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Bits And Bytes Online Edition Volume 1 Number 15
"There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX.
We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
- Jeremy S. Anderson
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BBB III TTT SSS BBB Y Y TTT EEE SSS ONLINE EDITION:
B B I T S B B Y Y T E S =THE ELECTRONIC
BBB I T SSS AND BBB YYY T EEE SSS =NEWSLETTER FOR
B B I T S B B Y T E S =HIGH-TECH
BBB III T SSS BBB Y T EEE SSS =DUMPSTER DIVERS
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Volume 1, Number 15 (November 19, 1993)
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CONTENTS =
Top Cities For Knowledge Workers -|- Returned For Retooling =
The Dow Jones Investor Network -|- The Fedworld BBS =
Drowning in the Datastream -|- The Karaoke Killings =
The New World Order -|- NEWS, ACCESS, EMAIL TRICKS =
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On Surfing the Internet, and Other Kid Stuff (Bob Metcalfe)
As the Internet enters its 25th tax-supported year, I say it's done
already. It should be privatized. Let's clear the way in cyberspace
for a new generation of entrepreneurs. I'm with Bill Gates, who
recently said in a San Francisco speech that the National Information
Infrastructure (NII) shouldn't cost taxpayers another red cent.
Many Internauts say commercializing the lnternet would destroy it.
That it's too fragile to endure free markets. That the profit motive
will lead to exploitation of the information have-nots. That the
future of our democracy depends on federally funded information
interstates with mandated universal access and guaranteed freedom of
speech. That surfing the Internet is fun, fun, fun -- please, Daddy,
don't take the T-bird away.
Whenever they catch me talking up commercialization, my many friends
in the Internet bureaucracy ask whether I've been on Mars. They point
out that most traffic on the Internet is already commercial, so what
am I worried about?
Well, I worry that Intercrats have been colonizing the Beltway since
the 1970s. That those directing the Internet's evolution do seem naive
about, unprepared for, disinterested in, and sometimes ideologically
opposed to commercializing cyberspace. I worry that unbilled
commercial traffic will soon bring the Internet to its knees. I worry
about Interprises now starting up as if their packet plumbing will
grow with them, and as if federal support for NII will not, with all
the good intentions in the world, pave their information superhighway
to hell.
Frankly, commercial traffic notwithstanding, what we're seeing is
still amateur night on the Internet. I see today's many new
Interpreneurs sitting brightly behind just so many lemonade stands in
cyberspace. (SOURCE: InfoWorld 11/1/93, p. 67)
(Bob Metcalfe, the publisher of InfoWorld, invented Ethernet in 1973.
Elsewhere in the article he urges all interested parties to join the
debate. As a first step he recommends reading Clinton's NII Agenda
Document. I heartily concur. If you're on the Internet, you can use
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to anonymously access agenda.asc in the
/pub directory at ftp.ntia.doc.gov. Or just call the NII Office in
Washington at (202) 482-1840. See the Stupid Email Tricks section for
access using FTP Mail.)
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THE ONLINE WORLD
=> AOL. Aol's internet gateway is inching closer to being a reality.
Currently they offer internet mail services, albeit with a limit on
the size of a piece of mail, but Gopher, Usenet newsgroups and access
to WAIS DATABASES are under construction. AOL added the Atlantic
Monthly and Windows Magazine to their growing list of over 25 online
magazines and newspapers, including OMNI, Time, and WIRED.
=> TRAFFIC JAMS ON THE INTERNET. The internet is growing at an
estimated 10% per month, and various sources are reporting traffic
jams. The National Center for Supercomputer Applications reports an
increase in World Wide Web requests from almost 100,000 in June to
almost 400,000 in October. Center officials say "the only solution
may be to take a $15 million supercomputer away from its normal
scientific number-crunching duties and employ it full-time as an
electronic librarian." (SOURCE: Tampa Tribune 11/3/93 A9, EDUPAGE)
=> DOD TO DISCONNECT FROM INTERNET. In a possibly related story, a
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) representative, Mr. Robert
MacNab, announced at the Defense Technical Information Center's
Annual Users Training Conference that DISA is planning to move forward
with the separation of the DDN from the Internet early in 1994. This
separation will be accomplished by the installation of a mail-relay
between the DDN and the Internet. Exchange of electronic mail between
DoD and Internet users will be allowed, although some accomodation
will be required by users to communicate through the new mail-relay.
Network connections (for Telnet, FTP, etc.) from DoD sites into
Internet resources will continue to be available to DoD users.
However, Internet users will not be allowed to make direct network
connections to DoD host computers. Mr. MacNab solicited comments from
the user community on how these changes would effect them. His phone
number is 703-285-5143 or email address is macnabr@cc.ims.disa.mil.
I'll bet they won't be the last network to put a little distance
between themselves and the growing juggernaut that is the Internet.
(SOURCE: PACS-L mailing list, 10/17/93)
=> WALL STREET JOURNAL GETS WIRED. See if you can find a copy of
Monday's WSJ. It featured a special technology supplement on networks
and networking. There are articles on online basics, BBSs, netiquette,
campus computing, the World Wide Web, flaming, the digital classroom,
scientific networking, networking in Europe and Japan, and more. An
interesting mix of articles. Your library will of course have a copy,
but reprints can be purchased for $2 (the address is in the
administrivia section), and an interactive diskette edition is
planned. Call 800/541-7800 for information on this.
=> HYTELNET 6.6. Attention Internauts: The latest version of Hytelnet,
a FREEware utility which gives an IBM-PC user instant access to
information about Internet-accessible library catalogs, FREE-NETS,
BBSs, Gophers, WAIS, etc. has recently been released. This is a nice
hypertext reference to Internet resources, and you can modify it by
adding your own links. You can get it via anonymous ftp from:
ftp.usask.ca in the pub/hytelnet/pc subdirectory where it is listed
as hyteln66.zip. The UNZIPPED files total over 1.2 mb...but remember,
you can always edit out any information you don't need in order to
save space. A UNIX/VMS version is available for browsing by telnet to
access.usask.ca login with hytelnet (lower case). For more
information on this version contact Earl at: fogel@herald.usask.ca.
(SOURCE: net-happenings)
======================================================================
Top Ten Cities For Knowledge Workers
The November 15th issue of Fortune Magazine has a cover story which
lists the ten best cities (and 50 runners up - it's a worthwhile
article if you're thinking about relocating) for those of us who toil
in the information industry. Factor's used in determining Fortune's
ranking include the access to top-notch universities and research
centers, and the presence of innovative business enterprises, along
with more traditional factors such as costs, local business attitudes,
and availability of a skilled and educated workforce. Fortune goes
into detail about what makes each site desirable; in the best B&B
fashion I will simply list them along with hints as to why they're
happening places to be. Eat your heart out, David Letterman!
1) Raleigh/Durham - Duke University, U. of N. Carolina (a hotbed of VR
research), and North Carolina State. The famed Research Triangle is
here, with Biotech, Microelectronic and high tech companies galore.
2) New York - 100 Colleges and Universities. A unique pool of Diverse
talent in many fields. They do note the infrastructure needs work.
3) Boston - MIT, Boston University, and 60 other schools pump $5
billion annually into the economy. Biotech and medical research.
4) Seattle - MIcrosoft, Boeing, and the U. of Washington's technology
transfer program that leads to biotech/engineering spinoffs. The
great outdoors is right there. Great bicycling and moviegoing town.
5) Austin - Software and Biotech startups galore. U of Texas. IBM,
Dell Computer, Apple, Motorola, and Fringeware, Inc. are here. Low
cost of living, mellow lifestyle. Cowboys. Cowgirls. Hmmm.....
6) Chicago - A diversified economy with companies like Motorola,
Abbott Laboratories, Amoco and Ameritech. Cheap downtown office
rents. Great Pizza. Winter here is *very* harsh.
7) Houston - NASA's Johnson Space Center employs over 20,000 scient-
ists and researchers. The Houston Advanced Research Center links
work from 11 universities including Rice, Texas A&M and the U. of
Houston. Biotech, engineering, and computer tech. Locals say the
heat's not *that* bad during the summer. Don't believe them.
8) San Jose - Silicon Valley. Need I say more? 1,500 of the nation's
2,500 largest electronics companies are based here. The lifestyle
is not that great however....
9) Philadelphia - Home of Bits and Bytes Online Edition. 80 local
colleges and universities. University City Science Center and Ben
Franklin Partnership have sparked hundreds of startup ventures.
Moderate costs. Philadelphia Cheesesteaks from Jim's Steaks on
South Street: Accept no substitutes. Famous for being pretty dull.
Wish I could deny it. Lots of pharmaceutical firms based here.
10) Minneapolis - Home base to 35 Fortune 500 firms like 3M, Honeywell
and Cray Research. Strong support for small businesses. Technology
transfer programs, and Project Outreach, an interactive computer
network providing technical help at over 350 business sites.
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NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
=> INTEROPERABILITY. We're a few steps closer to the day when we can
pick the right tool for the job regardless of what kind of computer
you're working on. In separate announcements, both IBM and Apple
announced new models capable of running different operating systems.
IBM will unveil 3 PowerPC systems this week capable of running
Windows, Windows NT, IBM's AIX 4.x (Unix), IBM's Workplace OS, and
Sun's Solaris. Also, Mac applications can be run under AIX, and they
are hoping to port Mac to the OS Workplace platform as well. The
systems will ship in the 2nd half of 1994. Meanwhile, Apple is
expected to introduce a Quadra/PC combination capable of running
Windows and Mac applications. (SOURCE: InfoWorld 11/15/93, p. 1)
=> TRY BEFORE YOU BUY CD-ROM. Apple is marketing an Instant Access
CD-Rom for the Macintosh with over 650 MEG of major league software on
it (Lotus -2-3, Photoshop 2.5, Norton Utilities). Demo and test
versions on the disk can be upgraded to full working versions by
calling a phone number, paying up, and "unlocking" software with the
access number provided. The CD is available for $1.95 shipping and
handling. (ACCESS: The Mac Zone 800/248-0800)
=> PENTIUM PRICES PLUMMET. Intel continues to slash prices on their
recently introduced Pentium chip, the successor to their popular 486
chipset. Manufacturers are responding by releasing Pentium systems at
amazingly low prices. Last week Dell Computer and Ambra introduced
machines that start at under $3000 for complete systems. Dell's
Dimension XPS P60 ($2,999) and Ambra's DP60 ($2,799) feature a 60MHz
CPU, 8 MEG of RAM, 256 Kbyte write-through caches, and 14 inch VGA
monitors. The Dell has a 450 MEG hard drive, the Ambra's is 340 MEG,
and both machines have plenty of expansion slots. Such a bargain!
Makes you wonder why. Rumor has it that Intel is making prices as
attractive as possible to kick start their P.C.I. data bus standard,
which competes with the more prevalent VESA bus standard. Still, the
price is right, and the Pentium packs a lot of processing power which
has barely been tapped. A word of warning: this week's PC Week
evaluated 5 60-MHz Pentium machines, and while they were all good
performers, none of the machines wowed the reviewers in terms of their
designs and ergonomics. Off the cuff B&B advice is to wait a *little*
while longer till someone comes up with a nice design, and no doubt
prices will continue to drop as the competition heats up. Still, if
you need raw processing power, these machines are worth a closer look.
======================================================================
The Dow Jones Investor Network
DJIN, launched in September by Dow Jones & Co., is a video business
news service that delivers its product (information) directly to
customers' desktop computer terminals. It's interesting in that it
points the way to the new kinds of services I expect to see more of as
the National Information Infrastructure matures.
Here's how it works: You'll be working at you terminal and a message
box will pop up on your screen informing you of the subject and
starting time for an impending news event. You can then decide if you
want to view the event or just keep working. According to DJIN, the
news they present is time sensitive and of significant value to their
customers. Programming events generally fall into four categories:
Exclusive interviews with company managers, political figures and
policy makers; start to finish coverage of significant corporate or
government press conferences; original programming from the Dow Jones
Network such as demographic analysis and an early morning look at
domestic and foreign markets; and shareholder meetings, where these
are deemed to be of sufficient interest to the business community.
All you need is an IBM compatible computer, a VGA graphics card, and
an available serial port. Dow Jones will install everything else. It
will be delivered to your site via land lines or by satellite
depending on your location, and then to the desktop via coaxial
cable. If your are wired for token-ring networks, DJIN can be routed
through those using F-Couplers. All this for only pennies a day!
Thousands of pennies a day... I did not inquire as to cost, but the
service is aimed at large institutional investors like banks and
brokerage houses. Still, it's an interesting hint of things to come.
(ACCESS: Dow Jones Investor Network 800/416-3346)
======================================================================
Statistically Speaking....
CRIME IN JAPAN HITS NEW RECORD. For the second year in a row, crime in
Japan marked a new post WWII high. Felony and misdemeanor offenses
increased 3.1% to 2.4 million. Thefts accounted for 65% of the total,
and armed robberies jumped a whopping 19%, due in large part to the
recession there, which is expected to continue for some time. Murders
rose a modest 1%, which means we don't have to worry about them
overtaking us in that category any time soon. (SOURCE: WSJ 10/18/93,
p. A12)
DOWNWARD SPIRAL. A study of 6,500 laid-off Pennsylvania workers finds
that 5 years later, they were earning an average of 25% less than they
had been previously. Losses were greatest in among workers laid off by
big firms in unionized industries. As technology automates more and
more jobs previously done by humans, what are we going to do with all
these 'extra' people? I heard (for the first time) some congressman
on the news address the reality of the issue: he mentioned that maybe
the 40 hour week is not only no longer desirable (duh!), it is no
longer practical, that the jobs must be spread around. Every time I
hear them talk about acheiving "full employment" I have to laugh. Of
course there is plenty to be done, but will people do it if doesn't
fall under the aegis of gainful employment? Or will we start watching
every one of these 500 channels we are being promised? The spirit of
volunteerism is not exactly running amuck in America. And what about
the $$$? Less work, less pay? Of course money isn't everything, but
many people's lives are defined by what they *do* for a *living*. Will
people lose their sense of purpose if they don't go to The Office?
There have to be some answers here somewhere, but I don't know what
they are. Any ideas or suggestions?
(SOURCE: WSJ 10/19/93, p. A1)
=> AND WHERE ARE ALL THOSE JOBS? Glad you asked. According to
economists at Merill Lynch, 3 industries that represent 1/5th of
private-sector employment -- health care, temp help, and restaurants
-- accounted for 60% of the private sector jobs created in the past
year. Repeat after me: Would you like some fries to go with that?
(SOURCE: WSJ, 10/19/93, p. A1)
=> BUT BETTER DAYS ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. (Not). According to a
survey of 51 economists by the Blue Chip Economic Indicators
Newsletter, in ten years, the US economy will look about the same as
it does now. The consensus is that the economy will grow a lackluster
2.6% a year over this period, and that unemployment rate will remain
above 6% through the end of the 1990s. At least inflation and interest
rates are projected to stay low. Please don't shoot the messenger. If
I had some better news to report, I would gladly do so, but facts (or
opinions in this case) are stubborn things. How many economists does
it take to change a lightbulb anyway? (Insert your favorite punchline
here). B&B FREE advice: Invest in tools that will last and add value
to your life; invest in information that is meaningful to you, invest
in education - the one investment that will continue to pay dividends
no matter what happens to the economy.
======================================================================
Returned For Retooling (Rachel Parker)
You gotta love a guy who comes up with a new buzzword. Consultant
Elliott Masie has coined a doozy: retooling. It is an extension of
re-engineering, you see. As companies re-engineer their processes and
systems, their people and equipment will likely have to change, too.
In this instance, tool refers to the personnel in IS departments,
whose skills may be as obsolete as card sorters. You know, the good
soldier Cobol programmers and mainframe maintainers. As business
processes come to rely more heavily on client/server technologies,
those Cobol programmers will need to keep up with their employers' new
needs. How to move your staff into the re-engineered future is the
subject of Masie's new conference, called Retooling '93, to be held
in Atlanta December 1 through 3.
You won't find any pat answers or any cookbook-style recipes for
successfully retraining, deploying, and -- yes -- laying off folks who
cannot get along in the new system. But Masie promises that his
curriculum and the contacts provided at the conference will help you
plan for 1994 and 1995 changes. (SOURCE: "Conference Calls," Info-
World 11/1/93, p. 65) (ACCESS: Information regarding Retooling '93
may be obtained by calling 800/348-7246)
======================================================================
The New World Order
Materialism has displaced expansionism as the dominant theme in
Western countries, as we approach the dawn of the twenty-first
century. Power lies not in the hands of governments, but in the
boardrooms of multinational corporations, the pockets of consumers,
and the creative intelligence of technologists. This is a time when
the leaders are just beginning to see themselves disenfranchised,
because in a world ruled by commerce, they don't have much leading to
do anymore. Their attempts to stay important by starting petty little
wars have received mixed reviews in the West. The balance of trade now
seems more important than the balance of military power, and the arms
race becomes a race to dismantle nuclear warheads. (Charles Platt,
"Upstream" Science Fiction Eye #12, p. 30)
======================================================================
THE KULTCHUR KORNER
=> FLASH ME, BABY. The Harrasser Flasher is a lapel pin with green,
yellow and red LEDs to be flashed by the wearer to signal welcome or
unwelcome remarks. As a thoroughly postmodern-kind-of-a-guy completely
befuddled by the sexual mores of this topsy-turvy, politically correct
kind of world, I for one would welcome such an unambiguous indication
from a willing (or potentially willing) member of the fairer sex (I
checked in the mirror). The pin, which has been put in corporate
training kits and used in seminars on sexual harassment, is made by
Management Resources. (ACCESS: Corporate Resources 617/332-2990)
(SOURCE: WSJ 10/7/93, p. A1)
=> BUY ME, LADY. In another blatantly sexist ploy, Compaq Computer
Corp has launched on a major advertising campaign to sell personal
computers to women. Ads will run on TV as well as in magazines like
Rolling Stone, Working Woman, and Parenting. A major selling point is
the "simplicity" of these new machines. An unnamed Compaq official was
quoted as saying that the company now has to worry about how its
computers fit into a home's decor. Ladies, whip out those checkbooks!
(that's a *joke* everybody) (SOURCE: WSJ 10/17/93, p.B1)
=> PBS STATION OFFERS ONLINE SHOPPING. WTTW, a Public Broadcasting
Service station in Chicago recently experimented with offering shop-at-
home services, selling merchandise from nonprofit cultural
institutions. If successful, the service may be expanded. The whole
thing is being blasted by watchdog groups as "an abuse of the public
trust." (SOURCE: WSJ 10/15/93, p. B14)
=> INTERACTIVE GAMESHOWS. Sony's TV unit has signed a development
agreement with Interactive Network Inc. The two will be producing
interactive versions of gameshows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.
This technology will allow viewers to play along with the show and
receive responses from the TV. (SOURCE: WSJ 10/27/93, p. B10)
=> THE KARAOKE KILLINGS. Don't laugh, this is serious. They take
their karaoke pretty seriously in Asia. Fights over microphones and
off-key singing have resulted in killings in karaoke clubs from
Malaysia to England. "Karaoke is the Frankenstein's monster of enter-
tainment technology," complained a diplomat in Beijing who was asked
to join a sing-along session at the end of a midday meeting. In Hong
Kong, you can buy a luxury sedan with a built-in system. Motorists
see the words to the songs on a TV set while they sing into the mike.
Great. Hit the road, jack.... (SOURCE: WSJ 10/20/93, p. A1)
======================================================================
ACCESS: The Fedworld BBS
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
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======================================================================
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 =================
