| India by Motorcycle |
| Playing and Working in Palo Alto |
| Getting Hyper over Travel |
| Travel Agent Versus Computer |
| Truth, Justice, and Quality Meat Products |
| New Meta Search Engine |
| Cookie (the Eating Kind) Roulette |
| Win95 Freeware |
| Beyond Living Room RPGs |
| Financial Rates Index |
| Remote Web Use Online Utility |
| This Just in: George Gershwin Still Dead at 100 |
| Oh, and We Got the Name of the Book Wrong, Too |
| Selena Sol |
| BOOK REVIEWS |
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| Contact and Subscription Information |
| Credits |
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BREAKING SURF
Netsurfer Launches New E-Zine: Netsurfer Science
We're proud to announce that Netsurfer has launched a new e-zine called Netsurfer Science. The new pub covers online news and resources dealing with scientific and technical topics in our usual accessible, informative, and sometimes irreverent manner. We plan to publish Netsurfer Science twice a month in the familiar Netsurfer Digest format. Fans of our Surfing Science section will particularly like the new e-zine, but anyone with a little healthy curiosity about how the world works will enjoy it. We invite you to take a look, and if you like what you see, subscribe and enjoy our efforts.Netsurfer Science: http://www.netsurf.com/nss/
Subscribe: http://www.netsurf.com/nss/subscribe.html
Linda McCartney and Women's Health
The death of Linda McCartney from breast cancer focuses attention on women's health issues this week. Coincidentally, Yahoo, in collaboration with Woman.com, just created a new service with health-related message boards for the discussion of topics such as weight loss, nutrition, alternative medicine, and fitness. Visitors can post questions to a panel of health and fitness experts including a MD, a naturopath, a registered dietitian, and certified fitness trainers. While not limited to discussions of women's issues alone, the message boards should cover them well given that Woman.com is providing content. As for Mrs. McCartney, whose interesting life was cut short by illness, we recommend the fine collection of links and news stories that Yahoo assembled.Message Boards: http://messages.yahoo.com/yahoo/Health/index.html
McCartney: http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Entertainment/Linda_McCartney/
Starcraft: http://www.blizzard.com/star/star.htm
Online Forums: http://www.battle.net/starcraft/index.htm
A Common Language for Mathematics
Generally, new technical standards interest only a relatively small subset of our more technical readers. This holds for the details of a new machine-readable syntax for the transmission and storage of math symbols, yet this will probably affect all of us in subtle but profound ways. The fabric of our science and technology is woven from the thread of mathematics. Until now, only specialized and self-contained programs such as Mathematica, the math hacker's Swiss army knife, could manipulate and express mathematics electronically. The new standard, like any common language, will surely lead to better communication among mathematicians and the results will likely trickle down to personal technologies.MathML: http://www.w3c.org/Press/1998/MathML-REC
Mathematica: http://www.wri.com/mathematica/
News.Com Investment Site Brimming with Financial Data
CNet and Bloomberg, powerhouses in online news and proprietary financial information delivery respectively, have just unveiled this impressive but in many ways typical financial site featuring the latest business headlines and large quantities of numbers. Indeed, the home page is a lesson in how to pack the maximum amount of information on one Web page. When we looked, the site focused clearly on technical businesses, with prominence given to tech industry headlines and plenty of links to various tech categories. The admirable effort provides a great deal of data with every link, clearly designed for the serious investor. The site still had some technical glitches at last glance, failing to return data on some pages, but they will surely be ironed out in short order. A definite bookmark for investors.http://www.news.com/Investor/
Online Harvard Privacy Course Open to Observers
Since March, the Berkman Center at Harvard has been running a series of online courses dealing with such weighty issues as "Privacy in Cyberspace" and "Intellectual Property in Cyberspace". What makes these courses of interest to us is the top notch quality of the material, the vigor of the online discussion, and the reputation of the professor. You may know Professor Arthur Miller as a moderator of high-brow discussion panels on public television or as an enthusiastic proponent of the Socratic method of teaching. Those not admitted to the course can use a guest login feature to keep an eye on the lively online discussion and peruse the first class study materials. It's a free learning opportunity that's not to be passed up. Read the intro, then log in as "guest", no password.http://www.berkmancenter.org/
SURFING SITES
Forum of Difference and Diversity
Ever wanted to know whether white people find the term "white trash" offensive? Or whether Eastern cultures find their often more closely knit family and accommodations claustrophobic? This site lets you anonymously ask possibly embarrassing questions you might have about those whose gender, culture, sexual orientation or any other aspect of life differs from yours. You will get answers from experts or those people who directly experience the facet of life you've asked about. This brilliant idea delivers answers to questions you never knew you had.http://www.yforum.com/
If we've been urged for five decades to never forget the inhumanity of the Holocaust, there couldn't be a more potent tool than the Internet - international and multilingual; graphic, textual, and auditory; interactive and accessible; searchable and capacious. Unfortunately, Holocaust deniers and revisionists have found this tool just as useful for their own campaigns. The Holocaust History Project (HHP) has a singular purpose: to meet and put the lie to the distortions and falsehoods of deniers and Nazi apologists. Holocaust memorial sites almost always try to put a personal comprehensible face on the massively incomprehensible brutality. Not HHP. It steps back to tackle one Big Lie after another. Supported by the sheer mass of evidence, the site offers analysis of the murderous pesticide Zyklon-B, transcripts from Nuremberg, aerial photos of Auschwitz, the Nazis' own documentation of the genocide they perpetrated. An important element of the site is the link to HHP historians, who answer questions for visitors looking for clarification of revisionist assertions. The Holocaust History Project is a worthy and - sadly - necessary addition to the record.
http://www.holocaust-history.org/
Reliving the Megalithic Mystery of a Lost Civilization
How did the stone giants on Easter Island get there? That's the question behind Nova Online's Secrets of Easter Island, which chronicles the month-long efforts of a team of archaeologists and a 75-person crew to transport and raise megaliths with stone, wood, rope, and muscles - the only tools available to the native Rapanui. The team sent its first dispatch from the tiny island on April 17; you can follow its progress as more reports go up. Feeling desolate? Says expedition member Liesl Clark, Easter Island is "a five-hour plane ride from anywhere else on Earth." If your theory of erection seems better than Thor Heyerdahl's or others summarized on this PBS site, submit it for possible posting and check back to find out whether it can stand the test of archaeologic scrutiny. Easter Island seems grim indeed, but the mystery behind this colorful documentary site may draw you back again and again.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/
It used to be homunculi, spirits incarnate, and witches; now, it's ETs. Smart enough to collect intergalactic air miles, they occasionally total the family spaceship while buzzing remote areas during forays to contemplate our navels and experiment on our endlessly fascinating anatomical canals. Now, the Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) is suing the US Army to force release of evidence of alien visitation that it's withholding. Also holding back - inexplicably, according to a mystified CAUS - are a legion of scientists, ordinary citizens afraid to admit what they know, and unspecified elitists who just never learned to share. CAUS's handsome site isn't loony enough to be truly entertaining, but it does hold a couple of gems. We won't, for instance, hold our breath until they launch their privately funded moon shot to confirm that there are artificial structures on the lunar surface. We'd suggest there's more to be found in looking for alienation closer to home.
http://www.caus.org/
The Iron Chef is a masterpiece of kitsch, whether intentional or not. In Japanese with English subtitles, each Saturday night in the Bay Area devotees gather round their TV sets to watch one of four preeminent "Iron Chefs" battle a challenger in preparing a full-course meal, each dish of which uses that evening's surprise ingredient. Past themes have ranged from Battle Abalone to Battle Beef Cheek Meat. Many Web sites pay homage to this quirky cult favorite, but only the Drinking Game page lists the conditions under which viewers must take a drink while watching the drama unfold. Down one drink if the Liberace-styled host says "If memory serves me right...", two if the ingredient is still alive when presented to the chefs, three if the ingredient is lowered amid laser lights from the ceiling instead of emerging upwards from the smoke pouring across the floor - you get the idea. This page also has excellent links to FAQs, battle histories, and more.
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/3646/ironchef.html
Normally we pay little attention to usually self-serving sites that merely list other sites or to Web page awards, but this one, with a list of sites that have won the Eye Candy award, rates a visit. Eye Candy pops up with links to some of the most worthy sites on the Net - those that have received the award, naturally. Hit the site reviews link for the award winners, but you may get lost if you stray elsewhere.
http://www.goodink.net/eye-candy.htm
Lycos has provided an "Innovative Lifestyle Management Tool" which will "empower" us and "leverage the power of the Web". Hyperbole aside, the service is a fairly standard customized home page with extras that include a strong link to the extensive Tripod online community and a neat address book system. Nicely designed and laid out, the Ultimate Start page is a useful free service worth investigating. We're not sure it will do much for your lifestyle though - try a career change or a hobby.
http://personal.lycos.com/
Six Degrees of Separation Linker
Tap into a vast resource of interconnected, skilled people (OK, call it networking) based on the concept of each person on the planet linked by an average 5.83 acquaintances. You can list your contacts, they'll get them confirmed, and possibly linked with new contacts, and the whole deal is free. Put the touch on whomever you need for just about any purpose under the sun through this service based on privacy and permission.http://www.sixdegrees.com/
With the help of the Web, this idea's time may have come. This site examines the possibility of building the largest, most comprehensive database of human knowledge ever created. The database would be open to contributions from anyone, and would cover every topic imaginable. It may be time for mankind to take that giant step and catalogue and record all that we've discovered, and to make this information available to everyone around the world, for free. This site discusses how this could happen.
http://www1.remotetek.com/projects/uhkb/
This site combines user-created polls with open discussion. Anyone may propose a multiple-choice poll question for immediate voting. At the same time, a message board is created exclusively for discussing that question and any ensuing issues. Of course, discussions may influence the poll, and vice versa. The end result is a unique combination of public debate with poll, similar to how the US Congress works with fewer political ramifications. The discussions are divided into categories: politics; health; society; science and technology; and entertainment.
http://www.opendebate.com/
Do you wish you could've been on "Studs"? Want the inside scoop on the short-lived MTV game show "Trashed"? Touted as "piss your pants funny", the site records one man's apparent determination to try anything. We ventured in with our eyes on our dry cleaning bill and came through it relatively unsoiled (control of your bodily functions is a prerequisite for our writers). With stories labelled "It must be the drugs talking", how can you go wrong?
http://www.prehensile.com/
ONLINE TRAVEL
The diary of a 33-year-old woman who takes off on a journey across India on an Enfield motorcycle, Motorcycling India takes some unexpected philosophical turns. Winningly written as if whispered to a confidante, the tale tells us as much of author Michele Harrison as of the countryside through which she rides. Her whimsical reactions to unusual situations - which include a run-in with some amorous cattle and teaching children the words to Jingle Bells while on the steps of a Hindi temple - will delight you. Michele checks in around once a month to update the site, although she's taking an unexpectedly long break at the moment.http://www.womanmotorist.com/travel/motorindia-menu.shtml
Playing and Working in Palo Alto
If you're considering visiting or moving to Palo Alto, or if you're a resident of Chelsea Clinton's college town, you'll want to check out the Mining Company's Palo Alto pages. You'll find details on everything from current events, such as the Online Palo Alto Book Club's latest reading selection, to volunteer opportunities to the weather forecast. There's also a bulletin board and chat room, and links to topics from A (arts and associations) to, well, almost Z (Web Cams is the last link). We thought Palo Alto had everything... no zebras?http://paloalto.miningco.com/
For drilling down to the nitty-gritty of a US travel destination, it's hard to beat the NITC Travelbase. You can jump right into a guide to one of its featured American cities or pick a state to browse. As you make your way through through this hypertext index, it's easy to make hotel or motel reservations, although your choices may be limited. Activity guides send you to sites for skiing, scuba, tennis, golf, camps, or aviation. "Steals and Deals" lists current lodging discounts, usually 5%-20% off regular prices. Some travel sites go for the glitz with Java applets and elaborate searches, but the NITC Travelbase is almost all links. If you're even only thinking about a trip, pointing and clicking here just might sway you. For news and updates on destinations, discounts, and packages, you may want to subscribe to the free e-mail TravelFlash Newsletter.
http://www.travelbase.com/
Travelers are self-booking more and more of their trips on the Web, and some travel agents are fighting back. Witness Uniglobe, a franchised travel agency in Wilmington, Del., which "desires to be your travel agent for life." Well! In its counterattack against self-purchased travel, Uniglobe goes to the mat. Just about anything you could possibly need, ironically including self-booking through a secure server, can be found at the site. If you want to, you can contact one of the agents, who can make arrangements for your cruise or vacation package while you take it easy. The people at Uniglobe suspect a lot of people still want a personal touch and they go out of their way to provide every convenience. Expect other travel agencies to look for similar ways to compete with the Travelocities, Preview Travels, and Expedias of the wired world.
http://www.mytravelagent.com/
FLOTSAM & JETSAM
Truth, Justice, and Quality Meat Products
What happens when the former president of the KC Masterpiece decides to create a Web comic site? RibMan, Man of Meat! Mild-mannered Jack Bull works for the Daily Weekly newspaper but his alter ego, with red and white checkered cape flying, defends meat and promotes barbecuing throughout Meatopolis. Altogether well done.http://www.ribman.net/
Debriefing, a new meta search engine, supports advanced search syntax, English and French, and other features that help people to find what they are looking for on the Web. We found it accurate and fast.
http://www.debriefing.com/
Cookie (the Eating Kind) Roulette
It's not much like Russian Roulette, but CookieRecipe.com's Cookie Roulette does get your heart beating faster, even if it's only at the sight of the words "chocolate chip". The site is chock full of delicious cookie ideas, from Apricot Cream Cheese Thumbprints to Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Brownies.http://www.cookierecipe.com/
There's something irresistible about a freebie, and this little Web site has many to offer. The Freeware Publishing Site offers links to Windows freebies that range from Net apps to general applications such as text editors and games.
http://www.katho.be/freeware/freeware.htm
WebRPG Online lets role-playing enthusiasts play without having to travel through the real world. Simple Java interfaces allow gamemasters to create worlds with partially revealable maps and to automate the delivery of scripts and notes. Gamers can move miniatures across the maps, chat with other players.
http://www.webrpg.com/
RateNet monitors in real time over 11,000 banks, savings and loans, and credit unions across the US for interest rates and financial stability. Over 3 million rates are updated during the year. Quick and potentially useful.
http://www.rate.net/
SOFTWARE
Log-Me-On's free service will help people who often wander. Simply access the site and use it to bring up your list of bookmarks, or use the built in address book to send Web-based e-mail through the Log-Me-On e-mail system. The forthcoming addition of the ability to import bookmarks will make this a very useful utility for anyone with the gypsy in their soul or traveling salesmen.http://www.log-me-on.com/
CORRECTIONS
This Just in: George Gershwin Still Dead at 100
We sadly report that, contrary to our assertion in NSD 4.12, George Gershwin is still dead, and has been since 1937. The celebrated songwriter did indeed get a Pulitzer prize, but he did so poshumously, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Since we goofed, we'll make it up to you by pointing you at the excellent George Gershwin Educational Fanpage.http://www.ionet.net/~jcj/gershwin.html
Oh, and We Got the Name of the Book Wrong, Too
The Pulitzer-winning novel is called "American Pastoral" not "American Postcards". It just wasn't our day, was it?Robert Morse informed us that Selena Sol, who offers the "What Is a Webmaster" site we reviewed last issue, is in fact a pseudonym used by a man. We referred to Selena as a woman. What's an editor to do? Anyway, we promised we'd make a correction if Robert would read some James Tiptree Jr. He's promised to, so here we are.
Selena: http://www.extropia.com/
Tiptree: http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sparks/tiptree1.html