NETSCAPE, SPYGLASS TO GO PUBLIC
Netscape has filed with the SEC to sell 3.5 million IPO shares at around $13 per share sometime in July. Spyglass, a competitor of Netscape known for its Enhanced Mosaic web browser, plans to sell 2 million shares in an IPO at $17 per share ("SPYG" on NASDAQ). Netscape: "http://www.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease31.html" Spyglass: "http://www.spyglass.com/one/press_public.html"
INTERNET SOCIETY CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE ONLINE
The Internet Society met in Hawaii June 28-June 30, and various papers presented at the conference are available online. Many cool papers on topics like application technology, commercial and business aspects, user issues, IP addressing extensions, and so on can be browsed here. Don't miss this site if you're interested in current and future uses of the Net. For a more newsy account of the conference check out the Mercury Center Digital Island pages. Proceedings: "http://inet.nttam.com/HMP/proc1.html" Digital Island: "http://www.sjmercury.com/digital/digital.htm"
MOSAIC IN A BOX FOR WINDOWS 95 ANNOUNCED
Along with various Windows 95 features, the bundle will include the Adobe Acrobat viewer, VRML support, and the inevitable tie in to CompuServe's online service. It will ship on August 24, 1995 for an estimated street price of $9.95. For the first month, the connect fee for Mosaic In A Box for Windows 95 customers will be waived. A free upgrade is available to customers who purchased Mosaic In A Box. Press Release: "http://www.spry.com/sp_corp/sp_annc/m95.html"
NETSURFER E-ZINES AVAILABLE ON AOL
We are happy to note that our e-zines will be available in the America Online Internet Connection Libraries. Members can access the publications by using Keyword: INTERNET to enter the Internet Connection and then bringing up the Internet Connection Library. The publications will be in the e-zines library. Also look for Arthur Bebak, publisher and founder of Netsurfer, and Lawrence Nyveen, current editor of Netsurfer Digest, to appear in the Center Stage (Keyword: CENTER STAGE) conference on Sunday, July 16, at 22:00 ET.
In other news, Boca Research Inc. signed a letter of intent to acquire Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc., ending its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Hayes has been the standard setter in the modem field, while Boca is known for its low cost manufacturing and obviously stronger financials.
Lee Stein, president and CEO of First Virtual, a well known online bank, was recently quoted as saying that their site was was receiving more than 200,000 hits a day and growing at 16% per week. He also noted that they are handling over 1,000 separate financial transactions per day. "http://www.fv.com/"
COMPUSERVE ANNOUNCES INTERNET IN A BOX FOR KIDS
The software is designed to protect kids from "inappropriate" online sites. According to the press release, adults can modify a child's access to the Internet by adding or deleting appropriate sites on the Web, and setting timers to control when and how long their children can access the Internet. Naturally, as part of the box, the kid gets automatically signed up for KidNet, an online services targeted at kids and appropriately monitored. Adults will have access to educational sites, school networks, and forums for educational professionals. It ships in the fall. "http://www.spry.com/sp_corp/sp_annc/kbox.html"
YET ANOTHER APPROACH TO SAVING KIDS FROM THE NET
SafeSurf is a parents' organization that takes an interesting tack in the recently trendy movement to shelter kids from the shadier aspects of the online world. SafeSurf advocates changing the focus from identifying "bad" sites to marking "good" sites where children may frolic without worry. The group proposes that sites appropriate for children identify themselves with a HTML comment at the top of their pages. This "child-safe" code could be read by suitably configured browsers, and sites not so marked would not be displayed by the browser. More details and a nice collection of kid-friendly links can be found at SafeSurf's page. "http://www.safesurf.com/wave/"
The award-winning P.O.V. series, broadcast on American public television, is recognized for its entertaining and thought-provoking documentaries. P.O.V.'s site is a superb introduction to the show and to its effort to combine online interactivity with TV programming. Aside from the usual programming and schedule info, you can find out about the excellent mailing lists associated with each film. They brim with lively and thoughtful discussion. Also of interest is a report on P.O.V.'s 1994 electronic participation project, outlining what succeeded and what did not. The summer season has a number of great programs coming up, so if you are seeking some stimulating discussion, a timely visit will be quite rewarding. "http://mumford.pbs.org/pov/"
HOW TO CREATE ALT.* NEWSGROUPS
Ever wonder how alt.sex.swedish.bork.bork.bork became a newsgroup? Well, wonder no more. From the people who bring you BOB(c)WEB, comes BOB(c)NEWS. Reliable quality testing has proven this to be a primo Usenet information site, both for Net newbies and for experienced Usenet wranglers. The site explains how to and how not to set up an alt.* newsgroup, and provides conclusive evidence that Kibo (see the alt.religion.kibology newsgroup) exists and surfs among us. The Net.Gods and Net.Presences sections show how to become one with the Web, and feature those who have made a particular impact on Net culture. "http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/a/asdamick/www/news/"
FAMOUS DUDES AND DUDETTES OF THE WWW
Don't consider yourself well informed just because you subscribe to People magazine and know the latest about Kathy Lee Gifford's kids. Better get yourself to this page if you really want to boast that you're up on the in crowd. This list of Usenet notables includes personalities who have or are the subject of World Wide Web pages. Hunting through them is a waste of time - unless trivia's no waste to you - but pleasant nonetheless. Don't miss the link to Thomas Boutell's page, whose links range from the birthday server to chocolate cake to Les Bizarrables to (no surprise) the talk.bizarre home page. "http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/a/asdamick/www/news/notables.html"
NETSURFER ANNOUNES T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST
Every business, unless it plows under in the first six months, gets to the point where it needs a corporate propaganda T-shirt. Netsurfer Communications has reached that point. So, we'd like to ask the Net Arts community for some help in designing a way cool Netsurfer T-shirt. Something that average netsurfers all over the world would feel proud spilling their coffee on, wiping the screen with, and taking off for their significant others. Winner gets $100 plus as much publicity as they can stomach. It's a cheap, and maybe even a profitable way to showcase your skills to a worldwide audience. Read the announcement and rules of entry at the sites below, or send mail to info@netsurf.com with the command "send tshirt-contest" in the BODY of the message (Subject: is ignored). Contest Announcement: "http://www.netsurf.com/tshirt/tannounce.html" Contest Entry Info: "http://www.netsurf.com/tshirt/trules.html"
Marine life has found a new spawning ground on the Internet. Boutilier &Associates' Web site is a showcase of works by the well known Canadian wildlife artist, Bruce Muir. The site is a bit threadbare, but the content of Muir's reflections on the mighty (e.g. Orca) and not so mighty (e.g. salmon) beasts of the sea make the trip to this online exhibit well worth your Internet admission price (1 byte for adults, 8 bits for children under 6 and seniors). Ordering information for the limited-edition lithographs on display is also available, in case the downloaded GIFs of the exhibit are too small for your living room. "http://198.53.19.100/cat/boutiler/"
KEEP AN EYE ON THE FUTURE OF VISUAL MEDIA
Omnibus:Eye, a project of Northwestern University's Department of Radio/TV/Film, concentrates on the future of television and film in the digital age. This site will be of interest to anyone involved in computer animation or multimedia production; it provides a comprehensive list of links to sites that deal with the multimedia production business. There is also an online magazine, Telecine, which presents a somewhat philosophical perspective on the future of media information and entertainment. An excellent article to seek out and boldly read is "The Political Aesthetic: Nation and Narrativity on the Starship Enterprise", by Justine Walden, a thorough dissection of the greater meaning of Star Trek's characters. "http://www.rtvf.nwu.edu"
OBJECTIVIST PAGE FEATURES ARCHITECTURE AND MORE
Although this page doesn't actually explain what objectivism is (an emphasis on objects rather than feelings or thoughts), it does scratch the surface of an interesting topic. Accessing this URL will start you off with the architectural philosophy of Frederick Clifford Gibson, whose works are reportedly in sync with the writings of Russian-born American writer and founder of objectivism, Ayn Rand. From here, one may or may not be intrigued enough to delve deeper within both the subject matter and the site. "http://www.hypermall.com/oms/org/org.products.html"#gibson
THE ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES GUIDE
If you're looking for a summary of every antique store and collectibles shop in the modern world, you might be a bit disappointed. What this site does feature is a decent list of shops in the U.S., U.K., and Canada; a specialties index for those who know just what they're looking for; and an events calendar, so you can plan your year accordingly. "http://www.rivendell.com/antiques/amdir/amdir.html" "ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/am/amdir/amdir.html"
Bryon Sutherland keeps a diary, and while he minds people reading over his shoulder, he doesn't mind us reading it on the Web. Bryon adds a few paragraphs to his page each day, describing the trials and triumphs of life as a golfball-hitting, baseball-throwing, companion-seeking student/IBM employee/writer-in-training in Denton, Tex. Fans of MTV's "The Real World" and the morbidly curious (like us) will probably spend hours here catching up on Bryon's life, and will likely return each day for updates. This is great stuff, Bryon, and happy birthday. "http://www.unt.edu/~bryon/index.html"
A WRITER'S EXPLORATION: THE BOOK OF ENDINGS
How many times have you penned a story only to encounter a major case of writer's block when time came to finish it off? The Book of Endings could be the answer. Rather than a finished piece, it is "a process, the products of which become an expanding, continually reorganized network of hyperfiction." Kind of bizarre, but the quality of the writing is better than much of what's out there. If you're a creative type, you may want to get involved - they're apparently looking for participants. Tip: start by clicking on the mysterious hands. "http://found.cs.nyu.edu/theBook.html"
ZD NET PROVIDES GATEWAY TO TOP COMPUTER MAGAZINES
Run by Ziff-Davis Publishing, the giant of computer magazine publishing (PC Magazine, PC Week, MacWEEK, Computer Shopper), this site is an excellent starting point for exploring their print empire. Needless to say there is a great deal of computer-related news and information here. You'll find a nice selection of breaking news, longer features from many of their latest magazines, (e.g. "Art on the Web" from PC Magazine, "Macintosh Clones" from MacUser), a series of regular columns from their columnists, and an index of computer-related sites - to which you can add your own suggestions. The site is brimming with links to many high-end advertisers (IBM, Lotus, Gateway 2000, Apple) which provides yet another reason to surf here. "http://www.zdnet.com/"
HUMOROUS SHORT STORIES AND OTHER DELIGHTS
Humor of one sort or another is always appreciated at the Canyon Park Orchard site, where a number of professional and amateur writers present an interesting array of stories and features. The offerings range from the coarse - an audio belching contest - to entertaining narrations on life as a farmer in Washington state. A link at the bottom of the initial page jumps to the short stories of the title. The site is not well organized, but keep looking and you're bound to find some hidden delights. "http://www.seanet.com/Users/tberry/homepage.html"
Dream Watch is a new British magazine for fans of Dr. Who, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Red Dwarf, and the X-Files. It has become an instant success in England, selling out quickly on the newsstands. This online version has a lot to offer and it has a list of the top five SF resources on the Net. Detailed subscription info is also included if you get hooked by the Web version's many articles and graphics. "http://www.pavilion.co.uk/Universal/Flavour/DreamWatch"
During 1995 and 1996, the rings of Saturn will be seen edge-on from Earth on three occasions. The most famous ringed planet will also aim its rings edge-on to the Sun once. NASA has created a special Web page with the dates and times of these events, observation forms, a Saturn fact sheet, images, animations, planetary missions to Saturn, and other items of interest. As usual, NASA has assembled visuals and texts into a site of high quality. "http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/saturn/"
BRAINS, GUTS, AND MORE IN 3-D!
Never have brains and innards looked so appealing or so colorful. The Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science in Medicine, in Hamburg, Germany, has launched a Web page dedicated to 3-D medical imaging. Also here is the mundane: a list of related papers, faculty members, etc., though, of course, most will visit for the neat-o, gee-whiz imaging. Check it out! "http://www.uni-hamburg.de/~medizin/imdm"
Catch all the action of the recent encounter between the American space shuttle and the Russian Mir space station at this site. There are massive amounts of information on the shuttle in general and on this mission in particular. This is the first entry in what will eventually become a comprehensive WWW shuttle info site. When we looked, the site had already gathered 1.4 million accesses from 40,318 sites in 65 countries. Fans of the space program will not want to miss this. Also check out the neat tricorder-style graphic. "http://shuttle.nasa.gov/"
TOUR THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION
The Canadian Museum of Civilization, with French and English versions like so many Canadian sites, is yet another high-quality museum site on the Web. The introductory page's prime link is "What's New", which leads to new exhibits. Especially interesting is one featuring Louis Alexandre Juillien and the Balzi Rossi figurines (prehistoric Venuses) he may have unearthed. Another way to navigate the site is through the "Gallery Tour", an interactive floorplan. Other points of interest are "About the Museum", explaining the museum's history and architecture, and the "Great Adventure", an excellent kid-oriented guided tour. "http://www.cmcc.muse.digital.ca/cmc/cmceng/welcmeng.html"
The carbon molecule, not the sport, is covered in pictures and descriptions on a Web site maintained by the Physics Department at SUNY at Stony Brook, N.Y. Buckyballs, or fullerenes (named after Buckminster Fuller), are hollow soccerball-shaped molecules made up of 60 or more carbon atoms. SUNY physicists are performing basic research on the fundamental properties of the molecules, plain and doped with other atoms. Also at this page can be found links to infrared spectroscopy, a MPEG movie of C60, and other fullerene-related pages. "http://buckminster.physics.sunysb.edu/"
CAT HOUSE FOR ENDANGERED FELINES PURRS ONLINE
The Exotic Feline Breeding Compound/Feline Conservation Center (also known as the Cat House) has created the purr-fect site for feline fans. The home page features links to amazing photos of gorgeous (and sometimes unnervingly lifelike) wild cats. The center's compound houses more than 50 cats, which range in mass from seven to 700 lbs (15 to 1500 kg). Details about the non-profit institution itself, tours, special events, and feline/zoo/wildlife-related links are included on the page. "http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/"
DOLPHIN HOME PAGE: DON'T CALL HIM FLIPPER
Maybe it's not so chic among Dolphin Within Society members to discuss Flipper. Be that as it may (won't someone start a Fans of Flipper home page?), the Dolphin Within Society organization's online information is still interesting. Researching the effects on humans of interactions with dolphins, the non-profit group hopes to develop dolphin-facilititated therapy. They claim dolphins can facilitate human learning, reduce stress, and help both the mentally and physically disabeled, as well as those with cancer and AIDS. Not to mention drowning swimmers and non-swimmers. "http://www.usyd.edu.au/~okx/home.htm"
AVON'S BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CRUSADE
In partnership with major health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control, Avon (yes, the cosmetics company) has launched a campaign dedicated to educating women about breast cancer and early detection. This page is part of tha campaign. The site has a breast cancer FAQ, a glossary, and lists of toll-free phone numbers and support groups one can use to find breast cancer and early detection information. "http://www.pmedia.com/Avon/avon.html"
STOCK AND PHOTO SITES HOP TO NEW URLS
The Stock Online free JPEG site mentioned in issue 22 and the Hong Kong Stocks Report have bounded like wallabees to new URLs. JPEG: "http://www.highway1.com.au:80/arts/wizards/stockphoto" Hong Kong: "http://www.ganet.net/~ITTI/index.html"
Netsurfer Communications, Inc. is seeking part-time contract sales representatives to sell ad space for its rapidly growing online e-zine publications. The ideal candidate should have at least two years of previous sales and marketing experience, preferably in the magazine publishing business. Familiarity with the Internet and the World Wide Web is also very desirable. Candidates should be capable of working independently, and should have excellent organizational, oral, and written communications skills, and appreciate a good pizza. A sense of humor can't hurt either. Interested candidates should e-mail a plain text resume (not Postscript, not Photoshop, not Acrobat, not Sumerian clay tablets, not ZIPed, not BinHexed: just plain text) to "resumes@netsurf.com".
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