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Bits And Bytes Online Edition Volume 1 Number 05
Please read the administrivia section at the end for information on
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BBB III TTT SSS BBB Y Y TTT EEE SSS
B B I T S B B Y Y T E S ONLINE EDITION
BBB I T SSS AND BBB YYY T EEE SSS VOL 1, NUMBER 5
B B I T S B B Y T E S 9/9/93
BBB III T SSS BBB Y T EEE SSS
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"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." Pablo Picasso
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Libraries As Museums of Human Thought
If computers aid our searching minds, we must not abandon the books
during our leisure time. The serendipitous search through books is
necessary for knowledge and learning. Browsing often evokes daydreams
and unsuspected connections; analogies and pertinent finds happen
among the stacks of physically accessible pages. Although not as
efficient as the Boolean search, library browsing enriches us in
unpredictable ways. Looking for something in a book library frequently
leads to discoveries that overturn the questions we originally came to
ask. ...
Today libraries are becoming information centers rather than places
for musing. The Los Angeles County Public Library, the world's largest
circulating library, receives more requests for information than
requests for books. In 1989, one university in California opened the
first library without books, a building for searching electronic
texts. Books still remain a primary source, but they are rapidly
becoming mere sources of information. A large volume of book sales
doesn't necessarily prove that the book, with its special psychic
framework, endures as such. Many books today gain attention as
nonbooks linked to cinema, television, or audio recordings.
Searching through books was always more romance than business, more
rumination than information. Information is by nature timebound.
Supported by technological systems, information depends on revision
and updating. When books become mere sources of information, they lose
the atmosphere of contemplative leisure and timeless enjoyment. Old
books then seem irrelevant, as they no longer pertain to current
needs. One of the new breed of information publishers epitomizes this
attitude in a pithy warning: "Any book more than two years old is of
questionable value. Books more than four or five years old are a
menace. OUT OF DATE = DANGEROUS."
As book libraries turn into museums of alphabetic life, we should
reclaim their original meaning. Museums are places for play, for
playing with the muses that attract us, for dreams, intuitions, and
enthusiasms. Information plugs us into the world of computerized
productivity, but the open space of books balances our computer logic
with the graces of intuition.
( Michael Heim, The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality, p. 26-27.
[1993, Oxford University Press. $21.00] )
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Peter Drucker II: The Future of Intellectual Property
We have to rethink the whole concept of intellectual property, which
was focused on the printed word. Perhaps within a few decades, the
distinction between electronic transmissions and the printed word will
have disappeared. The only solution may be a universal licensing
system. Where you basically become a subscriber, and where it is taken
for granted that everything that is published is reproduced. In other
words, if you don't want everybody to know, don't talk about it. I
think we are getting there very fast. [B&B agrees with this model] ...
I have worked with musician Peter Gabriel on several projects. At a
workshop we were holding for AT&T he was asked, "How do you deal with
the piracy of your albums?" Gabriel said, "Oh, I treat it as free
advertising. I follow it with a rock concert. When they steal my
albums in Indonesia, I go there and perform."
(SOURCE: "Post-Capitalist," Peter Drucker interviewed by Peter
Schwartz, WIRED Magazine 1.3, July/August 1993, p. 80)
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The Content Law of Information
Not all information results in knowledge; we are constantly deluged
with noise. One of the most perplexing problems is how to filter it.
Ultimately, it's the responsibility of each individual. Make a
conscious effort to examine your information needs and information
flow. Separate the relevant from the irrelevant. What information do
you have that someone else could use? What information does someone
else have that you need? (Frank J. Ricotta Jr., "The Six
Immutable Laws of Information," Information Week, 7/19/93, p. 63)
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Down and Dirty Programming
There are probably some situations where structured methods are the
best way to approach software development. I just haven't seen any
lately. ... Everywhere I go these days, development groups are
churning out multiple iterations of application designs, spurning
anything that smacks of a structured framework. Structured methods
just don't work, according to one manager. "None of that bears any
relation to the way things are done today." The way things are done
today is fast, cheap and with the maximum amount of reality-checking
along the way. (Joanne Kelleher, "Quick Isn't Dirty," Computerworld,
7/19/93, p. 32)
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The Thinking Man's Computer
In Japan, researchers have developed a computer-assisted robot hand
that mimics the motions of a human hand by analyzing the tiny nerve
pulses sent from the brain to the finger muscles. The goal here is to
create brain-controlled artificial limbs that would be controllable
by the wearer's brain rather than the current mechanically controlled
models. (SOURCE: Tampa Tribune 7/27/93 N/W4, E-D-U-P-A-G-E)
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Retooling Government Practices For The Information Age
Al Gore's information technology team has delivered the draft of their
plan for improving the use of computers and communications
technologies by the federal government to the VP. The report will be
made public after it is presented to President Clinton sometime after
Labor Day. Sources say it will recommend a number of "best practices"
- high-speed networks, electronic benefits transfer, geographic
information systems (GIS) and public access to on-line data - culled
from federal, state and local governments and industry. ere are some
recommendations from the report:
+ Bring government services to places such as shopping malls via
multimedia interactive kiosks.
+ Make much greater use of the Internet to provide public access to
government databases and services.
+ Expand electronic distribution of food stamps and other benefits,
such as welfare.
+ Continue the development of the National Information Infrastructure,
built around the "data superhighway" long championed by Gore. This
highway will form the backbone of the information economy in the US,
and will be used to provide better medical care, educational services
and on-the-job training to all corners of the U.S.
Very few of the teams' recommendations will require legislation, and
most can be initiated between government agencies on a handshake
basis. "This report represents things that really can get done," said
team manager Laraine Rodgers, director of MIS for the city of Phoenix
and a veteran banking industry IS manager. "We will have some fantasy
and science fiction stuff, but we'll say, get to that in a few years.
Here's what to do now."
(SOURCE: Gary H. Anthes, "White House gets tech advice," Computerworld
8/2/93, p. 4)
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The Count To Three Principle
Paradoxically, one way to master the power of a tool is to probe its
weaknesses. Thus we offer the Count-to-Three Principle:
IF YOU CANNOT THINK OF AT LEAST THREE WAYS OF ABUSING A TOOL, YOU DO
NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE IT.
(Gerard M. Weinberg, An Introduction To General Systems Thinking
[John Wiley and Sons, 1975]
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Information Technology: Friend Or Foe?
While there are signs that the national economy is slowly growing,
unemployment stays flat or even keeps rising. Opinion as to the role
of IT in this process is divided. Some blame technology for automating
once-manual tasks, putting thousands out of work. (I've read that
McDonalds is testing robot burger flippers!) Others say that increases
in productivity will generate new wealth, putting thousands to work at
new jobs, and enhancing consumer demand. (SOURCE: Joel Havemann and
Norman Kempster, "The Case of the Disappearing Worker: What's Gone
Wrong?" Los Angeles Times, July 6, p. H1)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Elsewhere, IEEE Spectrum for August reports that improvements in
efficiency due in part to IT and automation advances have contributed
to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs from major multinational
companies. from December 1991 to December 1992 there was a US job loss
of 5.8- percent in the computer industry, 1.6-percent in semiconductor
companies, and 10.6-percent in the defense/commercial guidance system
industry. The only sector showing a job gain was the prepackaged
software market which expanded employment by 1.5-percent.
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The World On a Chip I
Your hair could grow across a two-micron gap in less than 10 seconds,
but that's still too large a space for scientists pushing
nanotechnology. Timothy Gardner of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology wants to place a single molecule, no bigger than 5
nanometers, between two electrodes to see if the molecule's signals
can be read. It's the first step in developing a new science that
could lead to microprocessors on a molecular scale, condensing all
the computer power of the world on a single chip.
(Hapgood, Fred. "The Really Little Engines That Might." Technology
Review Feb./March 1993: p. 30)
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NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
AMD 486 Chips Set To Ship
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. expects to ship their newly developed
486SX chips in September. Forbidden to use Intel's 486 microcode, AMD
developed their own 486 logic. The chips will cost about the same as
the Intel version, but will give users a little more horsepower,
offering a 21% faster 40-MHz for the same price as Intel's 33-MHz
chip. (SOURCE: INFOWORLD, 7/12/93, p. 87)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
AT&T, Sierra On-Line To Build Cyberspace Theme Parks
AT&T and Sierra On-Line have entered into a partnership with the
intention of creating theme parks in cyberspace. The Sierra Network, a
graphical game playing bulletin board, will change its name to the
Imagination Network. One of the more interesting features of the
Sierra Network BBS is that you get to choose how you will appear to
other players online. Choices are made from a toolbox of eyes, noses,
etc. Your new character is then free to roam to the various area of
the BBS and to interact with other human players. Area online include
the Clubhouse, where players can play backgammon, bridge, chess;
Sierraland amusement park which features a Red Baron dogfight
simulation and a Paintball battlefield; and Medievaland where players
can engage in a fantasy role-playing game called "The Shadow of
Yserbius" that includes monsters, wizards, dungeons, and magic spells.
In addition, third party content providers will be encouraged to
create new interactive areas such as "virtual shopping malls" to
browse and purchase products, or "communities of interest," where like-
minded people can discuss and learn about various topics. (I see a
need for a Star Trek Online Universe for game-players. The Imagination
Network will also be accessible (for an additional fee) from Prodigy.
TSN has received a lot of attention for their efforts in creating
online communities, and this alliance with AT&T should give them the
resources to become a major player. Presently, TSN costs as little as
$12.95 per month, and they have a 3 hour FREE trial.
(CONTACT: The Sierra Network: 800/SIERRA1) (SOURCES: Newsbytes 7/29/93,
Edupage 7/29/93)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cyberdesk Information Manager for Online Services
This one sounds like a great idea. Those of you who deal with more
than one online service know many of them have their own front-end
software. Now along comes Cyberdesk, which claims to work with most
major text-based on-line systems, including the cc:Mail package used
on LANs, CompuServe, and MCI Mail. The program works under Microsoft
Windows and automates many functions like dialing into the services,
downloading mail, and uploading new messages. You read and respond to
mail offline, which saves you money since most services charge by the
minute. Cyberdesk is a lot like the off-line mailing programs which
are popular in the BBS world. (SOURCE: Newsbytes 8/4/94)
(CONTACT: CyberCorp, 404/424-6240, fax 404/424-8995)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Matsushita Unveils Flat Screen TV
Matsushita Electric is coming out with a 14-inch color television set
containing a picture tube just four inches thick (compared to a
standard 13 inch thick tube). The new streamlined models will be
available for sale overseas late next year. Matsushita plans to
develop a larger, wall-hanging type of Flat Vision display in the
near future which will support HDTV (high definition TV).
(SOURCES: EDUPAGE 8/3/93, Newsbytes 8/3/93)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Windows NT To Ship Within 2 Weeks
Microsoft Corporation said today that Windows NT and the Windows NT
advanced server software has been released to manufacturing, putting
the long-awaited software one step closer to shipping. Windows NT is
one of the largest software projects ever undertaken, occupying
developers for more than four years to produce the first truly new
personal computer operating system to appear since IBM's OS/2.
Microsoft Windows is not an operating system, but rather a link
between the user and the underlying DOS (disk operating system) that
has been the heart of millions of PCs. Users who install Windows NT
will no longer have to have DOS installed, and NT will run Windows
software. NT is said to be unix-like, offering true multiprocessing
and system security features. On the down side, you need a lot of
memory to run it. Lets see how this turns out for the gang at
Redmond. Next year should see the release of Windows version 4, and
DOS version 7.0, which is said to be a major upgrade of DOS.
(SOURCE: Newsbytes News Service 7/27/93)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Microsoft Gets With the "Green" PC Agenda
Microsoft has joined the US Environmental Protection Agency's Ally
program, reemphasizing its commitment to providing consumers with
software that supports energy efficiency. Microsoft ships Advanced
Power Management 1.0 drivers in each MS-DOS 6.0, Windows, and Windows
for Workgroups box. APM allows firmware built into a personal computer
to determine when the software is not in use and when the system can
conserve power. Microsoft also says it is making a concerted effort to
educate employees about powering down idle computers and turning off
their PCs during weekends and evenings. The EPA estimates that 30 to
40 percent of all PC equipment is left running 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. This consumes enough energy to keep at 12 power plants
running year-round. (SOURCE: PC World August 1993 p.33)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
FREE Credit Report
Bits and Bytes *loves* FREE stuff. We will try to point out
interesting and useful FREE stuff to our readers. If you can tell me
where to get any interesting FREE stuff, or if you have any FREE stuff
you would like to send me, please feel FREE to do so. :-) This week's
FREEbie is a FREE credit report. It seems that once a year you
may request a copy of your credit report from TRW, one of the largest
national credit reporting firms. Call 214/235-1200 and follow the
instructions. This is a toll call, so this is not exactly FREE. :-(
======================================================================
FREE Advice: Tips For Speaking To A Crowd
The six signals all audiences want to hear:
1) I will *not* waste your time.
2) I know who *you* are.
3) I am well *organized*.
4) I *know* my subject.
5) Here is my most *important* point.
6) I am *finished*.
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Bits and Bytes Bookshelf: The Outer Limits
Here are some books that will give you a preview of things to come,
the further frontiers that Bits and Bytes only hints at. All are
well written, aimed at the layman, and recommended:
Artificial Life: The Quest For A New Creation by Stephen Levy
[Vintage Books, 1992. $13.00]
- The story of a new scientific discipline: the science of artificial
life. Computer viruses are an early (and mostly destructive) form of
a-life, but the next generation may actually be useful. You may
send a knowbot out on the networks to look for a piece of data. It
will be programmed to come return to you when it accomplishes it's
mission. Virtual ants and other creatures that react to their
surroundings, eat and even have sex are discussed. Software that
uses the forces of evolution to solve complex problems (genetic
algorithms) and insectlike robots that may be used by NASA to pave
a landing area for a manned Mars mission. "Frankenstein, move over"
as Clifford Stoll puts it on the back cover. The book also discusses
the possible dangers of a-life.
Virtual Reality by Howard Rheingold [Summit Books,1991. $12.00]
- "Though this world is very new indeed, Howard Rheingold has written
an authoritative geography of Cyberspace. All the landmarks are
here." (John Perry Barlow, The Electronic Freedom Foundation)
Mind Children: The Future of Robots and Human Intelligence by Hans
Moravec [1988, Harvard University Press. $8.95]
- Dr. Moravec "argues that we are approaching a watershed in the
history of life - a time when the boundaries between biological and
postbiological intelligence will begin to dissolve. Withinn forty
years, Moravec believes, we will acheive human equivalence in our
machines, not only in their capacity to reason but also in their
ability to perceive, interact with, and change their complex
environment." (from the dust jacket) Easily the most 'far out' of
the books listed here, Dr. Moravec, who is Director of the Mobile
Robot Laboratory of Carnegie Mellon University, discusses the
possibility of uploading the human mind into a robot brain,
granting what amounts to immortality to the human race. It is a
little too 'far out' even for me, but it makes for thought
provoking reading. Dr. Moravec, to his credit, also discusses the
possible downside of the possibilities he outlines.
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for a B&B apology and credit in the next issue. Also thanks to
Dr. Kenneth Laws (laws@ai.sri.com), publisher of The Computists'
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information about his valuable electronic newsletter and service.
(* hir is a concatenation of his and her which I will be using to
avoid being sexist and to show the world what a sensitive new age guy
I am. I figure this will help me "score" with "the babes".)
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