A new, free service is going to offer baseball fans updates on every baseball game in progress in virtual real-time. You have to first download the beta version of the Java-enabled Instant Ballpark plug-in for Netscape 2.0 users. When you use this technology, you'll receive animated images of players as they circle the bases. Those without a Java-supported browser will still receive the information, instantly, in text. This service is called Instant Baseball and is from Instant Sports, Inc. The site is located at http://www.instantsports.com. The Instant Ballpark has a VCR-like control device at the bottom of your screen that allows you to jump to any play of the game. You get an animated replay of the action, with all games archived, so you have a perpetual clearinghouse for baseball stats and game plays. Every half-inning, box scores are updated, with stats and standings updated at the end of each game. Some of the special features include "tracer bullets" which show where on the field the ball was hit and crack-of-the-bat and crowd-roar sound effects.
ANOTHER BUNDLING
Lexis-Nexis will start including Internet access in its office software products, offering Netscape's browser.
IT’S LOVERLY
A new look at it’s Web site, The London Daily Telegraph, is available for your viewing pleasure http://www.telegraph.co.uk, and is adding an interactive
classified section.
NETCOM SAYS TOUCHE
Netcom On–Line Communications Services is reaching out to counter the larger competitors such as AT&T and MCI by offering Internet access customers free use of basic level NewsPage Direct service from Individual Inc., a pioneer in the personalized news business. This is becoming more common as smaller companies are turning to add–ons to retain and attract customers. The joint marketing deal provides the customized news report as part of Netcom's basic package of unlimited use for $19.95 a month––a service launched last week while the other big competitors were beginning to pressure the little guys. Netcom calls the new service, regularly priced at $6.95 a month, Personal NewsPage Direct. It sorts news stories by personal preference and delivers up to 20 headlines and story summaries every workday by 7 a.m. to the user's email box.
A WALK IN THE RAIN FOREST
Topics of conservation are addressed in Wired for Conservation, a Web site of the Nature Conservancy. This Internet site has one of the most comprehensive and interactive home pages on conservation offering folks complete information on rare and endangered species and what the Conservancy is doing to protect them. Additionally, Wired for Conservation provides the opportunity to instantly become part of the solution with one of the most interactive home pages in the nonprofit world.
There are more than 20 video and audio clips where folks can walk through the canopy of a Peruvian rain forest, witness the release of a herd of bison into its native prairie habitat, listen to the mating call of a prairie chicken, or tune in to the audio diary of a 12-year-old traveler's first trip to the Amazon. All of the information will be kept current with continual updates and the home page will list the additions and locations of new topics. Features such as a new Species Spotlight will appear every week and will profile a Conservancy nature preserve every two weeks.
NEW SITE GATHERS NO MOSS
Rolling Stone is going to do their thing on the Web sometime in late Spring 1996 at www.rollingstone.com. This site is a collaboration with Agents, Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Internet company, that will help Rolling Stone with the day-to-day maintenance of the magazine’s Web site and update its contents daily. Rolling Stone will continue its music reviews and provide members of Firefly at www.ffly.com, Agents' personalized entertainment service, access to the magazine's library of music reviews beginning in April. Firefly, which is based on Agents' intelligent agent technology, has established itself as a destination site for Internet users looking for personalized music and movie recommendations.
NEW VRML SITE OPENS
A most ambitious site is now open. From Softbank Expo Interop, the site is called Interopolis 3D and will provide network pros and developers an area to share info, new products as well as to commercially market their offerings. The site was designed using VRML and will constantly evolve. The architect, general contractor and construction crews for the site were Intervista Software. The site may be reached at http://www.interop.com. The VRML browser, called Worldview from Intervista, will be distributed on a free CD-ROM at NetWorld+Interop. It may also be downloaded from http://www.intervista.com./
CHAT FOR PROFIT AND FUN
Low-cost, high-performance IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server software is now debuting from WebMaster Inc. For MS Windows(TM) NT, this new offering is called ConferenceRoom and is designed for intranet and WWW application. This server software communicates with UNIX and VMS IRC servers as well as works with DALnet, EFnet and Undernet. The program is fully integrated with the WWW and adds IRC server functions to such products as Microsoft's Internet Information Server and the NT-based server line from Netscape. Browsers can also become Chat clients and administration can be handled from any secure WWW browser. Any MIME-compliant document can be launched to all members of an IRC channel.
SHOW US YOUR BADGE
What do you have to show if you’re a journalist is cyberspace. There’s no press pass stuck in the band of your hat because there’s nothing there but air. In a victory decision for those cyber-journalists a reporters’ committee in Washington has voted to provide press credentials for bona fide Washington based reporters of qualified electronic publications. Additionally, Electronic publications also must meet the requirements for conventional news organizations to be accredited to the House and Senate press galleries, i.e. their reporters must earn at least half their income from news–gathering work and they cannot engage in lobbying or publicity activities.
MORE FUN STUFF
“SEND MONEY” SAYS FERGIE
You may think “enough” with all of the stories about the royal family but here’s another for the books--literally. The Duchess of York has signed a deal with U.S. publishers Bantam Doubleday Dell for the world publication rights to the stories of two children's books. Queries regarding the amount paid Fergie were strictly hush-hush. The two hardcover books, The Royal Switch and Bright Lights, were written for children aged 7 to 10-years, an age group that Fergie has never before addressed. Her other book, Budgie the Little Helicopter, was written for a younger audience.
Oh,it’s reported that Fergie approached her former mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, hoping for some financial assistance to help her with her debts reported to be more than $1.5 million. Care to guess the answer?
BRITISH AND GERMAN PUBLISHERS RECONSIDER
The British information publisher, M.A.I.D Plc, and Germany's, Bertelsmann Professional Information, are ending negotiations originally aimed at developing and marketing German language business information services. The reason given is both companies have since reassessed their priorities.
ON THE BLOCK
Rumor has it that Castle Rock Entertainment may well be on the sales block by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. The film and TV studio was purchased by Turner a little over two years ago and has not performed up to expectations. Seagram Company Limited is thought to be a major suitor for this property. Castle Rock produces Seinfeld and its most recent feature film releases have included City Hall and The American President.
GOING FOR ALL NEWS CHANNEL
According to Peter Lund, president of CBS, despite whatever rumors you may have heard from an executive of their parent company Westinghouse Electric Corp, CBS is still interested in launching an all–news channel.
ALISTAIR COOKE’S GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
Alistair Cooke, the 87-year-old host of the BBC radio program Letter from America, will broadcast a memorable program acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the show. Although Cooke to Americans seems quite the Brit, in his birthplace he is considered an “urbane American.” Cooke's version of happenings in his adopted homeland draws a worldwide radio audience of 34 million listeners and he’s never run out of commentary delivered in his respected style.
SAY SUCH ISN'T SO!
Terrible movies, rotten films, laughable storylines, ridiculous actors--all are highly enjoyable screen entertainments. Due to the intense like of horrible films by hundreds of thousands of viewers, a campaign is now underway to ensure that Comedy Central does NOT eliminate Mystery Science Theatre 3000 from the cable show schedule. In fact, so intense is the loyalty to this show that a full page ad in Weekly Variety was purchased by fans to the tune of $4,500 decrying the Cable Channel move. There's no better source of "B" movies anywhere on TV and, as the ad so aptly states, to cancel it would be a "crime against humanity!" The response for donations was instituted by Mike Harney of Weston, MA, through the net and on-line services. Gramercy Pictures is going to be releasing Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie, next month!
READER’S DIGEST SELLS TRAVEL
Hachette Filipacchi Magazines has purchased Travel Holiday magazine, circulation 603,000, from the Reader's Digest Association Inc. Terms were not disclosed. Travel Holiday will undergo a new look and will be relaunched with a major ad campaign.
RAMBUNCTIOUS ROCK 'N ROLL PRODUCT
We all love music, whether such be from classic composers or the latest in alternate rock. All of these audio enjoyments evolved from other forms of music and The Graphix Zone is going to release a new CD-ROM that'll encompass 30 years of rock music and art. This interactive title will go behind the creation of classic rock music and art from the recording artists' perspective. In conjunction with Triptych Pictures, this offering will feature rare photos of musicians such as Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, The Mamas and the Papas, Linda Ronstadt, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Doors, Eagles and many more. Plus, you'll receive unreleased video footage and interviews with many of these major music stars. Also of interest is the fact that The Graphix Zone appears headed for a merger with JAD Records, with whom they are producing a new Bob Marley Enhanced CD and a Herbie Hancock project that will result in a music adventure that starts with the birth of jazz.
LINCOLN AWARDS TO EMERGE
The 1996 Unity Awards in Media have been presented by Lincoln University. Winning seven first-place awards was Emerge: Black American's Newsmagazine. April 22nd is the date for the formal presentation in Jefferson City, Missouri. Emerge is also a finalist for the National Magazine Award, a most coveted award, which is the magazine industry's Pulitzer Prize.
ENTREPRENEUR THOUGHTS
A new series of ongoing polls are going to be conducted by SUCCESS magazine during 1996. The first survey from the magazine, which polled some 330 entrepreneurs from a nationwide sampling, produced some thought-provoking results, especially in regards to the political scene. 54 percent of the entrepreneurs surveyed disapproved of the performance of the President and Congress. Congress is also believed to be more business oriented than in the previous year, or so thought 64 percent of those surveyed. The IRS [small surprise!] was found to be the most difficult federal entity to work with, with 61 percent unable to name a single government agency that was helpful or agreeable. Why, that says a great deal for our government's ability to provide support for those who support such services--the taxpayer. Additional surveys will be printed in SUCCESS over the course of the next year.
STUDIOS COMBINE RESOURCES
Four feature films are going to debut on pay-per-view in May. And revealing a cooperative side rarely seen in the industry, four studios are going to combine their resources to promote these films. The studios include 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures. A unified marketing message will be delivered by operators for the titles Clockers, Devil In a Blue Dress, Strange Days and Vampire in Brooklyn. The focus will be the urban appeal of these titles. Marketing materials created include 30-second on-air and radio spots, ad slicks, carrier/billing envelopes and oversized postcards. Cable Video Store, Request Television and Viewer's Choice will all participate in this promo.
MOVIES ARE GOING FOR THE GOLD
What do you do if you’re one of those big movie companies that can feel the hot breath of the televised Olympic games breathing down your neck as you both compete for the attention of the public during the summer of ‘96? Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures decided to jump out ahead of the games and begin the summer movie season, which typically begins Memorial Day weekend. The objective here is to gain attention before the 170 hours of Olympic TV coverage begins July 19.
Walt Disney Co.is honing its schedule to include a counter–program against the Olympics. A budget of $140 million will be alloted for The Hunchback of Notre Dame which will be presented June 21. Then there’s Kazaam, a fantasy adventure starring NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal as a genie, that has been alloted a promotional budget of $50 million, for its unveiling on July 17, two days before Mr. O'Neal leads Dream Team 3 into Olympic basketball.
TOP 10 BEST-SELLING BOOKS
The top 10 Best-Selling Books in all categories across the USA last week from USA Today:
1. In Contempt by Christopher Darden; ReganBooks, $26 (New this week)
2. Egg Monsters From Mars by R.L. Stine; Scholastic, $3.99 (No.1
last week)
3. Blood Sport by James B. Stewart; Simon & Schuster, $25 (No.3
last week)
4. Primary Colors by Anonymous; Random House, $24 (No. 2 last
week)
5. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson; Vintage, $12 (No.5 last
week)
6. Night in Werewolf Woods by R.L. Stine; Scholastic, $3.99 (No.4
last week)
7. Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray;
HarperCollins, $23 (No. 6 last week)
8. The Rainmaker by John Grisham; Island Books, $7.99 (No. 8 last week)
9. The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy; Dell, $7.50 (No.10 last week)
10.There's Treasure Everywhere by Bill Watterson; Andrews & McMeel,
$14.95 (No.14 last week)
IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL THE FAT LADY SINGS--OR, I TOLD YOU SO!
These kids just can’t seem to get along. U S West and Time Warner have canceled their talks regarding the purchase by U S West of Time Warner until after the trial. So you ask, “What trial?”
U S West is suing to block Time Warner's $7.5 billion acquisition of Turner Broadcasting, claiming the telephone company's $2.5 billion stake in Time Warner Entertainment would be hurt by the deal. Time Warner countersued to assure that its deal would go through. U S West and Time Warner both say negotiations to restructure their partnership in Time Warner Entertainment are on hold, at least until after the resolution of their dueling lawsuits. The statements ended speculation that the matter might be settled out of court.
Time Warner’s lawyer testified that his company relied on U S West assurances that an entertainment partnership would not subject Time Warner to the restrictions imposed on phone companies. Time Warner execs were "shocked" when they learned that the Baby Bell's 25% stake in TWE made the venture subject to
telecommunications law restrictions.
U S West’s attorney countered that nothing was hidden from Time Warner and the company was told that there might be restrictions that would apply. A ruling is expected by mid-June.
BOMB OVER THE RAINBOW
Remember, we just deliver the news, no matter how bizarre. First it was the kidnapping of Bert the Muppet(or was it Ernie?) in Germany. Then a radio station manager in New Zealand was held hostage by a nutso with a bomb who threatened to go BOOM if his demand that the radio station play the song Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog wasn’t played. The final chapter here is the guy with the green fixation was arrested--however we don’t know if his demand was met.
PERSPECTIVES: Rational Investigations of New Products
Whiplash for the PC from Interplay
Reviewed by Senior Editor Gary Le
Speed. Some people just cannot seem to get enough of it, especially nowadays, when a man’s worth is directly proportional to the diameter of his car’s exhaust pipe. Rather than spend a month’s paycheck souping up the old battle wagon, Interplay proposes a more simple and economical approach: play Whiplash! With a multitude of sleek race cars and race tracks to choose from, Whiplash will sate the desires of even the most robust speed demon.
Set in the environment of twisted race tracks, Whiplash presents the opportunity to get behind the wheel of some mean race cars. Rather than risk receiving the gift of a citation, courtesy of the nice officer hiding behind the billboard, players can push the pedal to the metal as they carry out their need for speed. Whiplash offers a great selection of cars, each with strengths and weaknesses that must be exploited to win a race. Car attributes that must be considered include acceleration, top speed, braking, turning, and grip. A vehicle with good speed and acceleration is desirable for a track with long straight-aways, while good turning ability and grip is essential when facing twisted tracks with steep banking curves and (gasp!) loop-de-loops. And with names like the Ninjato and Celerity MKII, don’t be surprised to find yourself becoming a bit attached to your electronic speedster. Furthermore, as your vehicle negotiates those hair-pin turns and initiates deft passing maneuvers, Whiplash throws a rocking soundtrack in the background which succeeds in heightening the experience by providing an additional adrenaline rush factor.
Graphics in Whiplash are superb, with textures and shadows as standard fare. Running in VGA mode, the animation flows by like silk. With the racetrack rolling by and your opponents’ cars roaring behind, the player will revel in the heated excitement as the announcer signals the final lap. With such fine graphics, the player can almost feel the sheer forces pushing to the sides as the numerous sharp turns of the track are engaged. Opponents, with a desire to win the race as great as your own, will not shy away from giving your vehicle a “gentle” push and shove, not to mention the possibility of trapping you against the track walls. Such abuse will no doubt force a pit stop and loss of precious time. Of course, you’ll get to do the same to them! After all, no sane gamer worth the joystick off the computer’s game port would let the computer have all the fun.
But even more impressive is running the game under SVGA mode. Although graphically splendid, the price to pay for this improved graphics environment is performance. A Pentium running at three digit speeds and a hefty video card is recommended if full SVGA quality is desired. While those with the resources will find comfort in their investment, those with more “earthly” machines will play admirably under VGA. Besides, there’s ne’er a moment to enjoy the fine scenery when you’re just about to make your move, with baited breath and sweaty palms, to take the lead.
Whiplash is a very entertaining title. With awesome graphics, an invigorating soundtrack, and competitive gumption from wicked computer opponents, Interplay succeeds with a perfect formula for fun in Whiplash. So adjust the mirrors and test the petrol, because this ain’t no game for no Sunday drivers. Oh, and don’t forget to put up the headrest before starting the engine!--Gary Le
Game requirements: 486DX/66 or faster; DOS 5.0 or higher; 8MB RAM; 2X CD-ROM Drive.
