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Bits And Bytes Online Edition Volume 1 Number 14
"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and
Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
- Albert Einstein
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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 14 (November 4, 1993)
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CONTENTS =
Woman's Online Service Launched -|- Ig Nobel Prizes Awarded =
Changing Corporate Boundaries -|- (Not so) Stupid E-mail Tricks =
... AND MORE HI-TECH NEWS THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT ... =
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MINI EDITORIAL
Briefly, here's what's happening. I am engaged in a major programming
effort at my (real) job, a larger than life, client/server styled,
message-based architecture-like system. A real mess, in other words.
I won't bore you with the details, but we are making progress, and
that feels good. I do have, however, less time to spend on B&B. Hence
this issue, basically an all news issue, with some cool quotes and
pointers to resources thrown in to round out the mix. There some
important stories I would have liked to cover, but time does not
permit it at present: in particular the ongoing battle for Paramount
Communications, the announced Bell Atlantic/TCI merger, both of which
are creating major new players in the ongoing digital sweepstakes, and
the recent furor over a recent step on the road to cloning human
beings. I am reminded of the Chinese curse "May you live in
interesting times." I think this qualifies.
WIRED Magazine 1.5 (November 1993) is out. They've gone monthly. It's
at your newsstand, and you should check it out. Too cool for words.
On the B&B front, I got more letters regarding the last issue of B&B
than for any other previous issue. Which, I think, tells you something
about human nature. More on that next issue, along with more high
tech news (I'm still not caught up yet), and the usual eclectic
selections from the dataverse. See you in about 10 days.
======================================================================
Woman's Online Service Launched
Women's Information Resource & Exchange (WIRE), the first
international, interactive computer network dedicated to women, came
online on October 1. WIRE provides women with an easily accessed
centralized source of women-oriented information and conversation. For
the first time, individuals and organizations can quickly and easily
access up-to-date databases, discussions, alerts, abstracts, resources
and experts on health, politics, career, finance, technology,
parenting, education, lifestyle and many other issues of interest to
women. Women and men can log onto WIRE and discuss topics of interest
with each other, network to solve problems, instantly access
information, keep in touch with family and friends via email, and
participate in newsgroups and mailing lists from other systems on the
Internet.
"We think WIRE will be a great new destination on the information
superhighway," explained Ellen Pack, co-founder and president of
WIRE. "There's a wealth of information for women to tap into --
health studies, tips on starting a business or traveling alone,
parenting stories, legislative updates, funding sources, and
discussions about art and literature. WIRE is excited to bring
resources and dialog directly to people's home and office computers.
WIRE is providing a place for women around the world to get connected
to what's happening and to each other. While many subscribers will
already be familiar with computer conferencing, our goal is to make
it so easy to get around online that it's completely unnecessary to
be technologically sophisticated." For more information contact WIRE
at 415/615-8989 or send email to info@wire.net.
======================================================================
NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
=> RECYCLED FLOPPIES. Eco Tech, Inc. buys floppies from major software
manufacturers and reformats them into blank, high quality diskettes.
A portion of the proceeds from each sale go to the Wilderness Society.
(ACCESS: Eco Tech 713/444-6074) (SOURCE: WIRED 1.5)
=> PHONE COMPANY BY-PASS OPERATION. Cox Cable Communications has begun
a service which will use fiber-optic cable to allow major local
(Atlanta, GA) companies to transmit voice, data and video nationwide
without going through the local phone company... No doubt the local
Bells are not happy about this development. (SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, EDUPAGE)
=> ELECTRONIC STYLE GUIDE. Meckler has published a 65-page book called
"Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information," that
gives guidelines for citing online resources in ways that will make
them easier for others to find. It costs $15 and is available from
Meckler Publ., 11 Ferry Lane West, Westport, CT 06880. Meckler also
began publishing Internet World, a new bimonthly magazine, which I'll
review next issue. (SOURCE: EDUPAGE 10/14/93)
=> NEW DEC WORKSTATION PACKS POWERFUL PUNCH. Digital Equipment Corp.
announced a new top-of-the-line workstation as powerful as one
announced by IBM last month, but at half the price. Digital's model
costs $36,000, compared to $70,000 for the IBM's model. Start saving
your pennies. A DEC spokesman attributed the low cost to the tight
integration of the Alpha chip used in the machine. IBM's machine uses
8 chips to do what the Alpha chip accomplishes with a single chip.
Price/performance ratios continue to drop. The desktop supercomputer
is not that far off. (SOURCE: WSJ 10/12/93)
=> CRAY UNVEILS DOWNSIZED SUPERCOMPUTER. Cray Research is moving into
the commercial computing market with a downsized version of its
supercomputer. The Cray Superserver 6400 is based on Sun Microsystem's
Sparc chip and runs software based on Sun's Solaris operating system.
Cray reported that a $1 million model handled 500 users as fast as a
$5 million midsize mainframe computer. System base prices range
from $400,000 to $2.5 million. Hmm, that desktop supercomputer is a
little farther off than I thought. (SOURCE: WSJ 10/26/93, p. B7)
=> IS THAT A TV? NO, IT'S OUR NEW MACINTOSH. Apple's new Macintosh TV
incorporates a Macintosh computer, a 14" color television and a stereo
CD/CD-ROM player all in one unit. It can be connected to VCRs, cam-
corders, video disk or video game players, and comes with a suite of
word processing, spreadsheet and database software. The new product,
geared toward the home and educational market, will be available at
selected retail stores, college campuses and through the Apple
Catalog. The Macintosh TV is priced at $2,079. (SOURCE: Wall Street
Journal 10/26/93 B2)
=> IS THAT A MACINTOSH? NO, IT'S OUR NEW PHONE SYSTEM. The 2Way
Talker, from 2Way Computing, is real-time voice communications
software that works on networked Macintosh computers, effectively
turning them into your inter-office phone system. Just add a
microphone. The 2Way Talker costs $49.95 per Macintosh. Site licenses
are available as well. (ACCESS: 2 Way Computing 619-452-3888)
(SOURCE: Newsbytes 10/26/93)
=> INTERNET BUSINESS JOURNAL. The Sept/Oct issue of the IBJ features
articles about Internet facilitated advertising, including a listing
of Internet advertising services; a commentary on cultural limitations
surrounding Internet advertising; a profile of a company that
advertises software on USENET, and a review of e-mail advertising
techniques. Additionally, IBJ's editors have compiled a summary, "How
to Advertise on the Internet: An Introduction to Internet-Facilitated
Marketing." It'll be available December 1st. Contact Strangelove Press
for ordering info or a FREE sample copy of the IBJ.
(ACCESS: Strangelove Press (mstrange@fonorola.net), 613/747-6106,
613/564-6641 Fax) (SOURCE: NET-HAPPENINGS)
=> RHYMING DICTIONARY. Eccentric Software has introduced A Zillion
Kajillion Rhymes, a rhyming dictionary for Windows-based personal
computers. If you are a poet (but don't know it), or merely a scholar,
give them a holler: list price is $49.95, or order it direct from the
company for $39.95.(ACCESS: Eccentric Software, 206/628-2687 or
800/436-6758, fax 206-628-2681) (SOURCE: Newsbytes 10/25/93)
=> (ALMOST) FREE TAX SOFTWARE. Computer Associates, who earlier this
year gave away (for shipping and handling charges) their personal
financial management software package, CA-Simply Money, are at it
again. This time the package in question is called CA-Simply Tax. CA
says it will send an (almost) FREE copy of Simply Tax to anyone in the
U.S. who calls its toll-FREE order line -- 1-800-7-FREE-TAX -- before
April 15, 1994 (You will pay $9.95 for s/h). Simply Tax uses a Q and A
approach to walk users through the tax preparation process. It
automatically fills data in on the correct form. CA-Simply Money got
good reviews. CA-Simply Tax can import data from Simply Money, and can
file your return electronically via modem. The company hopes to make
money on upgrades and add-on products. Both products can be ordered
(almost) FREE thru April 15,1994. (SOURCE: Newsbytes, 10/28/93)
=> BUSINESS CARD SCANNERS. These three small OCR (optical character
recognition) scanners do one thing, but they do it well. They scan in
business cards and transfer the information to a computer database.
That way business cards don't end up in that graveyard in your desk
drawer. The CardGrabber from Pacific Crest Technologies, the
CypherScan, and the Scan-in-Dex from Mustek Line are one small step on
the march towards the paperless office. (ACCESS: Mustek 800/654-4160,
Pacific Crest Technologies 714/261-6444, CypherScan 408/734-8765)
=> SMALL FOOTPRINT LASER PRINTER. If your office space is at a
premium, you might want to check out the new Panasonic KXP-4400 laser
printer. This tower style 4 page-per-minute printer sports a
diminutive 5" x 15" footprint. Suggested list price is $650. Other
models feature fax capability and Postscript level 2. (ACCESS:
Panasonic 800/742-8086)
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Changing Corporate Boundaries Via Email
Sara Kiesler, a social psychologist who studied how e-mail systems
changed the nature of organizations, was one of the first to observe
businesses systematically and study the impact of CMC on the
organization. Dr. Kiesler confirmed and legitimated what CMC pioneers
had known from personal experience when she noted in Harvard Business
Review that "computer-mediated communications can break down
hierarchical and departmental barriers, standard operating procedures,
and organizational norms." Kiesler's observations supported the theory
long popular among online enthusiasts that people who often dominate
conversations face-to-face, because of rank or aggressive demeanor,
are no more visible than those who would remain silent or say little
in a face-to-face meeting but say a lot via CMC. Businesses are the
next organizations to be subjected to the same new kinds of social
forces that were experienced by the research and academic communities
when they went online.
Kiesler also offered evidence that people communicate across and
around traditional hierarchical organizational boundaries if their
mutual interest in a particular subject matter is strong enough;
groups make more daring decisions via CMC than they do face-to-face;
work that later turns out to be important is sometimes accomplished in
informal conversations as well as in structured online meetings.
(Excerpted from Virtual Communities by Howard Rheingold [Addison
Wesley, 1993] p. 62-3)
======================================================================
In Brief...
=> NII AGENDA: REQUEST FOR COMMENTS. If you've read "The National
Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Action" document released by
the Administration recently and wish to comment on it, send comments
directly to the administration at: nii@ntia.doc.gov.
=> SCULLEY LEAVES APPLE, JOINS SPECTRUM. It's the end of an era at
Apple. John Sculley, who took the company to new heights, has left the
company, to be replaced as Chairman by A.C. Markkula Jr, one of the
three co-founders of Apple. He had relinquished his position as CEO to
the president, Michael Spindler, in June. A few days later, in a move
that surprised many, Sculley became chairman and CEO of Spectrum, a
small East Coast company that controls a series of patents related to
the wireless transmission of computer data. It seems Mr. Sculley has
set his visionary sights on a new horizon.
(New York Times 10/16/93 p.17,10/19/93, p. C1)
=> SEC FILINGS ON INTERNET. The Securities and Exchange Commission
has announced a pilot project to distribute corporate filings at no
cost over the Internet by year's end. The project, funded by a grant
from the National Science Foundation, is seen as a victory for
advocates of free public access to government data. Previously, the
feds had planned to contract with information services vendors to
provide the public access to this data for a fee. (SOURCES: EDUPAGE,
Information Week 10/25/93)
=> WINDOWS 4.0. An alpha version of the next version of Microsoft's
Windows is making the rounds. Basically this is a brand new operating
system, with 32-bit addressing, pre-emptive multitasking, and support
for threaded processes. Don't you love it when I talk technical? It
means more power for the end user, but MS is also taking pains to
shield some of the complexity where possible, using context-sensitive
menus and a software registry database that that should simplify
the installation and management of Windows software and it's
associated .INI files. Info World (10/25/93, p.1) takes a look and
reports that the product still needs some work, but that the product
will obviously have "far more functionality and sophistication than
Windows 3.1 when it ships in the latter half of 1994." Windows 4 has
been codenamed Chicago. Also in the works: the next version of DOS,
DOS 7.0, codenamed Cairo, which promises to be a complete overhaul of
that venerable operating system. We'll keep you posted. (SOURCE:
Infoworld 10/25/93)
=> UP THE CABLE. Cable fees are going up rather than down, according
to an analysis prepared to understand how cable companies have
responded to new federal legislation that had been intended to reduce
cable rates for most consumers. Imagine that.
(SOURCE: NY Times 10/21/93, EDUPAGE)
=> COMPUTER CAPERS. 100 Spanish Olive growers complained they had not
received their European Community subsidies, even though they'd filled
out the required paperwork. Authorities in Andalucia discovered their
computer wasn't programmed to recognize the letter "n" with a tilde.
All the farmers affected had names with tildes. Stupid computer!
(SOURCE: City Paper)
=> ADVENTURES IN TELEPHONY II: CAN YOU HOLD FOR TWO WEEKS?
A recent survey of 150 high level execs at Fortune 500 companies by
placement firm Robert Half International reveals that the average
exec spends about 15 minutes a day on hold. While that doesn't sound
like much, it adds up to 2 weeks per year of potentially wasted time.
The firm suggests that perhaps you can line up routine tasks to tackle
while you're listening to the muzak, mindless chores like signing
forms or memos, organizing files and drawers, or perhaps straightening
up your desk. (SOURCE: John P. McPartlin, "Please Hold -- For Two
Weeks." Information Week 8/23/93, p. 80)
=> NEW APPLE MACHINES ON THE HORIZON. Apple is slated to introduce a
powerful new line of computers in mid-march. The new Macintoshes,
based on a new PowerPC microprocessor, will be aggressively priced,
and are reported to be the biggest transition for the company since
the introduction of the Macintosh. In the meantime, Apple is expected
to consolidate its current product line, and to offer price cuts of
up to 20% (SOURCE: NYT 10/18/93, p. B1)
=> STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. On October 15th, the world's longest escalator
link, designed to carry 26,000 commuters daily, opened in Hong Kong.
The half-mile long "Hillside Elevator Link" will connect Hong Kong's
waterfront business area to Mid-Levels, a chic residential district
450 feet up the slopes of Victoria Peak. The 20 minute ride is free,
and is designed to alleviate traffic jams on the overcrowded island.
(SOURCE: Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/15/93, p. A17)
======================================================================
Good News For Modern Man
(This one is counterpoint to last issue's point) In an interview in
the October Freedom Review, author Nicholas Eberstadt is asked whether
the rich, industrialized nations are responsible for the poverty of
less developed countries:
It is not the right question. There is nothing new about poverty -- it
is as old as the human condition. What's new, radically new about the
human condition, is long life spans and high levels of per capita
productivity. The progress mankind has made over the past two
centuries is amazing. At the beginning of the nineteenth century,
there was hardly a population in the world with a life expectancy as
long as forty-five years. At the end of the twentieth century, there
is hardly a population in the world with a life expectancy that short.
Figures for the world as a whole are problematic, but some efforts to
compute global GDP suggest an increase by a factor of four in per
capita output on this planet during this century. Progress has not
been scant, even for what we consider the most impoverished
populations. (SOURCE: Wall Street Journal)
======================================================================
Statistically Speaking....
=> SOFTWARE SALES SOAR. The Computists Communique reports that from
1982 to 1992, the US software industry grew by 269 percent -- compared
with only 30 percent for the rest of the economy. Today, it is larger
than all but five manufacturing industries and holds a 75% worldwide
market share for prepackaged software sales.
=> U.S SEMICONDUCTOR COMPANIES DO BOFFO BIZ. The Semiconductor
Industry Association says personal computers (PCs) and related
products will spur a 29% growth in the 1993 world market to $77.3
billion with a continuing climb to $103.4 billion by 1996. The North
American market is expected to lead even the Japanese by the end of
this year, with $24.8 billion in shipments in 1993, as compared to
Japanese shipments of $23.7 billion, Asia Pacific shipments of $14.4
billion, and European shipments of $11.5 billion. This will be the
first year since 1985 that the North American shipments will be larger
than Japan's. (SOURCE: Newsbytes 10/28/93)
=> AND YET...AND YET... Both Datamation and Computerworld report that
pay raises for IS workers are averaging around 4% this year.
Datamation (August 5, 1993) reports that a fortunate few in "glamour
jobs" are seeing average raises in the 10% (Director of IS) to 22%
range (CIOs). Of course CIO (Corporate Information Officer), as one
pundit pointed out, often translates to "Career Is Over." It's a high
turnover position. In fact, although the top spots are very well
paid, there is strong pressure to produce results as companies realize
the importance of information technologies in their business. In the
lower ranks, Datamation noted a strong trend towards staying put, as
opposed to the two-year job hops that were fairly common career moves
until recently. People are afraid to move, realizing that it's not
worth a few thousand dollars to become "low person on the seniority
list in another shop."
Computerworld's Annual Salary Survey (September 6, 1993) came up with
the same basic figures regarding pay raises. They did have some
good news for women, reporting that females are closing the pay gap
between their earnings and the higher salaries typically paid to their
male counterparts. Women are also moving into more responsible, higher
paying jobs in great numbers. They now comprise one-third of the
computing work force. Other trends: many companies are using bonuses
rather than pay increases to reward workers. The healthiest pay
increases were to be had in Atlanta, Phoenix, and Dallas, while
some salaries in Baltimore, Denver, New York, Minneapolis, and
Northern California actually fell. Banking, securities, and utilities
firms took the biggest pay hits, and insurance companies got better
than average pay increases.
======================================================================
"The beauty of mechanical problems is that they are often visible to
the naked and untrained eye. If white smoke is rising from a disk
drive, that is probably where the problem lies (unless your disk drive
has just elected the new Pope)." - John Bear, Computer Wimp
======================================================================
Chip Wars (prices are retail per chip unless otherwise noted)
=> INTEL. This month at Comdex in Las Vegas, INTEL will introduce a
new Pentium chip, the 60-MHz Pentium II, or P54C. The chip features a
3.3 volt design, which means it will run cooler than current Pentium
chips, and pave the way for planned 80- and 100-MHz models. Pricing
for the 80-MHz chip will be around $1,300, though officials say this
could change. Available in 1st quarter '94 will be the clock tripling
486DX3/100 ($600-700) chip. On November 1, the company will release a
low-cost version of its i750 video capture and compression chip ($500
street price), which could cut prices of video boards in half. ATI
will produce a board using the chip, and IBM has agreed to use the
chip in a video teleconferencing product. Just recently, Intel
announced volume shipments of its flash chips -- memory chips that
retain data in the absence of electrical power, and can be easily
erased and reprogrammed. The company expects to ship 33 million flash
chips in 1993, more than double the amount they shipped in 1992.
(SOURCES: Wall Street Journal, Infoworld)
=> INFO METER. The "information meter" chip developed by Wave Systems
can be installed in any computer and used to bill users for the amount
of software and/or data they actually make use of. The chip costs
less than $30. (Forbes 10/18 93, EDUPAGE 10/19/93)
======================================================================
Kultchur Korner
=> STAR TREK: VOYAGER. Paramount Communications and Chris-Craft
Industries have announced they will launch the Paramount Network in
January 1995. Among the shows announced for the new network is a new
Star Trek franchise called Star Trek: Voyager. This is the last season
for ST:The Next Generation (on TV -- there will TNG movies), and I
heard they were considering a new show. Does anyone out there know
anything about this? (SOURCE: NYT, Philadephia Inquirer)
=> TIME WARNER TO LAUNCH NEW NETWORK. Time Warner announced this week
that it would be launching its new network in the fall of '94. The
network will start with 2 hours of prime-time programming 2 nights a
week and build from there. No word as to what they will be offering
program-wise. (SOURCE: Philadelphia Inquirer 11/3/93)
=> STEVEN KING ON THE NET. A new short story from horror schlock-
meister Stephen King will be available through the Internet. It will
appear through the Online Bookstore; users can search, browse, or read
the story on their screens or download a copy for a fee of $5/hour or
$5/download. (ACCESS: Online Bookstore, 508/546-7346)
(SOURCE: Publishers Weekly, 9/27, p. 12, EDUPAGE 10/19/93)
=> I WANT MY VTV. Kaiser Electro-Optics and VRI Entertainment plan to
deliver high-resolution virtual reality programming over cable TV
within the next few months. A head-mounted display would be used to
see 3-D views of games and programs. They hope to license the
technology to cable TV companies. (SOURCE: Atlanta Constitution
10/14/93, p. E2, EDUPAGE)
=> I WANT MY MTV.COM! That's right...MTV is officially on the net.
At present, VJ Adam Curry is running an ftp and gopher site through a
T1 connection with Digital Express. Since the folks at MTV are not
yet ready to commit financially to the project, Adam is paying for the
connection himself. The anonymous ftp connection is ftp.mtv.com and
cd /pub/ The pub directory contains a README file explaining the
setup and what's available. Things like charts, audio, schedules,
video, etc. Look for a weekly newsletter and programming grids soon.
=> VIRTUAL ART SHOW. The Guggenheim museum in New York is holding an
exhibit of virtual reality as art. One display is a reconstruction of
Egyptian antiquities; viewers will be able to walk like an egyptian
through the Temple of Horus using special 3-D goggles.
(SOURCE: Atlanta Constitution 10/21/93, p. D2, EDUPAGE)
=> PROTECTING THE INNOCENT. In Phoenixville, Pa., a local newspaper
reporting on the arrest of a man accused of sexually molesting his
teenage daughter noted twice that it was witholding the man's name to
protect the alleged victim's identity. However, the article was
accompanied by a color photo of the family's house and a caption
naming the street it's on. (SOURCE: City Paper)
======================================================================
Future Tech...
=> I GIVE YOU THE CYBER FINGER. Researchers at NTT's Human Interface
Lab in Tokyo have developed the Cyber Finger, an artificial hand which
simulates the movement of a human hand. A neuro chip, employing neural
net technology, enables the artificial hand to move its fingers
according to instructions given by lab technicians after being trained
for only two minutes. NTT reported that the robot was able to move
nearly all its individual fingers correctly. With a computer and radio
transmitter, users will ultimately be able to control this robot at
remote locations, making possible fine detail work not previously
possible with remote robots, perhaps in outer space, deep sea
exploration or nuclear power plants. NTT continues to improve the
system and hopes to employ it commercially in the near future.
(SOURCE: Newsbytes)
======================================================================
PDA NEWS
=> ZOOMER. Tandy's entry in the PDA sweepstakes is now available at
Radio Shack for $699. It uses pen-based input, but unlike Apple's
Newton, the Zoomer requires that a user print on the screen, rather
than write. Zoomer uses the GEOS operating system (that's good), has
a built-in dictionary/thesaurus/spell checker, a 26 language trans-
lator (!), and a version of Quicken financial software. A modem can be
added, optional software lets you transfer software from and to a PC,
and a paging service is available thru Motorola. Software is included
that will let you access America Online. Tandy is claiming a battery
life of 120 hours. Sounds pretty neat, but B&B wisdom says wait for
the next generation of PDAs unless you really need (or want) one now.
=> NEWTON NEWS: SALES GOOD, WIRELESS SERVICE AVAILABLE. Early last
month, Apple reported that it had sold 50,000 Newton Messagepads in
the US and Europe since the unit's introduction just under two months
ago. This makes the Messagepad one of the fastest selling products
Apple has ever introduced. Apple resellers said they don't expect to
see much profit in sales of the Messagepad itself, but expect to do
well on peripheral items like leather cases, extra memory, and the fax
modem. One interesting item is the new Connectivity Connection Kit for
the Macintosh. Shipped early in September, the connection kit enables
information to be synchronized and updated automagically between the
Macintosh and Newton when the two are connected.
Apple also announced that users will be able to receive a message the
length of a postcard from anywhere in the nation and eventually in
other countries too. The Apple Wireless Messaging Service will be
delivered by Bellsouth's paging network subsidiary, Mobilecomm, and
will become available to Newton "soon". To access the service, you'll
need the Newton Messaging Card, a $229 credit card-sized receiver that
inserts into the Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association (PCMCIA) slot. The Messaging Card can receive messages
whether or not it is inserted into the Newton, meaning it can be
picking up transmissions while in a jacket pocket and inserted into
the Newton at the users' convenience to retrieve the messages.
(SOURCE: Newsbytes)
=> IBM'S SIMON. IBM is set to ship Simon, their entry into the PDA
market. The product is about the size of a cellular phone and weighs
a pound. It's set to ship in December, and will provide wireless
connections via BellSouth's cellular phone network right out of the
box. Both Simon and Newton cost about $1000. (SOURCE: Information
Week, 11/1/93, p. 10)
======================================================================
(Not so) Stupid E-mail Tricks
Note: Some of these retrieved documents can be quite large. Please
make sure your mailer can handle these documents, and in the case of
commercial service providers make sure it won't cost you more than
you want to pay.
=> NAFTA DOCUMENTS. Information on the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) is available via email from the USDA Extension
Service. The report is divided into sections, which allows you to
select sections of interest. To retrieve all or part of these
documents send one or more of the lower-case commands listed below on
the right, to: almanac@ace.esusda.gov
TO RETRIEVE: TYPE:
- List of all NAFTA documents
released on 9/29/93 send nafta catalog
- List of all NAFTA-related
Press Releases, since 4/93 send nafta-press catalog
- List of daily NAFTA Notes from
the White House send nafta-notes catalog
=> NATIONAL HEALTH CARE DOCUMENTS. To retrieve instructions on
getting the Health Security Act, and/or the The President's Report to
the American People, send an e-mail message to: health@ace.esusda.gov
(You don't need to put any text in the body of the message)
Alternately, you can send the following lower-case command:
"send hsa help" (omit the quotes) to: almanac@ace.esusda.gov
=> MOVIE SERVER. The server at movie@ibmpcug.co.uk accesses a movie
database to return information about movies, actors, directors, etc.
To get a help file, just send a note to the server with HELP in the
subject line. A reader sent this one in. Anybody else know any other
cool ftpmail services?
======================================================================
Ig Nobel Prizes Awarded
The winners of the prestigious Ig Nobel Prizes for 1993 were announced
in a ceremony held on October 7 at MIT in Cambridge, MA. The Prizes
honor individuals whose achievements cannot or should not be repro-
duced. Eleven Ig Nobel Prizes were given this year, and the winners
came from 16 different countries. This year's highlights include:
The prize for consumer engineering went to Ron Popeil, incessant
inventor and perpetual pitchman of late night television, for
redefining the industrial revolution with such devices as the
Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, the Cap Snaffler, Mr. Microphone,
and (my personal favorite) the Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler. We have
so much to be thankful for.
The Pepsi-Cola Company of the Phillipines was awarded the Ig Nobel
Peace prize. Seems they sponsored a contest to create a millionaire,
and then announced the wrong winning number, a number held by 800,000
people who rioted in the streets. These people, members of different
warring factions, were brought together for the first time in history
by this strange turn of events. I'd like to teach the world to sing...
A joint award went to Jay Schiffman of Farmington Hills, MI, inventor
of AutoVision, an image projection device that makes it possible to
drive a car and watch television at the same time, and to the Michigan
state legislature, for making it legal to do so.
In chemistry, James Campbell and Gaines Campbell of Lookout Mountain,
Tennessee, were recognized for their contribution to society, the
scent strips found in better magazines everywhere. Robert Faid of
Greenville, South Carolina, won the award for mathematics. It seems he
calculated the exact odds (8,606,091,751,882:1) that Mikhail Gorbachev
is the Antichrist. I knew it! Finally, in physics, Louis Kervran of
France, received his award for concluding that the calcium in
chickens' eggshells is created by a process of cold fusion.
The Ig Nobel ceremony was produced, as usual, by The Journal of
Irreproducible Results and The MIT Museum. A complete list of winners
may be obtained from kindly Dr. Chaos by sending email to
and asking him for the Ig Nobel prize winners list.
(SOURCE: Dr. Chaos <he has a master's degree...>)
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THANKS to everyone who wrote in inquiring about my mental health after
reading issue #13 of B&B. Rest assured I am as happy as can be an
amazingly large percentage of the time. We'll be discussing reaction
to issue 13 next time 'round. Thanks to John Wenrich for telling me
about the MTV gopher. Everyone and their mother is invited to send in
material for possible inclusion in B&B. A big B&B tip of the hat to
Kim Small and Dan Walker for providing me with the Wall Street
Journal. Capitalism Rules! Lastly but not leastly, thanks to cub
reporter Gary Lewis for "pre-reading" Info World for me and acting as
an intelligent front end. We'll be back in about a week with more
high tech news, hard hitting commentary, and whimsical ravings.
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