A rare sneak peek at the tobacco industry's buried treasure, its internal
correspondence, can be had courtesy of US Congressman Tom Bliley. His
House Committee on Commerce has subpoenaed about 800 documents from
various tobacco companies dating all the way back to 1954. It's a grab
bag of internal memos and research papers on smoking and health. The
documents are available on the Commerce Committee site, along with some
legal background on how they made their way to the Net. The documents
themselves are in PDF format. If you don't already have a PDF reader, a
link is provided.
Documents: <http://www.house.gov/commerce/TobaccoDocs/documents.html>
Committee: <http://www.house.gov/commerce/welcome.html>
What with the hubbub of the legal proceedings against Microsoft for
forcing resellers to bundle Explorer with their operating system, it's
not surprising to see a lot of information circulating around about how
difficult it is to uninstall version 4.0 of the silly program. The ZDNet
column by Steven Vaughan-Nichols is a nice introduction to some of the
many hellish pitfalls you face if you actually try to exorcise the
browser from your system. CNet also has an interesting story exploring
the legal aspects of uninstalling Explorer and detailing some tests which
seem to reveal some - well, let's just call them "anomalies" in the
instructions for removing the browser that Microsoft sent out. The CNet
story also links to their good general coverage of the whole Microsoft
vs. Justice affair.
ZCNet: <http://www.zdnet.com/sr/breaking/971208/971209b.html>
CNet:
<http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,17553,00.html>
MONSTERS ON THE BRAIN: CARTOON CAUSES SEIZURES
It's right out of a hysterical parent's nightmare. The little darling is
watching TV and the evil box causes the rugrat a major conniption right
there in front of the media shrine, with seizures that would make Julius
Caesar proud. That's exactly what happened recently in Japan when some
psychedelic strobe effects on a cartoon show modelled after a Nintendo
game called "Pocket Monsters" caused more then 700 tykes to head for the
hospital. Some of this was due to the well known strobe induced brain
seizure problem, but the vast majority was probably the equally well
known group hysteria thing. Kind of like the Salem witch trials, online
porn scares, and the current popularity of ugly feminine footwear. In any
event, here are a couple of Pocket Monster sites. We have no idea what's
on the Japanese one but it has plenty of links.
English: <http://nintendojo.com/games/pocketm/>
Japanese: <http://www.threeweb.ad.jp/~masatosi/anime/pockemon.html>
ANOTHER CRYPTO CONTEST FROM RSA
DES Challenge II begins a series of code-breaking challenges from RSA.
Twice a year, a new challenge will be posted on the RSA Data Security
page. The challenge will consist of the ciphertext that was produced by
DES-encrypting some unknown plain-text message. To win the big money
($10,000), you'll not only need to crack the message, but do it faster
then the previous winner. The new contest series starts January 13, 1998
at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time. Details are at the site.
<http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/des2/>
Microsoft debuts a major foray into multiplayer online games with a
perennial favorite, the WWII fighter simulation. You can sign up,
download the software, and test drive the game free for one day. After
that it'll cost $1.95 per day or $19.95 per month to blow away some other
hapless newbie. According to the WarBirds (the cream of online WWII
flight sims) crowd, the flight model stinks, making the planes
unrealistically easy to fly, and the gunnery and damage modelling are the
pits - though at 1/24th the cost. Another caveat is that you may not even
be able to read about Fighter Ace because "the new Game Zone doesn't
currently support Microsoft Windows 3.x; or Apple Macintosh or Unix
operating systems, or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 2.0 or Netscape
Navigator browsers." Explorer 3.x/4.x on Windows is about it, even for
reading about it.
WarBirds: <http://www.imagiconline.com/games/warbirds/index.shtml>
Fighter Ace: <http://www.zone.com/zonepromo/tbltpromo.asp>
HTML VERSION 4.0 SPEC RELEASED
The World Wide Web Consortium has released HTML 4.0 as a W3C
Recommendation, which basically means that it's the next generation HTML
standard. The big set of features are cascading style sheets, advanced
form handling, enhancements to tables, better script handling
capabilities, and various internationalization features.
<http://www.w3.org/Press/HTML4-REC>
POT BELLIED PIGS SING THE HOLIDAY FAVORITES
We'll just list the CDs that you can order at this Audionet Christmas
site, and let your good taste be the guide to the tunes you love to
croon. Why? Just because. RealAudio sound clips are available: The Jingle
Bellies - Pot Bellied Pigs Sing The Holiday Favorites; The Ventures -
Christmas Album; The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas
Card; Lena Horne - Merry From Lena; Jackie Gleason - Merry Christmas; Jae
Gee - I Love My Christmas; The Louvin Brothers - Christmas With the
Louvin Brothers.
<http://www.audionet.com/jukebox/formatlist/Christmas/Christmas1.html>
DOMAIN NAME GAME, JAPANESE STYLE
So you think getting domain name service from the US-based NIC is a pain?
Things could be a lot worse, as illustrated by this story of a
businessman trying to register names in the .co.jp domain, which is
presided over by the JPNIC. Bradley Bartz filed this complaint against
JPNIC, alleging classic monopolistic behavior. After Bartz made a pain of
himself by registering multiple names, JPNIC changed the rules so only
companies could register, one domain each. Bartz went to Delaware,
created a bunch of companies, and registered more domains. So JPNIC
changed the rules again - only companies with an expensive registered
office in Japan could get domains. Furthermore, you can't buy or trade
Japanese domains. Bartz has filed a complaint with the Japan Fair Trade
Commission. The complaint also alleges that JPNIC has blacklisted Bartz's
companies and discourages others from doing business with him. There is
no better illustration why there must be competition in the domain name
biz. <http://www.jpnic.co.jp/jftc/indexe.html>
The canvasses of Aboriginal art are astonishingly full and brilliant,
whether the medium is real canvas or the wood of boomerangs and
didgeridoos. But few of us understand it. At the Aboriginal Art of
Australia site, the authors put up more than a few images for us to
admire. They also reveal some of the secrets of Aboriginal art and music,
and in doing so make it even more admirable. Two pages of art history,
including keys to some of this genre's iconography and conventions, will
help the uninitiated. The site also introduces the artists. Then, there's
a lesson in playing the didgeridoo. A second, more advanced lesson
teaches some of the secrets of circular breathing, the technique by which
didgeridoo artists seem to inhale and exhale at the same time. Mastering
the didgeridoo might not be for everyone, of course, but the lessons help
us appreciate the artistry of those who do.
<http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hallpa/indexb.html>
INTENSE SITE, INTENSE BANDWIDTH
HotWired's RGB Gallery is a showplace for the newest and hippest in
multimedia, where the technology is so thick you could cut it with a T1
line... but don't bother trying with a modem. The 14.4 kbps modem we
surfed with made the whole experience an extreme test of patience.
December's spotlight is Dendrite, a comic by Construct. It looks like
chickens hanging upside down - maybe it's all a big Rorschach test, but
we could swear the first images bring a whole new meaning to the phrase
"chicken breast". If you keep going, you get to see more nifty graphics
and product placement ads. The meaning of the piece escapes us, but what
do we know? We're just plebian surfers. <http://www.rgb.hotwired.com/>
THE ESOTERIC BLACK SWAN REVIEW
The Black Swan Review promises an arts and culture review devoted to
esoteric subjects. True to its word, the e-zine's debut issue tackles the
history and culture of prostitution among women, men, and boys.
Titillation isn't the objective, though. Well documented articles are
filled with the detail of historical context - especially when writers
parallel laws governing prostitution and laws governing other pariahs as
defined by the prejudices of their times. Although neither graphics nor
language are gratuitously graphic, they are evocative and the editors
don't blink at their appropriate use. If Black Swan keeps addressing
difficult subjects as thoughtfully as it does in this first issue, youll
want to add it to your list of serious zines.
<http://www.theblackswan.com/review/index.htm>
INSANE LESBIANS PUT OUT E-ZINE FOR THE REST OF US
They say "no agenda, just humour" and we've got to be frank: it's quite
true. Although the term "Lesion Nation" may confuse, the page has a wild
collection of stuff, from proof that the apocalypse is upon us (the Spice
Girls, Tony Danza on prime time again, Di overshadowing Mother Teresa) to
how to get free drinks from an EMOLI (egotistical man of limited
intelligence). <http://www.lesion.com/>
CLEVER E-ZINE BASED ON BUDDHISM, ENVIRONMENT, AND THE WEB
If you've ever wanted to get on your own Hyde Park soapbox and proclaim
that this is NOT RIGHT, NOT FAIR, then you'll enjoy On, an e-zine with
something to say. Talented writers visualize an Internet which people use
to shine light into the darker corners of corporate strategy, political
oppression, and other behind-the-scenes machinations. On asks who owns
the sky and, by extension, who looks after it? Are cookies an invasion of
privacy or a useful utility for a shopping basket? Thought-provoking,
controversial and motivating, On does not preach to the reader, it
involves and questions, a monochrome bastion of free speech and strong
opinion. <http://www.onweb.org/>
NETSCAPE'S IN-BOX DIRECT BRINGS FREE NEWS
Way cool free subscriptions to some of the best information services on
the Web are available from Netscape's own In-Box Direct. You can choose
from publications like The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Sports
Illustrated. There are many more from a dozen major interest areas. The
publications are delivered as an HTML e-mail. If you're an information
junkie, this has to be the place for you.
<http://form.netscape.com/ibd/cgi-bin/ibd-x.cgi>
MINDEN, ONTARIO'S GATEWAY TO THE UNIVERSE
The Times Online, a cosmically clued-in publication, features all the
latest news, sports, and events listings for Minden, Ontario. For folks
who just happen to dwell in other places, the Times should still prove
both educational and entertaining. If you're into astronomy and/or Java,
check out the "Cosmic Thing", a Java sky plotter applet.
Times: <http://www.mindentimes.on.ca/>
Cosmic: <http://www.mindentimes.on.ca/CosmicThing/Main.html>
"Webmaster: The Novel" is a free online book that tells the fairly
well-written tale of a Webmaster who seeks to aid a US paralyzed by an
energy crisis. Links inside the story take you to real-life press
releases about different technologies. If you're totally captivated and
want to own a "real" copy, you can purchase the print version online.
<http://webmaster-novel.com/>
Maybe you wish you could write a novel, but you need help getting
started. A free online creative writing course just could get you going.
You'll need to download the different lessons from the site - and
maneuver around the ads for the instructor's own books. Check it out, and
let us know if you win the Pulitzer.
<http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7082/creative.html>
Do you really want to see this? Sure you do! Amphibians around the world
have been turning up with missing or malformed legs and body parts. Are
they simply freaks of nature? Or are their deformities the result of some
sinister, man-made agent? Increased UV exposure? Hmmm. Some of these
flippered freaks have been rounded up for study by the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency. The Northern Leopard frogs featured here are
photographed by a video camera every 60 seconds. Just be sure to visit
them during the day as the lights are turned off at night (US Central
Time). <http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frogcam.shtml>
AWESOME ONLINE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORY
If you need background information for your science homework, or you're
working on your thesis about the creation of the Moon, this massive
online directory will lead you to the answers - and a lot more. Not only
scientists will enjoy browsing this site which houses links to over
50,000 fascinating articles and collections of scientific theory and
fact. We found that over half of lottery wins contain two consecutive
numbers and that there is a whole new family of quarks, and we're
following the progress of the proposed fusion reactor as it unfolds.
Technical papers and learned theorising from some of the great scientific
brains of the world jostle for space with popular science at SciCentral.
<http://www.scicentral.com/>
Now you can soar virtually. EarthWatch WeatherFlight features a virtual
reality ride through the latest weather conditions. You can tour storms
and hurricanes as you zoom from the viewpoint of a Space Shuttle cockpit
down into the weather. The site also includes links to weather headlines
and current conditions. As long as your electricity stays on, you can
follow El Nino's wrath. <http://www.earthwatch.com/SKYWATCH/wxflight.html>
WEATHER - CLEAR, COOL, AND CRISP
If your weather channel lacks that certain je ne sais quoi, the Franklin
Institute has just the quoi you might be looking for. At the Institute's
smart weather education site, the writing is clear, the graphics cool and
crisp. Concise articles teach how weather forms, how radar tracks it,
what those satellite maps mean, and how to set up your own personal
weather station. Brief movies show weather in action. As befits the
Institute's namesake (Ben Franklin), there's a special section on the
science and history of lightning. And, if you really need to know today
whether to take your brollie or wear your galoshes, you can link to local
reports and forecasts. <http://www.fi.edu/weather/>
ANOTHER BLOOMIN' GARDENERS' SITE
Gardeners looking for just the right shape or delicacy of color in their
blooms will appreciate the flower database. With more than 7,000 close-up
photographs of flowers, searchable by their botanic names or in a variety
of languages, it should eliminate some of the guesswork in next spring's
plantings. The database has its limitations, though. If you need to know
a plant's soil or sun requirements, how drought tolerant it is, how
invasive it might be, its growing season, or zone recommendations, you're
just plain out of luck. Still, most databases that offer those details
can't match the range of varieties found here. If you're stalking tulips,
this site offers 198 varieties. If clematis has you climbing the trellis,
you'll have to settle for a mere 23, each beautifully photographed.
<http://www.flowerweb.nl/flowerbase/>
LOOKING FOR THAT SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP?
If angle A is equivalent to angle B plus angle C - wait, what was that
theorem again? If you're looking for help with your geometry homework,
this is probably not the place for you, unless you're already a PhD
candidate. The Geometry Center serves up some pretty cool, pretty
high-level stuff, including 3-d visualization software and a summary of
current space and spatial projects. <http://www.geom.umn.edu/>
And now you can get health advice for free. The Sapient Health Network
offers lots of info in a manner that's a step above the typical self-help
health page, and worth the intimidating registration. There's the Women's
Health Place, for example, a Hepatitis C service, a Winning at Weight
Control area that has answers to your questions about diet and nutrition,
and info on topics such as asthma and heart disease. <http://www.shn.net/>
SYMANTEC RELEASES VERSION 2.1 OF VISUAL CAFE FOR JAVA
May we offer two announcements of interest on the Java front? Symantec
continues to enhance its killer development kit for Java on Windows with
the latest release of Cafe. The new version includes support for JDK
1.1.4 and the new JGL 3.0 release. There are also new debugging features
and version 3.0 of the Just In Time (JIT) compiler. The other
announcement concerns a version of Cafe with built in database
connectivity support. The jargon-dense press releases are here.
Cafe: <http://www.symantec.com/press/n971215b.html>
Database Cafe: <http://www.symantec.com/press/n971215d.html>
SGI RELEASES VERSION 2.0 OF COSMO VRML PLAYER
Cosmo Player 2.0 has a revamped user interface and speed improvements. It
runs on Windows 3.1, 95, and NT, and Unix. Macintosh support is promised
for the first half of 1998. The Cosmo site is also worth visiting if you
do any VRML development. They showcase tools ranging in sophistication
from amateur world twiddler to professional virtual universe builder. You
can also download the goofy VRML game called Chomp which neatly showcases
some of the things you can do with the language. <http://cosmo.sgi.com/>
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