MOSAIC COMMUNICATIONS RELEASES NETSCAPE 0.9 BETA
From the much hyped startup staffed by members of the original Mosaic development team comes Netscape, a new WWW browser. Initial reports are favorable (usual beta bugs aside), with newsreading features most praised and lack of printing support most bemoaned. The biggest debate centers on non-standard HTML extensions implemented by MCom. (See THREAD WATCH below). The software can be had via FTP (E-Mail "release@mcom.com" for other sites, "info@mcom.com" for info). Free versions for Windows, Mac, and UNIX are available (Linux is on the way). "http://mosaic.mcom.com/" "ftp://ftp.mcom.com/netscape"
O'REILLY DEBUTS THREE MOSAIC BOOKS WITH BUNDLED SOFTWARE
The books are "The Mosaic Handbook for the Macintosh," "The Mosaic Handbook for Microsoft Windows," and "The Mosaic Handbook for the X Window System." They are typical slim handbooks on how to use the program. A quick look reveals the expected hype and tie-ins to O'Reilly's GNN online Web servers. The versions of Mosaic enclosed are based on the Spyglass Inc. port with reportedly better performance, reduced memory usage, easier installation, printing support, and a simpler interface then the publicly available NCSA versions. Early reviews on the Net are favorable, noting that at $30 it's a good deal. We'll have a full review soon. "gopher://gopher.ora.com/" "http://gnn.com/ora/"
ROLLING STONES GO LIVE OVER THE NET
One still-to-be-selected date of the Voodoo Lounge tour will be broadcast live using the Mbone (Multicast Backbone) channel of the Net. Live video and audio can be viewed with a powerful enough workstation and software that runs the Mbone protocol. There will be Mbone parties at sites all around the US for those of us without Sparc 20s. Stay tuned to the Stones home page for details. "http://stones.com/"
$24.4 MILLION IN AWARDS FOR DIGITAL LIBRARY RESEARCH
This joint initiative of the NSF, ARPA, and NASA hopes to dramatically advance the means to collect, store, and organize information in digital forms, and to make it available online in user-friendly ways. The funds go to Carnegie Mellon University (interactive online digital video library), UC-Berkeley (environmental library), the University of Michigan (large-scale, continually evolving multimedia digital earth and space sciences library), the University of Illinois (journals and magazines in the engineering and science literature), UC-Santa Barbara (maps, images, and pictorial materials), and Stanford University (a single, integrated "virtual" library). The Division of Information, Robotics and Intelligent Systems: (703) 306-1930. E-Mail: "dl-info@nsf.gov"
THE U-DO-IT INTERNET ESTIMATOR FEATURES NET GROWTH STATS
GNN has put up a page of interest to those seeking Internet use and growth statistics. The page contains links to such resources as "The Internet Domain Survey, July 1994;" Mark Lotter's "Internet Growth (1981-1991)" memo; John Quarterman's "Internet Numbers FAQ;" Donna L. Hoffman and Thomas P. Novak's rebuttal to Quarterman's "How Big is the Internet?;" NSFNET Statistics at Merit's Network Information Center; Matthew Gray's WWW Wanderer results, "Measuring the Size and Growth of the Web;" and a few other resources in a similar vein. This is a good site for those trying to justify the Net to their bosses. "http://gnn.interpath.net/gnn/news/feature/inet-demo/web.size.html"
The operating system people either love or hate is a quarter-century old (more or less). Coincidentally, it's also the 25th anniversary of the Internet. Coincidence or conspiracy? You be the judge. Naturally, there is a home page: "http://www.amdahl.com/internet/events/unix25.html"
STAR TREK "GENERATIONS" SCRIPT ON WWW
Despite security on the set we all knew the script would get out by hook or by crook. John Gotts has put up a copy as part of his fairly neat home page. "http://www.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/generations.html" "http://www.umich.edu/~jgotts"
FREE MULTI-TREK AVAILABLE WITH TELNET
Multi-Trek is a multi-user Trek-like game which can be played from any ASCII terminal or xterm with Internet access. This real-time space battle game updates the each player's ship statistics and what he's scanning several times a second. There are no graphics (it ain't Netrek); it's all numbers updated with cursor movement sequences. You can access it with these commands: UNIX: "telnet mtrek.internex.net 1701"; VAX/VMS: "telnet mtrek.internex.net/port=1701". The latest documentation and a PostScript map of the quadrants are available via anonymous FTP. A WWW site with the Mtrek docs and a pointer to the game is also available. "ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/ro/clp" "http://www.retail.com/~clp/"
NETBOY COMICS AVAILABLE VIA DAILY SUBSCRIPTION
Following on the heels of its print debut in last month's Internet World, this Internet nerd-oriented (don't get us wrong - we like it) comic is now available daily in your mailbox. The new strip will be six panels long. The large Saturday Web editions of Netboy are, as always, free to every user of the Net. A three-month subscription will cost $10 and readers can buy T-shirts for $15. Ordering both costs just $20. Direct questions to Kate at "netboy@interaccess.com". "http://www.interaccess.com/netboy.html"
HAS MCOM JUMPED THE GUN ON HTML EXTENSIONS?
In addition to making waves with their Netscape WWW browser, Mosaic Communications has also created minor whirlpools of debate swirling around the various non-standard HTML extensions supported by their software. Opinion is polarized on whether the features, most bowing to content publishers' need for display control, are good or bad. Proponents note that the sluggish evolution of HTML gets a needed boost, while opponents point out the non-standard nature of the extensions causes technical and conceptual problems with the overall design and evolution of HTML. In particular, they note the bewildering proliferation of browsers, no two of which seem to display the same page in the same way. Throwing another variable into the mix will lead to more problems. Read the comp.infosystems.www news hierarchy for the debate.
Ah, that unforgettable taste of pasteboard pizza, that slimy spaghetti, the alleged meat. Who could forget those glorious moments of nausea we forever associate with college food? Alt.college.food lets you bask in nostalgic afterburn, or simply vent your guts on the subject. Taco Bell and Pizza Hut reach new heights of culinary repute, ramen noodles (a.k.a. food porn) rule, and Pizza & Beer 101 is required for graduation. Here you can rag on the Marriott Food Corp., find a list of "Top 10 College Survival Foods," debate "Food Euphemisms," and learn that Notre Dame has good food (divine intervention no doubt). Mostly you can defend the reputation of your alma mater as the worst college food source on the planet. Enjoy con gusto.
OK, this will probably be of little interest to anybody but we laughed for some reason. There exists a newsgroup called alt.chrome.the.moon. The only article there when we looked was the infamous "LOSE WEIGHT GUARANTEED" ad. We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
TECHNOLOGY LOVER'S DREAM: THE WWW MUSEE DES ARTS ET METIERS
So what if you don't speak French. This famous museum of technology, depicted in Umberto Eco's novel, "Foucault's Pendulum," is still one of the niftiest Internet sites you can visit today. View excellent photos of the pendulum, historically significant steam engines, machines, communications devices, and more. If you do not "parle la langue," use your French/English dictionary - or just wing it. "http://web.cnam.fr/museum/"
ASCII ART RULES AT SCARECROW'S WWW LINK
This site is a gold mine of ASCII art. Check out the ASCII Art Reference, a Web version of the ASCII Art FAQ with lots of links to examples. They include story panels, animations, creating textures, color ASCII editors, stereogram programs, and a variety of related sites. You get a number of "Best Of" sites, examples of the most requested art (birthdays, Star Trek, hearts), the Scarecrow's Font File, various eye popping sigs, and more. Plenty of great ASCII art to satisfy your eyes along the way. The reference is exhaustive and well organized. Check out the stick figures next to the headings as you page through the file. "http://gagme.wwa.com/~boba/scarecrow.html"
COLORFUL ARTRAGEOUS CLIP ART SAMPLES AVAILABLE
Numerous images (we counted 13 medium-sized icons) make for a rather slow connection to this site. The page is the home of Metro ImageBase, the makers of the collection which won Editors' Choice from both MacWorld and PC Magazine. A set of three links takes you to pages with samples of clip art for newsletters, business images, and borders. In addition to being able to order online with a credit card ($24.95 each) you can also download a free sampler (IBM and Mac). Boiled down, this is a simple straightforward site with colorful images that may be useful to graphic artists. "http://www.webscope.com/artrageous/info.html"
"TIRED-WIRED" SERVER SPOOFS WIRED MAGAZINE COLUMN
Nope. We don't think the folks at Wired would approve. The TiReD-WiRed server, created by 2D Productions, mocks Wired magazine's Tired/Wired column. With a "patented AI Algorithm", it's supposed to predict the whims of Generation X with greater intelligence and accuracy. Tired or wired? You decide. By the way, the latest issue of Wired (November 1994) has a full page ad on pg. 97 using our beloved "More Signal, Less Noise" slogan for their vapor-web (no signal?) site. Just for the record, we were there first, as can be seen on the masthead of issue #23, dated September 23, 1994. Flattery? Imitation? Or do great minds just think alike? "http://www.cs.odu.edu/~page/2D/2D.html"
This is a well written and thoroughly researched guide through the tasks of obtaining, installing, and using the program (1994: Electric Avenue Press, Vancouver). Included in Stephen Gauer's book are both basics for newbies (simplified overviews of the WWW and Mosaic, for example) and more complex tasks for advanced users (topics such as using hypertext editors and working with SLIPP/PPP connections). Gauer also offers a wealth of sites for exploration, from newspapers and non-profits to Stack Ltd., Pushcino, Russia, (an Internet service provider for the South Moscow region) and the Pink Floyd home page. In addition, the guide provides a list of commercial developers, online resources, and work-arounds for common error methods. For ordering information, E-Mail "electric@wimsey.com".
"THE WEB WORD": MASSIVE, VERBOSE NEW BUSINESS E-ZINE
This new publication, which we sampled, will be on the expensive side. A yearly subscription ranges from $130 (special) to $550 for HTML formatted copy with "server access." It seems to be primarily aimed at professional business managers who want easy access to the info available on WWW. "The Web Word" is massive, with over 30 full HTML pages (80K) mailed to your mailbox. The first issue had an interesting interview about Reuters New Media's use of the Web and a number of good site references, but overall was too verbose for our taste. Check it out for yourself by sending E-Mail to: "innovation@euronet.nl" with the following line: "intro [your email address] [firstname lastname]".
DILBERT, DOGBERT, AND SCOTT ON THE NET
The Dilbert Newsletter, put out by Dilbert author Scott Adams himself, is online. Subscribers qualify to be a member of Dogbert's new ruling class when he conquers the planet. In the next issue, Adams will defend himself from the cruel accusation that his E-Mail address ("scottadams@aol.com") defines him as a newbie. And he'll tell us how to jockey for status in Dogbert's new ruling class. (The job of Minister of Gadgets has already been awarded.) The newsletter will appear approximately "whenever I feel like it", which should be about two or three times a year. To subscribe, E-Mail "listproc@internex.net" with no subject and the message "subscribe Dilbert_List Firstname_Lastname". In separate posts, send the messages "get dilbert_list newsletter_1.0" or "get dilbert_list newsletter_2.0" for back issues.
VOLUNTEERS EASE TEACHER ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
The Group Exploring the National Information Infrastructure (GENII), a volunteer group of networked educators, wants to help K-12 teachers learn how to use Internet resources and to incorporate the technology into lesson plans, innovations that are coming only slowly to public education. Much emphasis is being put on the "Warm Body Reponse" they can provide to teachers new to the Net. GENII is building a WWW page with pointers to relevant sites and plans to publish manuals to help teachers into the electronic community. Teachers and teacher tutors can request Warm Body Response via E-Mail or, along with those interested in volunteering, can visit the WWW page. E-Mail: Roger Lile "rlile2@ozarks.sgcl.lib.mo.us" "http://www.deakin.edu.au/edu/MSEE/GENII/GENII-Home-Page.html"
ADAPTIVE HYPERTEXT NETWORK EXPERIMENT NEEDS YOUR HELP
Systems researchers at the Free University of Brussels have started an experiment with an adaptive hypertext network on the WWW. The network restructures itself by learning from the way it is used. The researchers would like as many people as possible to try out the site, which gives users an English noun and asks them to select from a list the word most related to the first. The selection is then compared to another list of words, and so on. Apparently, the list of choices for any given word adapts to popular choices as more data are input. You can play as long as you like, and don't wait for it to end by itself or you'll be there for eternity. "http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be:8080/STARTWEB.html"
"WHAT A WONDERFUL WEB" SEEKS COOL WWW SITES & IDEAS
Know anyone who deserves space on a Web server? An unspecified UK organization is looking for subjects to fill a commercial Web server that is being set up to support a TV program. The program, whose working title is "What A Wonderful Web," will not be the typical edutainment product, but one that involves music, sound, vision, and the Net. If you know of a deserving candidate or have a worthy project yourself, mail details to "TCN@adams.demon.co.uk" but due to the heavy workload there, an immediate reply is not be possible.
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