top Ten Cities For Knowledge Workers
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The November 15th issue of Fortune Magazine has a cover story which
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lists the ten best cities (and 50 runners up - it's a worthwhile
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article if you're thinking about relocating) for those of us who toil
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in the information industry. Factor's used in determining Fortune's
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ranking include the access to top-notch universities and research
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centers, and the presence of innovative business enterprises, along
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with more traditional factors such as costs, local business attitudes,
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and availability of a skilled and educated workforce. Fortune goes
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into detail about what makes each site desirable; in the best B&B
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fashion I will simply list them along with hints as to why they're
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happening places to be. Eat your heart out, David Letterman!
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1) Raleigh/Durham - Duke University, U. of N. Carolina (a hotbed of VR
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research), and North Carolina State. The famed Research Triangle is
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here, with Biotech, Microelectronic and high tech companies galore.
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2) New York - 100 Colleges and Universities. A unique pool of Diverse
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talent in many fields. They do note the infrastructure needs work.
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3) Boston - MIT, Boston University, and 60 other schools pump $5
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billion annually into the economy. Biotech and medical research.
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4) Seattle - MIcrosoft, Boeing, and the U. of Washington's technology
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transfer program that leads to biotech/engineering spinoffs. The
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great outdoors is right there. Great bicycling and moviegoing town.
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5) Austin - Software and Biotech startups galore. U of Texas. IBM,
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Dell Computer, Apple, Motorola, and Fringeware, Inc. are here. Low
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cost of living, mellow lifestyle. Cowboys. Cowgirls. Hmmm.....
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6) Chicago - A diversified economy with companies like Motorola,
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Abbott Laboratories, Amoco and Ameritech. Cheap downtown office
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rents. Great Pizza. Winter here is *very* harsh.
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7) Houston - NASA's Johnson Space Center employs over 20,000 scient-
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ists and researchers. The Houston Advanced Research Center links
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work from 11 universities including Rice, Texas A&M and the U. of
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Houston. Biotech, engineering, and computer tech. Locals say the
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heat's not *that* bad during the summer. Don't believe them.
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8) San Jose - Silicon Valley. Need I say more? 1,500 of the nation's
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2,500 largest electronics companies are based here. The lifestyle
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is not that great however....
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9) Philadelphia - Home of Bits and Bytes Online Edition. 80 local
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colleges and universities. University City Science Center and Ben
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Franklin Partnership have sparked hundreds of startup ventures.
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Moderate costs. Philadelphia Cheesesteaks from Jim's Steaks on
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South Street: Accept no substitutes. Famous for being pretty dull.
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Wish I could deny it. Lots of pharmaceutical firms based here.
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10) Minneapolis - Home base to 35 Fortune 500 firms like 3M, Honeywell
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and Cray Research. Strong support for small businesses. Technology
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transfer programs, and Project Outreach, an interactive computer
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network providing technical help at over 350 business sites.
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======================================================================
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NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
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=> INTEROPERABILITY. We're a few steps closer to the day when we can
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pick the right tool for the job regardless of what kind of computer
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you're working on. In separate announcements, both IBM and Apple
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announced new models capable of running different operating systems.
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IBM will unveil 3 PowerPC systems this week capable of running
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Windows, Windows NT, IBM's AIX 4.x (Unix), IBM's Workplace OS, and
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Sun's Solaris. Also, Mac applications can be run under AIX, and they
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are hoping to port Mac to the OS Workplace platform as well. The
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systems will ship in the 2nd half of 1994. Meanwhile, Apple is
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expected to introduce a Quadra/PC combination capable of running
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Windows and Mac applications. (SOURCE: InfoWorld 11/15/93, p. 1)
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=> TRY BEFORE YOU BUY CD-ROM. Apple is marketing an Instant Access
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CD-Rom for the Macintosh with over 650 MEG of major league software on
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it (Lotus -2-3, Photoshop 2.5, Norton Utilities). Demo and test
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versions on the disk can be upgraded to full working versions by
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calling a phone number, paying up, and "unlocking" software with the
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access number provided. The CD is available for $1.95 shipping and
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handling. (ACCESS: The Mac Zone 800/248-0800)
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=> PENTIUM PRICES PLUMMET. Intel continues to slash prices on their
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recently introduced Pentium chip, the successor to their popular 486
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chipset. Manufacturers are responding by releasing Pentium systems at
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amazingly low prices. Last week Dell Computer and Ambra introduced
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machines that start at under $3000 for complete systems. Dell's
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Dimension XPS P60 ($2,999) and Ambra's DP60 ($2,799) feature a 60MHz
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CPU, 8 MEG of RAM, 256 Kbyte write-through caches, and 14 inch VGA
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monitors. The Dell has a 450 MEG hard drive, the Ambra's is 340 MEG,
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and both machines have plenty of expansion slots. Such a bargain!
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Makes you wonder why. Rumor has it that Intel is making prices as
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attractive as possible to kick start their P.C.I. data bus standard,
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which competes with the more prevalent VESA bus standard. Still, the
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price is right, and the Pentium packs a lot of processing power which
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has barely been tapped. A word of warning: this week's PC Week
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evaluated 5 60-MHz Pentium machines, and while they were all good
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performers, none of the machines wowed the reviewers in terms of their
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designs and ergonomics. Off the cuff B&B advice is to wait a *little*
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while longer till someone comes up with a nice design, and no doubt
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prices will continue to drop as the competition heats up. Still, if
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you need raw processing power, these machines are worth a closer look.
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======================================================================
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The Dow Jones Investor Network
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DJIN, launched in September by Dow Jones & Co., is a video business
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news service that delivers its product (information) directly to
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customers' desktop computer terminals. It's interesting in that it
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points the way to the new kinds of services I expect to see more of as
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the National Information Infrastructure matures.
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Here's how it works: You'll be working at you terminal and a message
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box will pop up on your screen informing you of the subject and
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starting time for an impending news event. You can then decide if you
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want to view the event or just keep working. According to DJIN, the
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news they present is time sensitive and of significant value to their
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customers. Programming events generally fall into four categories:
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Exclusive interviews with company managers, political figures and
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policy makers; start to finish coverage of significant corporate or
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government press conferences; original programming from the Dow Jones
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Network such as demographic analysis and an early morning look at
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domestic and foreign markets; and shareholder meetings, where these
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are deemed to be of sufficient interest to the business community.
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All you need is an IBM compatible computer, a VGA graphics card, and
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an available serial port. Dow Jones will install everything else. It
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will be delivered to your site via land lines or by satellite
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depending on your location, and then to the desktop via coaxial
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cable. If your are wired for token-ring networks, DJIN can be routed
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through those using F-Couplers. All this for only pennies a day!
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Thousands of pennies a day... I did not inquire as to cost, but the
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service is aimed at large institutional investors like banks and
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brokerage houses. Still, it's an interesting hint of things to come.
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(ACCESS: Dow Jones Investor Network 800/416-3346)
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======================================================================
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Statistically Speaking....
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CRIME IN JAPAN HITS NEW RECORD. For the second year in a row, crime in
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Japan marked a new post WWII high. Felony and misdemeanor offenses
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increased 3.1% to 2.4 million. Thefts accounted for 65% of the total,
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and armed robberies jumped a whopping 19%, due in large part to the
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recession there, which is expected to continue for some time. Murders
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rose a modest 1%, which means we don't have to worry about them
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overtaking us in that category any time soon. (SOURCE: WSJ 10/18/93,
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p. A12)
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DOWNWARD SPIRAL. A study of 6,500 laid-off Pennsylvania workers finds
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that 5 years later, they were earning an average of 25% less than they
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had been previously. Losses were greatest in among workers laid off by
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big firms in unionized industries. As technology automates more and
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more jobs previously done by humans, what are we going to do with all
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these 'extra' people? I heard (for the first time) some congressman
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on the news address the reality of the issue: he mentioned that maybe
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the 40 hour week is not only no longer desirable (duh!), it is no
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longer practical, that the jobs must be spread around. Every time I
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hear them talk about acheiving "full employment" I have to laugh. Of
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course there is plenty to be done, but will people do it if doesn't
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fall under the aegis of gainful employment? Or will we start watching
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every one of these 500 channels we are being promised? The spirit of
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volunteerism is not exactly running amuck in America. And what about
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the $$$? Less work, less pay? Of course money isn't everything, but
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many people's lives are defined by what they *do* for a *living*. Will
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people lose their sense of purpose if they don't go to The Office?
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There have to be some answers here somewhere, but I don't know what
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they are. Any ideas or suggestions?
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(SOURCE: WSJ 10/19/93, p. A1)
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=> AND WHERE ARE ALL THOSE JOBS? Glad you asked. According to
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economists at Merill Lynch, 3 industries that represent 1/5th of
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private-sector employment -- health care, temp help, and restaurants
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-- accounted for 60% of the private sector jobs created in the past
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year. Repeat after me: Would you like some fries to go with that?
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(SOURCE: WSJ, 10/19/93, p. A1)
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=> BUT BETTER DAYS ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. (Not). According to a
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survey of 51 economists by the Blue Chip Economic Indicators
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Newsletter, in ten years, the US economy will look about the same as
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it does now. The consensus is that the economy will grow a lackluster
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2.6% a year over this period, and that unemployment rate will remain
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above 6% through the end of the 1990s. At least inflation and interest
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rates are projected to stay low. Please don't shoot the messenger. If
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I had some better news to report, I would gladly do so, but facts (or
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opinions in this case) are stubborn things. How many economists does
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it take to change a lightbulb anyway? (Insert your favorite punchline
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here). B&B FREE advice: Invest in tools that will last and add value
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to your life; invest in information that is meaningful to you, invest
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in education - the one investment that will continue to pay dividends
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no matter what happens to the economy.
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======================================================================
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Returned For Retooling (Rachel Parker)
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You gotta love a guy who comes up with a new buzzword. Consultant
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Elliott Masie has coined a doozy: retooling. It is an extension of
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re-engineering, you see. As companies re-engineer their processes and
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systems, their people and equipment will likely have to change, too.
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In this instance, tool refers to the personnel in IS departments,
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whose skills may be as obsolete as card sorters. You know, the good
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soldier Cobol programmers and mainframe maintainers. As business
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processes come to rely more heavily on client/server technologies,
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those Cobol programmers will need to keep up with their employers' new
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needs. How to move your staff into the re-engineered future is the
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subject of Masie's new conference, called Retooling '93, to be held
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in Atlanta December 1 through 3.
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You won't find any pat answers or any cookbook-style recipes for
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successfully retraining, deploying, and -- yes -- laying off folks who
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cannot get along in the new system. But Masie promises that his
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curriculum and the contacts provided at the conference will help you
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plan for 1994 and 1995 changes. (SOURCE: "Conference Calls," Info-
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World 11/1/93, p. 65) (ACCESS: Information regarding Retooling '93
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may be obtained by calling 800/348-7246)
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======================================================================
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The New World Order
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Materialism has displaced expansionism as the dominant theme in
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Western countries, as we approach the dawn of the twenty-first
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century. Power lies not in the hands of governments, but in the
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boardrooms of multinational corporations, the pockets of consumers,
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and the creative intelligence of technologists. This is a time when
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the leaders are just beginning to see themselves disenfranchised,
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because in a world ruled by commerce, they don't have much leading to
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do anymore. Their attempts to stay important by starting petty little
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wars have received mixed reviews in the West. The balance of trade now
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seems more important than the balance of military power, and the arms
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race becomes a race to dismantle nuclear warheads. (Charles Platt,
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"Upstream" Science Fiction Eye #12, p. 30)
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======================================================================
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THE KULTCHUR KORNER
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=> FLASH ME, BABY. The Harrasser Flasher is a lapel pin with green,
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yellow and red LEDs to be flashed by the wearer to signal welcome or
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unwelcome remarks. As a thoroughly postmodern-kind-of-a-guy completely
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befuddled by the sexual mores of this topsy-turvy, politically correct
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kind of world, I for one would welcome such an unambiguous indication
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from a willing (or potentially willing) member of the fairer sex (I
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checked in the mirror). The pin, which has been put in corporate
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training kits and used in seminars on sexual harassment, is made by
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Management Resources. (ACCESS: Corporate Resources 617/332-2990)
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(SOURCE: WSJ 10/7/93, p. A1)
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=> BUY ME, LADY. In another blatantly sexist ploy, Compaq Computer
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Corp has launched on a major advertising campaign to sell personal
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computers to women. Ads will run on TV as well as in magazines like
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Rolling Stone, Working Woman, and Parenting. A major selling point is
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the "simplicity" of these new machines. An unnamed Compaq official was
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quoted as saying that the company now has to worry about how its
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computers fit into a home's decor. Ladies, whip out those checkbooks!
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(that's a *joke* everybody) (SOURCE: WSJ 10/17/93, p.B1)
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=> PBS STATION OFFERS ONLINE SHOPPING. WTTW, a Public Broadcasting
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Service station in Chicago recently experimented with offering shop-at-
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home services, selling merchandise from nonprofit cultural
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institutions. If successful, the service may be expanded. The whole
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thing is being blasted by watchdog groups as "an abuse of the public
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trust." (SOURCE: WSJ 10/15/93, p. B14)
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=> INTERACTIVE GAMESHOWS. Sony's TV unit has signed a development
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agreement with Interactive Network Inc. The two will be producing
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interactive versions of gameshows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.
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This technology will allow viewers to play along with the show and
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receive responses from the TV. (SOURCE: WSJ 10/27/93, p. B10)
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=> THE KARAOKE KILLINGS. Don't laugh, this is serious. They take
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their karaoke pretty seriously in Asia. Fights over microphones and
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off-key singing have resulted in killings in karaoke clubs from
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Malaysia to England. "Karaoke is the Frankenstein's monster of enter-
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tainment technology," complained a diplomat in Beijing who was asked
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to join a sing-along session at the end of a midday meeting. In Hong
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Kong, you can buy a luxury sedan with a built-in system. Motorists
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see the words to the songs on a TV set while they sing into the mike.
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Great. Hit the road, jack.... (SOURCE: WSJ 10/20/93, p. A1)
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======================================================================
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ACCESS: The Fedworld BBS
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The Fedworld BBS is an excellent "one-stop" US Government information
|
|
resource. They can be reached by phone at 703-321-8020 (9600 Baud).
|
|
Set software parameters for: N-8-1 (The usual setup). For connecting
|
|
via the Internet, telnet to fedworld.doc.gov (192.239.92.201). You
|
|
answer a few questions to register on the system, and then you'll have
|
|
direct access to a wealth of information, including Federal job
|
|
listings. FedWorld is a gateway to over 100 other bulletin board
|
|
systems run by various federal agencies, available through a menu
|
|
option. Some of the systems you can reach via Fedworld: The Consumer
|
|
Information Center, Census information, The Dept of Justice's
|
|
Americans with Disabilities Act Info, Computer Systems Lab Computer
|
|
Security BBS, The Dept. of Commerce, The FDA, Labor News from the
|
|
Dept of Labor, Human Nutrition Information Service from the dept. of
|
|
Agriculture, 1040 BBS (Electronic Tax Filing Info), Health & AIDS
|
|
Information & Reports, the Library of Congress News Service, The
|
|
Minority Impact BBS, TQM-BBS (Total Quality Management), Passport Info
|
|
and Travel Alerts, the Fed. Register Electronic News Delivery.....
|
|
Get the picture? This is a FREE service, except for any long distance
|
|
charges.
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
(Not so) Stupid E-mail Tricks
|
|
|
|
=> HIGH TECH INFO FROM THE IEEE. 23 draft summaries on emerging
|
|
technologies can be obtained from the IEEE by emailing a different
|
|
address for each summary desired. Subject areas include aerospace and
|
|
electronic systems, broadcast technology, consumer and industrial
|
|
electronics, lasers, education, social implications of technology,
|
|
information theory, nuclear power, and more. To receive the list of
|
|
subjects and addresses, send email to: new.tech@ieee.org
|
|
Subject and text are irrelevant, the software will mail you the text
|
|
file. We covered this recently, but I am here including more info as
|
|
to what is available.
|
|
|
|
=> THE ONLINE WORLD. This book, reviewed in B&B v1 #12, is now
|
|
available via email. Ftp is really easier, but if ftp is unavailable,
|
|
the book may be retrieved by sending email to:
|
|
ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com using the following retrieval commands in
|
|
the body of the message:
|
|
|
|
connect oak.oakland.edu
|
|
binary
|
|
chdir /pub/msdos/info
|
|
uuencode
|
|
get online12.zip
|
|
quit
|
|
|
|
The received file is uuencoded. Uuencode is a unix utility that
|
|
converts binary files to an ASCII representation. You will need to
|
|
uudecode the file to change it back to binary form. These programs
|
|
exist for most kinds of computers. For help with decodeing, send mail
|
|
to LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu (LISTSERV@NDSUVM1 on BITNET) containing
|
|
the command "GET KIDART MSDOS1". This is a pretty good-sized file;
|
|
make sure your mailer won't choke on it.
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
The Mini Journal Of Irreproducible Results
|
|
|
|
The Journal of IR is a print journal which since 1955 has been
|
|
publishing irreproducible science humor from laboratories around the
|
|
world and elsewhere. They are co-sponsors of the Ig Nobel Prizes
|
|
(B&B v1#14). A typical issue features scientific papers like
|
|
"Measuring the Snail's Pace" and "The Dynamics of a Strapless Evening
|
|
Gown." And yes, they have an annual swimsuit issue, featuring some
|
|
distinguished scientist emerging from the surf somewhere. Oooh.
|
|
Anyway, they've gone online. Announcing a new electronic journal:
|
|
|
|
The Mini-Journal of Irreproducible Results ("Mini-JIR")
|
|
The Official Electronic Mini-Organ of
|
|
The Society for Basic Irreproducible Research
|
|
|
|
Mini-JIR is produced jointly by The Journal of Irreproducible Results
|
|
(JIR) and The MIT Museum. First issue: November, 1993. ISSN 1072-7159
|
|
|
|
How to Subscribe: The Mini-Journal of Irreproducible Results is an
|
|
electronic publication, available over the Internet, free of charge.
|
|
It is distributed as a LISTSERV application. We expect to publish
|
|
6-12 issues per year. To subscribe, send a brief E-mail message to
|
|
either one of these addresses:
|
|
LISTSERV@MITVMA.MIT.EDU or LISTSERV@MITVMA
|
|
The body of your message should contain ONLY the words
|
|
"SUBSCRIBE MINI-JIR" followed by your name.
|
|
If you need to contact the editor, send E-mail to: jir@mit.edu
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
Drowning in the Datastream
|
|
|
|
The problem usually wasn't getting access to information. It was to
|
|
stave off drowning in it. People bought personalized filter programs
|
|
to skim a few droplets from that sea and keep the rest out. For some,
|
|
subjective reality became the selected entertainments and special-
|
|
interest zines passed through by those tailored shells.
|
|
|
|
Here a man watches nothing but detective films from the days of cops
|
|
and robbers -- a limitless supply of formula fiction. Next door a
|
|
woman hears and reads only opinions that match her own, because other
|
|
points of view are culled by her loyal guardian software.
|
|
|
|
To avoid such staleness, Jen had hired a famous rogue hacker, Sri
|
|
Ramanujan, to design her own filter . . . [so that] one in five files
|
|
would pop up randomly, in defiance of her own parameters.
|
|
(excerpted from "Earth" by David Brin [Bantam Books, 1991. $5.99])
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
ABOUT THIS (AND EVERY OTHER) ISSUE - AN EDITORIAL
|
|
|
|
I'm still trying to catch up on the news, and I've QUITE nearly done
|
|
so. This issue will be followed by another one around Thanksgiving
|
|
that will bring us up to date. My main sources of information (apart
|
|
from the Internet) are the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), New York Times,
|
|
various computer industry trade zines like Info World, Information
|
|
Week, Computerworld, Datamation, and PC Week. On the magazine front,
|
|
I read the following faithfully: WIRED, Mondo 2000, Boardwatch, Online
|
|
Access, Byte, Fringeware Review, Boing Boing, and Intertek. I check
|
|
the magazine racks regularly for interesting issues of other PC
|
|
magazines. I try and get to the library 2 or three times a month.
|
|
|
|
Why am I telling you this? Because there are still stories I miss --
|
|
and that's where you come in. You can help by pointing out anything
|
|
you see that might be of interest. If it's an online document, forward
|
|
it to me, if it's on paper send me a copy or send me a note telling me
|
|
it's out there. If there's a particular area you have some expertise
|
|
in, and you enjoy writing, maybe you'd like to become a B&B
|
|
correspondent. If you don't want to write it up, you can still help by
|
|
acting as an intelligent agent-at-large, filtering out the chaff from
|
|
the wheat. I'd like to cover all aspects of technology, not just the
|
|
computer stuff. Biotechnology and nanotechnology for instance will
|
|
cause enormous upheavals in our society -- things of great interest
|
|
are happening all over the place, things that will change how we
|
|
live, work and play. I'd like to expand the scope of B&B's coverage to
|
|
include many more aspects of this modern world, but I'll need your
|
|
help and support to do it. If anyone is interested in helping out in
|
|
any capacity, drop me a note and we'll talk. I'm thinking of printing
|
|
an occasional letters column, so if anyone has any thoughts or
|
|
suggestions, send them in. A print version of B&B is in the works for
|
|
1994, and possibly a B&B BBS. Thanks to everyone who's written to me
|
|
already, and sorry if I don't always answer. Your comments, positive
|
|
and negative, are important to me. Thanks again, and see you next time
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
### ADMINISTRIVIA ###
|
|
|
|
IN THE FUTURE...Look for B&B #16 in your mailbox sometime around
|
|
Thanksgiving. We'll be featuring a special report on the
|
|
Telecommunications Roundtable, catch up (finally!) on the news, and
|
|
explore strange new worlds here in the stone ages of the information
|
|
age. Join us, won't we?
|
|
|
|
CORRECTION. A reader pointed out that I was a bit confused when I
|
|
identified Cairo as the codename for Dos 7.0. In reality, Cairo is an
|
|
as yet unannounced product "designed to object-oriented programming
|
|
capabilities to Windows NT." (Infoworld 11/15/93, p. S78) Chicago is
|
|
the next version of Windows, described as an NT lite. It will support
|
|
the many of the features found in the WIN32 set of APIs (Application
|
|
Programming Interfaces) found in Windows NT. There is something along
|
|
the lines of a DOS 7.0 in the works, but nobody is talking about it
|
|
now, and it has no codename that I can ascertain. It may not even be
|
|
called DOS since it is a radical overhaul of that antique operating
|
|
system.
|
|
|
|
WALL STREET JOURNAL. Reprints of the technology suplement are $2. The
|
|
address is: Technology,
|
|
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
|
|
200 Burnette Road
|
|
Chicopee, Mass 01201
|
|
|
|
SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING: Subscribe to B&B by sending email to
|
|
listserv@acad1.dana.edu ,subject doesn't matter,
|
|
text: SUBSCRIBE bits-n-bytes
|
|
A confirmation will be mailed to you. To unsubscribe send a message to
|
|
listserv@acad1.dana.edu ,subject doesn't matter,
|
|
text: UNSUBSCRIBE bits-n-bytes
|
|
|
|
ACCESS. B&B is available for downloading on America Online in their
|
|
telecom files area, and in Compuserve's telecom forum library.
|
|
|
|
INTERNET ANONYMOUS FTP SITES:
|
|
ftp.dana.edu in /periodic directory
|
|
INTERNET GOPHER ACCESS.
|
|
- gopher.law.cornell.edu in the Discussions and Listserv archives/
|
|
Teknoids directory
|
|
- gopher.dana.edu in the Electronic Journals directory
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
BITS AND BYTES ONLINE is an electronic newsletter for text-based life-
|
|
forms. I like to think about the intersections between technology and
|
|
society. Sometimes I like to explore the nooks and crannies in the
|
|
digital universe. And some days "I just sit here on this bank of sin,
|
|
and watch the river flow...." (Bob Dylan)
|
|
*This newsletter is printed on 100% recycled electrons*
|
|
======================================================================
|
|
Jay Machado = (Copyright 1993 Jay Machado) *unaltered* =
|
|
1529 Dogwood Drive = ELECTRONIC distribution of this file for =
|
|
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 = non-profit purposes is encouraged. =
|
|
ph (eve) 609/795-0998 = The editor is solely responsible for the =
|
|
======================== editorial content or lack thereof. =
|
|
=============== End of Bits and Bytes Online V1, #15 =================
|
|
|