SECRET CONSULTING AGENT SCOTT ADAMS
Abetted by the San Jose Mercury News, Logitech chairman Pierluigi
Zappacosta, and a make-up artist, Dilbert creator Scott Adams invaded
Logitech in the guise of mission statement consultant Ray Mebert. Mebert's
fictional qualifications include Proctor and Gamble's Taste Bright Project,
which worked to improve the taste of soap. The butts of the Logitech joke,
executives of the company's New Ventures Group, do at times seem skeptical
about Mebert's analysis, but whether cowed by the presence of Chairman
Zappacosta or just confused, they don't challenge his authority. This is
great stuff, and not just for the RealPlayer footage.
<http://www.sjmercury.com/dilbert/index.htm>
While Iraq, like a little brother, keeps pushing and pushing and pushing
the US, the world waits for a climax. CNN offers a superb page of analysis
by anchors, reporters, and experts, the latest news, and - if the fireworks
start to fly - you can bet it'll have the greatest video. Another site of
interest is Outbreak's Chemical and Biological Agents page. Learn all about
the fun stuff that may some day rain upon democracy's sons and daughters.
The "News on chemical and biological agents and threats" link bears info
specific to Iraq. Stay tuned. CNN: <http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1997/iraq/>
Outbreak: <http://www.outbreak.org/cgi-unreg/dynaserve.exe/cb/index.html>
JUST WHAT IS GOING ON AT MICROSOFT?
Lawsuits fly between Sun and Microsoft over Java. What is Java's future?
What will become of the network computer? If they triumph, where does that
leave Microsoft's contract-driven business model? Can Microsoft compete
based on the - gasp! - quality of its products? Nicholas Petreley's
November column for NC World tackles these questions. We recommend you read
it. <http://www.ncworldmag.com/ncworld/ncw-11-1997/ncw-11-straypackets.html>
SO, IS IE PART OF WINDOWS OR NOT?
As part of Microsoft's response to the US Department of Justice's antitrust
lawsuit that wants to force Microsoft to package Internet Explorer (IE)
separately from Windows, William H. Neukom, Microsoft's senior vice
president for law and corporate affairs, said this in a press release: "For
the Justice Department now to say that Internet Explorer and Windows are
separate products is plain wrong." This is similar to other statements in
the past. Last issue's "Want to Pirate Some Fonts? Fire up IE 4.0" article
featured another quote from a Microsoft PR flack, describing a IE bug: "As
it's fixed down the road, it'll get fixed in the Windows code, not in the
browser code." If it's not two separate products, why are there two
separate codes? Several NSD readers also noted this apparent hypocrisy.
Response: <http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/default.htm>
#doj Bug:
<http://news.i-us.com/wire/html/ie4-font.htm>
US UNIVERSITIES PLAN INTERNET RESEARCH
Here's a catchy little name for you: the University Corporation for
Advanced Internet Development (affectionately known as UCAID). This
consortium of 110 advanced research universities supports Internet2 members
developing broadband applications, engineering and network management tools
for next generation Internet uses in research and education. In addition to
this work in Internet2, UCAID will support other programs devoted to
network research, technology transfer, and collaborative activities in
related fields such as distance learning and educational technology.
<http://www.internet2.edu/ucaid/>
The U.S. Treasury Department has just released a new version of the $50
bill. This site has an image of the new currency and information about
security features built into the bill. Naturally, since this is a
government Web site we're talking about here, they had to make most of it
available not in HTML but as Adobe PDF files. Duh! Another good idea
obscured by lack of common sense. But the new bill looks pretty cool and
you may want to get familiar with its image.
<http://www.ustreas.gov/treasury/currency/50info.html>
Way back on November 5, we started mailing out NSD 3.36. For an as yet undetermined reason, both our mail servers went - umm, mammaries up in the middle of the mailing. Despite valiant attempts to restart the mailing from the point at which it died, we had to restart it from scratch and that meant some of you got two issues of 3.36 while others received theirs only very late. We apologize, and you'll be happy - or at least apathetic - to know that things seem more or less fine now. Sorry.
WOULD HE BECOME APPLE JACK, THEN?
Matt Staroscik has a cure for Apple's troubles that Stephen Sondheim would
embrace - send in the clowns, specifically Jack, the clown who rules over
at the Jack in the Box burger franchise. He's seven feet tall and goofy
looking, but he's pushed a heck of a lot more burgers (six billion burgers
since 1951) than Apple could dream of. Staroscik's site is silly and
sarcastic, but you can tell the guy loves his Macs. There's a nifty Jack
screen saver for the snatching and a well-aimed slam at Apple's latest
"Think Different" campaign.
<http://www.sowest.net/users/staroscik/jack/jack.html>
SEE LI'L TOMMY. SEE LI'L TOMMY SWINDLE.
Li'l Tommy Sprokets goes from being a clever kid's toy to a super computer
smartass. Tommy Sprokets starts life after being created to set an example
to today's wayward children. Soon he turns to the pleasures of human
weakness (don't miss his foray into petty swindling) and has the Bureau for
the Reclamation of Runaway Technology after him. The pages are beautifully
illustrated with images that could knock your primary-colored socks off.
"The History of Colossus" is a work of genius, a comic book with RealAudio,
tracing a story so damn good that it could be real.
<http://colossus.net/history/>
THE WORLD'S GREATEST PAINTERS UNDER ONE URL
This elegantly rendered site puts a plethora of Great Masters and other
famous artists at your beck and call. Primarily a resource of links and
short reviews, the site also features articles and images of each artist.
<http://kultur-online.com/greatest/>
THESE GUYS CAN REALLY CARRY A 'TOON
You don't have to be a kid or an artist to enjoy Cartoonshop, an excellent
showcase of cartoons by longtime artist Andre Noel and writer-collaborator
John Zakour. Some of Noel's single panels have appeared in consumer
publications such as Boy's Life, Complete Woman, Cosmopolitan, National
Enquirer, and Woman's World. The team's graphic skills and mainstream sense
of humor are also evident in their caricatures, strips, and other portfolio
samples. There's a commercial aspect here - the artists solicit inquiries
from advertisers - but this is to be expected in a highly competitive field
where often only big-name creators are well rewarded for their toil.
Cartoon lovers will want to check out the links to other 'toon sites.
<http://www.acartoonshop.com/>
CATHABLANCA - CYBERSOAP PUTS YOU THROUGH THE WRINGER
Follow the love juices of Antonio (the "incredibly talented lover"), smell
the hangover of Steve (banned from the Betty Ford clinic as a hopeless
case), chase the drama as it unfolds from spurned love to strip poker,
prophylactic missiles (water balloons made of condoms) to mooning, and Las
Vegas Madness. Fawn over cast photos of Marilyn Monroe as Jo and Steven
Seagal as Dirk. Marvel at the Centre for the Easily Amused as it creates a
world bursting with sex, guns, drama, and love. Don't think of it as your
typical soap opera; this is Melrose Place in an alternative universe.
<http://www.amused.com/soap/menu.htm>
AH, THE DRAMA! THE PASSION! THE SILENCE...
Classic films are celebrated in silence, so to speak, by the Silents
Majority Web site. The online journal of Silent Film includes bios of
film's pioneering actors, producers, directors, cinematographers, and
writers, and offers arresting images, history, and interviews. There are
also articles such as a "nine part, big-screen interview from 1927 with
Lillian Gish that will keep your eyes glued to the little screen". For the
benefit of locals, the site links to the Southern California Silent
Calendar (including announcements for screenings such as Paul Leni's
Waxworks at the Riverside YMCA and Lillian Gish in Annie Laurie at UCLA),
and information about books, video releases, and events related to silent
films. <http://www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/>
It's either over the top - even for purple prose - or it's howlingly bad
poetry. We're not sure. Come to think of it, we don't care. The visual cues
are abstract to the point of meaninglessness. Diacritical and punctuation
marks have pride of place. No one at dee-zeine|||annihilation lives by the
editors' credo that content is king - and they're mighty proud of it.
According to their blurb to us, they're "trying to create some unorthodox
web design by means of visually/textual conceptual decomposition". Uh-huh.
Our reviewer disliked Wired even before it was fashionable, so who's to
say? You may find dee-zeine|||annihilation more enlightening than we did.
<http://www.absurd.org/de-A/>
GENTLE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE EDGE
"On the Edge" is a column from a high-tech writer with an avocation for
giving a cynical twist to life in the computer industry. Michael Finley's
column topics range from the battle of the real and virtual bookstores to
unusual software products. He also appreciates the smaller and quieter
moments, like the technology-tinged walk in Tennessee woods with his
vaguely mystified but definitely tolerant canine companion. You'll find
smart and observant writing all along Finley's Edge.
<http://www.skypoint.com/~mfinley/articles/columns.htm>
E-ZINE FOR COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS
The Informatics Division of the Institution of Electrical Engineers now
provides a useful source of technical and professional news and advice on
their new Computer Forum site. Unlike many sites aimed at the industry,
this one assumes the visitors have a good knowledge of computing and a real
interest in accurate technical information. The library provides detailed
articles on the latest processes and techniques; there are chat forums and
a job vacancy section. You can join free right now, but from January '98,
there'll be a fee to access the library and other main features.
<http://forum.iee.org.uk/>
If you've ever picked up an Insiders' Guide in the bookstore, you know why
the publisher feels no compunction over posting the full text of more than
20 of them at their Web site. The guides are bursting at the binding with
information - enough that you'd have carpal tunnel syndrome before you'd
get all the way through one. They're called "Insiders' Guides" because each
is written by locals from the geographical entity covered. From knowing
where to find Elvis's jumpsuit in Las Vegas to savoring the perfect cheese
in Wisconsin, the Insiders' Guides cover it all, online and off.
<http://www.insiders.com/>
NO CHILD'S PLAY FOR CHILDREN'S WRITERS
Writing for children is not child's play. So goes the message at the
Children's Writing Resource Center. Presented and hosted by the Children's
Book Insider, a newsletter for authors aiming at a young audience, the site
offers numerous tools for struggling writers - tips, how-to's, chat areas,
and bulletin boards. You have to put up with some marketing for Children's
Book Insider paraphernalia (books, home courses, and more) while
navigating, but the site is efficiently laid out which makes it fast
loading, even if you realize too late that you just clicked on an ad.
Parents can check out a list of Newbery or Caldecott Award winners for
their little ones. The site is simple and straightforward, but you get the
feeling that it promises more than it delivers. Getting that newsletter
might be the answer. <http://www.write4kids.com/>
PH.D. GOES SPORTS WRITERS ONE UP
It takes a hardcore fan to apply the correlated Gaussian method and other
statistical tools to sports, but Dean Oliver, Ph.D. - "coach, scout,
player, and fan" - has done it in a loose, tongue-in-cheek fashion to
basketball in his unusual sports site. The Journal of Basketball Studies is
a thinking surfer's collection of articles, musings, minimonographs, and
smoke and mirrors. Oliver focuses on individual and team stats to make
predictions, identify underlying forces, temper wisecrack with wisdom, and
otherwise appear to bring one of the world's most popular sports into the
realm of reason. Here's a quick sample: "Adjusted points per game
multiplies points per possession by the league average for possessions per
team per game to reflect both the quality of the team and the average game
pace in the league for that season." Piece o' cake, coach!
<http://www.tsoft.com/~deano/>
El Nino, the already infamous climatologic phenomenon, is set to wreak
havoc on the planet Earth in the coming months and generally make the
upcoming winter just a little more bloody-minded or bearable than usual.
Minnesota's Channel 4000 Web site now hosts a wealth of information on El
Nino, including its history and the specific impact it will have on the
eastern section of the United States, such as a reduction in the total
amount of snowfall and milder temperatures during what are historically
winter's most snowbound, frigid months. The site also contains links to
features and meteorological data about El Nino and its climate-warping
effects. <http://www.wcco.com/news/enso/>
THE SPLENDOROUS IMAGININGS OF 16TH-CENTURY SCIENCE
The surfer of diverse and varied interests wishing to see the splendorous
imaginings of wise men and avoid the monstrous creations of simple minds
that swarm about the worldly Web should hasten to the fabulous chronicles
of Giambattista (John Baptist) della Porta, a Neapolitan scholar of renown
and notable ability whose "Natural Magick" surveys the whole course of
Nature. That which arises from the pen of a 16th century scholar is of
necessity a narrative of bewildering complexity, the sense of which
illuminates the landscape of science in those times, and yet by grace of
glossary and index compiled by the wise Scott L. Davis, that which reads
obscure becomes clear, and the greatness of the utility of that which they
call the Net becomes apparent, as jewels such as this might otherwise be
lost to the company of good men and women everywhere. Go thither.
<http://www2.tscnet.com/pages/omard1/jportap1.html>
GARDENS TO IMAGINE THROUGH NORTH AMERICAN WINTERS
Every bit as attractive as you'd want a gardening site to be, Ithaca
Gardens is a treasure trove of information for the serious but amateur
horticulturist. Gardeners in Zones 5 and 6 of North America (generally the
Midwest, New England, southern Ontario, and the Atlantic provinces) will be
especially glad of two excellent databases. There's one on herbs -
including 14 different fragrant basils - and another one on perennials.
Search by plant name, color, height, flowering season, spread, whether you
want to attract butterflies or birds, and whether your beds bask in sun or
languish in shade. It's an invaluable aid for those souls among us who
while away cold winter nights mapping out that perfect perennial border.
<http://www.woodny.com/garden/index.html>
NASA Goddard's SeaWiFS page has all the information about its project to
collect oceanic color images that show the concentrations of ecologically
important microscopic plant life. There are data about the space craft
used, the receiving stations, the techniques, the missions, and more. Then,
of course, there are the images, in beautiful vibrant color. High school
teaching materials with activities provide an invaluable guide to getting
the most out of this technically rich resource.
<http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html>
YOUR TRAFFIC SHOULDN'T ENDANGER ANY SPECIES HERE
The Nature Conservancy has more than 1500 preserves, most open to the
public, housing a wide range of threatened species. With proceeds earned
from reforesting, fencing, and removing species alien to specific
environments, the nonprofit Conservancy buys land and water the animals
need to survive. The site allows like-minded people to discuss issues and
share experiences of their favorite hobbies, such as fishing, bird
watching, and nature walking. <http://www.tnc.org/>
As the fight to ban landmines worldwide shows signs of being won, one Web
site reminds us that the hard work has hardly begun - cleaning up these
lethal, maiming souvenirs of forgotten wars. Jody Williams (1997 Nobel
Peace Prize winner) of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines has set
up a Web site to facilitate donating to the cause. Created by volunteers,
the site can accept cheque or credit card payments over a secure
connection. It also provides an eye-catching animated banner for Webmasters
linked to the donation site. Of all the funds collected, 95% go directly to
the clearance of mines. <http://www.landmine.org/>
Netsurfer Digest Home Page: http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/index.html
Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Check Delivery Address:
http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/subscribe.html
Frequently Asked Questions: 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/
Letters to the editor may be printed unless you explicitly tell us not to.
Writers and Netsurfers
NETSURFER DIGEST © 1997 Netsurfer Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
NETSURFER DIGEST is a trademark of Netsurfer Communications, Inc.