TO BE, OR NOT TO BE: THAT'S THE MACOS QUESTION
Be, Inc. is raising quite a buzz in Silicon Valley. Their BeBox (not named after our esteemed publisher), a nifty machine with the multimedia capabilities of the Mac and the flexibility of Unix, is generating serious feelings of hardware lust among the Valley hacker crowd. Be made headlines by dancing the acquisition minuet with Apple, which is seeking a boost for the aging MacOS. More recently, Be struck a deal with Apple clone maker Power Computing to ship the BeOS operating system on PowerMac clones. Now comes word that they are working on porting Linux to their hot BeBox. The Be site has many screen shots and a listing of where their roadshow will be doing demonstrations. Could Be be the Apple computer of tomorrow? You may want to put some money on that. Take a look and judge for yourself. "http://www.be.com/"
The beast is dead but the droppings steam on. PC Week has put together a nice compact overview of Comdex. Keynotes, commentary, and major announcements all in one concise package. Nice job. "http://www.pcweek.com/sr/sr.html"
NETSCAPE RELEASES BETA OF AUDIO SERVERS
If you've ever wanted to own your own radio station but held back because of that pesky government license requirement, this software will be of interest to you. Media Server and Media Player will in combination deliver audio over the Net. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this announcement is that about 40 companies have signed up to support the new broadcast standard, which Netscape and Progressive Networks (RealAudio) jointly developed. Beta copies are available for download, as is a fairly succinct FAQ document. Announcement: "http://home.netscape.com/comprod/announce/dss_medi.html" FAQ: "http://home.netscape.com/comprod/announce/faq_media.html" Server: "http://home.netscape.com/comprod/mirror/server_download.html" Player: "http://home.netscape.com/comprod/mirror/media/download_mplayer.html"
WORLDCHAT SHOWCASES ACTIVEX CAPABILITIES
WorldChat is a new network of chat servers built specifically on Microsoft's Conference Server and ActiveX technology. This barely international network of chat servers provides audio-based conferencing, whiteboard utilities, and a member search service. They are currently running 10 servers, nine in the US and one in Denmark. Chatters can hook up using either standard IRC software or proprietary clients like Microsoft's MIChat. The site is heavily Microsoft centric; you won't even see their home page without a browser that supports ActiveX, Microsoft's competition for Java. If you want to know how Microsoft stacks up in the server wars, give them a look. "http://www.worldchat.org/"
There may be no free lunch, but these days there's free e-mail. In this case, you get your freebie if you can endure some advertising. You read your free e-mail anywhere via the Web, or have it forwarded to the POP mailbox of your choice. Filtering rules can be applied to store, forward, or delete your mail. They even have a feature which will collect your e-mail from several ISPs and forward it to you. Sounds pretty useful, and as the site says, "Hey, what do you have to lose? After all, it's free!" "http://netaddress.usa.net/"
HP UNVEILS NEW CRYPTO CONTROL FRAMEWORK
Hewlett-Packard announced a new framework technology designed to let governments enable and disable strong cryptography products. The framework is independent of the method used in a given product. The heart of the system is a small, tamper-resistant module with the cryptographic algorithms that remain dormant until activated. A policy activation token (basically some key bits) can be used to choose between the various crypto algorithms stored on the module. The HP press release makes this sound like the greatest thing since public key encryption, but in reality it appears to be just another attempt to insert government control into private data exchanges. Look for legislative attempts to make this technology mandatory on all encryption products. Technology details are at the site. "http://www.dmo.hp.com/gsy/security/icf/main.html"
Sanford Wallace of CyberPromotions is nothing if not tenacious. Threatened by court orders and large provider shutouts with losing access to millions of potential spamees, Sanford has turned to that tried and true Internet censorship remedy, the distributed spam network. Shortly before he lost his Sprint Net access, he reportedly hired 10 sites which will allow him to hook up a PC to their networks in return for about $1000 per month. This will allow him to spam from multiple IP addresses, making it harder for targets to filter out the offending sites. Will it work? Probably, for a time. It's a classic evolutionary race (see the Red Queen hypothesis) between the spammers and the blockers, and bears watching as proof (or disproof) of the famous aphorism that the Net routes around censorship. "http://www.cyberpromo.com/"
"Moon over Parma/Bring my love to me tonight./Guide her to Cleveland/Underneath your silvery light./We're goin' bowlin'/So don't lose her in Solon./Moon over Parma tonight." This infectious theme ditty from "The Drew Carey Show" may be in trouble. If you do nothing else this week, write a letter to save it. alt.tv.drew-carey "http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6663/parma.htm"
This exceptionally organized site devoted to the life and work of David Seymour (1911-1956), political photojournalist, is the product of the International Center of Photography/Midtown. The lives of David Seymour and his friend Robert Capa were woven together by war, intellect, and the everpresent camera. Many wonderful photographs run side by side with the well-written text. Go, enjoy. "http://www.icp.org/chim/"
This elaborate and compelling exhibit presented by the Houston (Texas, USA) Museum of Fine Art has over 60 exhibits from ancient Egypt. Though the images are great, you must work around the poor graphic design of the pages in several places - red text on black, for instance. The page provides special information for teachers and students, and has RealAudio and QuickTime VR files of interest. "http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/voyager/egypt/tour/index.html"
SMORGASBORD OF ART, CULTURE, AND EVERYTHING
Culturekiosque, resembling an online newsstand, dishes out culture with European flair. The e-zine-like pages cover the opera scene, classical music, archeological art, and cooking, in English, German, and French. That's not all you get. When visitors first show up, they are presented with an article on intelligent cyberagents. A tech section is in the works, too. Journalists and critics writing for major dailies and specialist magazines provide the content, which masterfully uses frames to keep the organization simple and appealing. Did you know the composer Gioacchino Rossini (Barber of Seville, William Tell) was as famous for his gastronomy in his day as he was for his music? "http://www.culturekiosque.com/index.html"
If it's on your wall, it's trash. On somebody else's, it's art. That appears to be the aesthetic at Digital Jungle's Graffiti from London. It's a combination gallery, newswire, and e-zine on the London graffiti scene, with scads of photographs of legally and illegally paint-bombed trains and walls. In addition to the visual, the site features information on the various London crews, short histories of favorite graffiti sights, and latest news from the local graff community. An interview with local bomber Ser sets the rhythm and rhyme of an artful subculture where the objets d'art are often erased within days of their creation. "http://www.graffiti.org/dj/"
Crank - ka-ching! Crank - ka-ching! That's the sound of our overworked and underpaid book reviewer giving it her all in her padded cell. This issue's offerings to you, gentle reader, are: "Dr. Bob's Painless Guide to the Internet and Amazing Things You Can Do with E-Mail"; "The Book Lover's Guide to the Internet"; and "Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML 3.2 in a Week". "http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/books/book.02.38.html"
Now this is odd. You'd figure from the title, Entropy Gradient Reversals (EGR), that this little e-zine would bring order to the universe. You'd be wrong. The word we'll use to describe it is "dichotomous". It's about the Internet, society, and Internet society, yet it's still hilarious. It's light, but serious. It quotes Alexis de Tocqueville and Samuel Johnson, yet literally shouts "holy shit!" at you - repeatedly, if you hit your back button. EGR's produced by Christopher Locke, a.k.a. RageBoy, who ranks somewhere between your uncle and Jerry Yang on the Net.fame.scale. To subscribe, e-mail clocke@panix.com with "I Subscribe to Entropy" anywhere in the message, or do it at the page. "http://www.panix.com/~clocke/EGR/index.html"
SMITHSONIAN'S "INCREASE AND DIFFUSION"
One of the classiest cultural magazines on the Web right now is the Smithsonian's Increase and Diffusion, a masterpiece that, like the museum itself, celebrates the richness and complexity of contemporary life with an appealing blend of scholarship and journalism. The first issue offers multipage, conservatively and beautifully illustrated stories, such as one about an archaeologist who works underwater in Hawaii to clarify "one of the most bizarre and fascinating stories in American history." Other features include an in-depth look at the American wine industry, poetry and the workplace, a profile of solo theater artist Brenda Wong Aoki, a multipart audio interview with ex-Los Angeles Laker star James Worthy, and a background piece on a luncheonette pivotal in the American civil rights movement. Let's hope the Smithsonian continues to fund this site. What a premiere! "http://www.si.edu/i+d/"
For democracy to work, you need a sense of connectedness, and it helps to know a little history. William M. Brinton has compressed 6,000 years of American and pre-American history (most of it the past 200 years) into a rich synopsis on the Web. To visit "An Abridged History of the United States" is to return to history and civics classes in high school, with a legal bent, without the pressure of quizzes. The target audience here consists of teachers and other educators, but this should be required reading for many students, too. Brinton's prose is leisurely, authoritative, and expansive. You can read it online - with or without frames - or download the entire textbook as a zipped or StuffIt archive. Grade: A. "http://www.us-history.com/choose.html"
RiotGrrl has a colossal reputation for pushing the boundaries of traditional female roles and this page is no exception. Read about how it feels to be a nude model, the fashion of actors as celebrities rather than professionals, and Schneider and Fein's "The Rules: Time Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right" book ("Shake your buns. Be quiet and mysterious. Be feminine."). Brash, lively, and relevant. "http://www.riotgrrl.com/"
THE ALMOST OFFICIAL CECIL ADAMS
Waaaay back, in NSD 1.20, we introduced two sites devoted to the know-it-all, tell-it-all Cecil Adams and his "The Straight Dope" column. An issue later, one disappeared. This week, none other than Cecil's own editor, Ed Zotti, wrote to say that "The Straight Dope" hadn't given up the ghost on the Web, it just moved. It's now a snazzy, authorized-but-not-official site that's easy on the eyes and the download clock, with a year's worth of legend-busting letters and answers. If you're looking for "The Straight Dope" TV show, we suspect it has been euthanized, mercifully. "http://www.straightdope.com/"
Feast here, Web developers and lovers of Netscape: NetscapeWorld e-zine has a wonderful collection of background articles and pointers on color, intelligent agents, Java and JavaScript, audio, plug-ins, HTML 3.2, and other nuts and bolts, along with the latest on trends in browsers and the Web. Need more? There are news items and columns, book reviews, FAQs, and technical information, too. A lot of the material pertains to Internet Explorer and other browsers as well as to the browser king. The time to frequent this site is now, while Netscape still rates at the top of most Web surveys. You can bet a lot of Microsoft employees check this out. "http://www.netscapeworld.com/"
Two Irish developers use their wry senses of humor to select Web pages and snippets of e-mail and Usenet postings for this eclectic cybersampler. You might get a Monty Python script, an extraterrestrial view from a NASA probe, a look at the "Disturbing product of the month" (gourmet pet water, for example), a "wacky, wrongful or weird ad", sound bites from blockbusters and TV shows, audiovisual birthday cards, or e-mail humor. A funny e-mail section called "Words Not Yet in the Dictionary" should be highlighted and expanded rather than buried near the bottom of a page. George and Tad Dillon, the Brothers Grin, invite submissions and promise to credit contributors. "http://www.tiac.net/users/gadillon/pocket.htm"
MARS WON'T DIE, BUT SPACECRAFT WILL...
Mars won't stay out of the news it seems. Months after a NASA research team announced evidence for past life on Mars, a British team has come forward with supporting evidence and the claim that they actually had the story seven years earlier. Meantime, the Russian Space Agency recently flung the Mars 96 spacecraft toward the Red Planet, but fell a bit short - into the Pacific, to be exact. Exciting stuff, maybe, but both pale before the delightfully demented mind of Tim Burton and his retro-sci-fi flick "Mars Attacks." Skip the snaps of itty-bitty Martian microbes and check out the brain cases on these guys (beware the 7 MB QuickTime clip). Mars life, UK version: "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et/access?ac=150854964790&pg=//96/11/1/nmars01.html" Mars '96: "http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mars96/news.htm" Mars Attacks: "http://www.marsattacks.com/"
The mecca of an inquisitive eastern Canadian childhood is the Ontario Science Centre, in North York, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. Web hajjis can experience interactive exhibits like the Stupid Mouse Race, Computer Crayons, and the Marvellous Exploding Zit. Like everything in the real complex, the virtual exhibits are fun for all ages. You'll need Shockwave to participate, but you have it already, no? "http://www.osc.on.ca/"
HUNTING THE WILD PETUNIA, OR ANY OTHER PLANT
The Plant Tracker is a no-nonsense botanical database covering all uses of common plants. From one interface you can search on either the binomial or common names, usage, growing conditions, or any combination of factors. In case you can't think of the term to search on, there are lists of term descriptions for the various medicinal uses, edible uses, soil types, moisture levels, etc. Amazingly, there really are 101 things to do with kudzu (well, more like 25 or so). "http://www.axis-net.com/pfaf/"
PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
Called WebElements, this page starts with the periodic table in traditional form. You can further investigate the elements based upon their many different properties: general, chemical, physical, nuclear, electronic, biological, geological, crystallographic, reduction potentials, isotope abundances, electronic configurations, and ionization enthalpies. This chemical bonanza joins the ranks of an increasing number of well done, special interest sites. "http://www.shef.ac.uk/chemistry/web-elements/"
A huge undertaking is already producing amazing results. The National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Institutes of Health presents a wealth of information about the Human Genome mapping project. The pages have over 40 genes that have been identified with inherited disorders, and a search engine for many others. One of the links is to Science Magazine's Genome Issue. This series of articles explains the methodology, progress, and importance of the project. Uhh, you do know what a genome is, right? "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SCIENCE96/"
Thanks to National Academy Press (NAP), you can access more than 1,000 health, science, and technology books for free. This site seems designed mostly for researchers and others with professional interests, but consumers are welcome and will quickly find much of topical interest, including Auditorium Chat. NAP has collected digitized books in more than 26 categories in the Reading Room. Much of the dry prose comes from government agencies, but tax dollars have at least made it plentiful, far-reaching, and authoritative. Fresh Paint is a "What's New" with a calendar, reviews, and discussions of hot topics in science. If you want hard copy, go to Bookstore. (You don't really want to click through 300 pages online, do you?) "http://www.nap.edu/"
The Digital Doomsday Clock has a new home. We featured this countdown to midnight gauging the threat to the freedom of speech on the Net in NSD 2.20. "http://www.catalaw.com/doom/"
Netsurfer Digest Home Page: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/index.html
Netsurfer Digest FTP Site: ftp://ftp.netsurf.com/pub/nsd/
Subscribe WWW form: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/subscribe.html
Subscribe E-mail: nsdigest-request@netsurf.com
Include one of the following commands in the BODY of the
message:
HTML Format version: subscribe nsdigest-html
Plain ASCII version: subscribe nsdigest-text
Unsubscribe and other FAQ info: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/ndfaq.html
Submission of Newsworthy Items: pressrm@netsurf.com
Letters to the Editor: editor@netsurf.com
Advertiser and Sponsor inquiries to: sales@netsurf.com
Netsurfer Communications: http://www.netsurf.com/
General Information: info@netsurf.com
Letters to the editor may be printed unless you explicitly tell us not to.
NETSURFER DIGEST © 1996 Netsurfer Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
NETSURFER DIGEST is a trademark of Netsurfer Communications, Inc.