MacFormat 1996 October/MacFormat CD Edition MF42 (October 1996).ISO/mac/Shareware City/Info/Tidbits/tidbits-321.etx

Text File | 1996-05-27 | 29.3 KB | 598 lines | [TEXT/R*ch]

TidBITS#321/01-Apr-96
=====================

This week's issue is a particularly serious one: we bring news of
   a major Internet downsizing and of TidBITS being cited under the
   Communications Decency Act of 1996. We review FEdit Pro and a few
   new Netscape plug-ins, look into an announcement of a new Newton,
   investigate a report that Microsoft's testers may strike, and
   take a look at the new Mac of the Month club.

This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by:
* The numbers "1" and "0"
   Just try to digitize anything without us!
* Internet Brewing <[e-mail]>
   Cold microbrews for hot microcomputers! Check out our newsgroup
   <alt.fan.beer.microbrew.cold.frothy-suds.drink.drink.drink>
* Comet Hyakutake -- <http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/hyakutake/>
   March-May 1996 Inner Solar System World Tour. Catch the coma!
* Wimpy's Hamburgers -- <[e-mail]>
   Now serving chicken sandwiches and garden burgers!
* WheelBITS: Deals on wheels for denizens of the net.
   <http://www.tidbits.com/wheelbits.html> -- <[e-mail]>

Copyright 1990-1996 Adam & Tonya Engst. Details at end of issue.
   Information: <[e-mail]> Comments: <[e-mail]>
   ---------------------------------------------------------------

Topics:
    MailBITS/01-Apr-96
    TidBITS Staff Cited
    Mac of the Month Club
    WebCommando Moves In
    Larger Newton Due This Spring
    Microsoft Testers Threaten Strike
    FEdit Returns!
    Internet Downsizing Brings Heavy Losses

<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/pub/tidbits/issues/1996/TidBITS#321_01-Apr-96.etx>


MailBITS/01-Apr-96
------------------

**Perot & Forbes to Buy Apple?** In the wake of Apple's recent
  financial difficulties, there has been rampant speculation that
  millionaire former presidential candidates Steve Forbes and Ross
  Perot may join forces to buy Apple Computer, perhaps to help
  launch a third-party presidential bid in the upcoming U.S.
  November elections. Although representatives declined to comment
  officially, spokespersons for both the Forbes and Perot camps
  noted that while Perot carried an estimated 19 percent of the U.S.
  electorate in the 1992 presidential election, the Macintosh
  represents a considerably larger slice of the Web-using public.
  "Although the correlation between Internet use and voting is not
  altogether clear," one representative commented anonymously,
  "having control of such a popular Web authoring and serving
  platform makes a lot of sense." Critics have charged that Perot
  and Forbes would resort to charlatan publicity tactics similar to
  Netscape's "Netscape Now!" buttons wantonly displayed on Web
  sites, and that such tactics would ultimately backfire. However,
  Apple executives might be more interested in the possible infusion
  of cash into the company, regardless of the election outcome. [DG]


**Give Back to AOL** -- A broad-based coalition of online groups
  has announced an Internet-wide program to thank commercial online
  service America Online for providing computer users with so many
  free disks and CD-ROMs. Last year in TidBITS-270_, we reported how
  AOL's disk distributions were in fact an effort to prevent
  Microsoft from cornering the world market for floppy disks. Since
  then, Windows 95 has been released, and although it  has become
  common on new machines, upgrade sales have been sluggish, with a
  high rate of returns. AOL's ploy proved unnecessary, but the
  computer community still wanted to thank AOL for its valiant
  efforts; hence the Give Back to AOL program, which encourages
  users to send their stacks of AOL floppies and CDs back to AOL for
  reuse. Organizers of the program say they understand that CDs
  can't be reused, but note that "you can do some really neat
  decorating things with them." [ECA]


**Star Trek fans** were thrilled when an engineering firm last
  year introduced a "real tricorder," a handheld sensing device that
  records temperature, ambient light, barometric pressure, and
  electromagnetic radiation of a few kinds, but weren't as thrilled
  with the $400 price tag. Soon Trekkies who already own a Newton
  MessagePad can add Tricorder MP, a $69 utility expected this month
  from Sir Isaac Software that takes advantage of the Newton's
  infrared port and internal temperature sensor to scan the
  environment. [AHM]


**My First C Compiler** -- Broderbund Software has announced a new
  addition to its award-winning children's CD-ROM titles. "My First
  C Compiler" provides children ages 4 to 7 with a full, working
  ANSI C compiler with Macintosh Toolbox support, combined with a
  colorful interface and animated characters that take children
  through stages of designing their own applications. "If we want
  our kids to be competitive in tomorrow's job market, we've got to
  get them coding today," said project manager Cass Ibrary. Among My
  First C Compiler's cast of characters are Robby Recursion (who
  helps toddlers design elegant code), Doctor Bracket (helps with
  syntax checking), and Guy CGI (who walks children through
  designing hit counters and Web-based discussion forums).
  "Remember, tomorrow's Webmasters are watching Power Rangers
  today," said Ibrary. "It's best to get them thinking in these
  terms as early as possible." My First C Compiler is expected to
  add support for Java, Perl, and C++ in the third quarter of this
  year. [DG]

<http://www.tidbits.com/issue321/>


**Point of Presence Company Expands** -- Glenn Fleishman, CEO of
  Point of TidBITS host site Presence Company, announced today that
  the company plans to expand its business to additional dimensions.
  Fleishman said that in 1996 the company's name will change to Line
  of Presence Company to reflect its focus on the second dimension.
  Further planned expansions will require a name change to Plane of
  Presence in 1997 and Volume of Presence in 1998, assuming the
  company is able to achieve its goal of expanding into the fourth
  dimension by then. In a related story, a disgruntled Point of
  Presence employee has left the company and started a rival, called
  Pointless Presence Company, that will help establish highly
  graphical Web presences for companies that have no business being
  on the Internet in the first place, like the international
  agribusiness concern Haulin Oats. [ECA]


**Jeff Carlson** <[e-mail]> writes:
  In an effort to preserve its market share by prolonging the lives
  of its users, Netscape today released a Sleep plug-in for use in
  Netscape Navigator. The demo is a huge download, but there's a
  workaround for users with slow connections or who can't wait for
  some shut-eye:

* put your face close to monitor so that screen takes up all your
  visible space
* push the power button on the monitor and wait for the image to
  fade from your burnt retinas

  This workaround provides just basic functionality; if you want the
  dream module, you'll need to download the software and manually
  move your eyeballs rapidly to simulate R.E.M. sleep (looping
  "Losing My Religion" in the background is not required for this
  build of the module, pending negotiations with Warner Brothers
  Records). Be forewarned the software is still in "preview beta"
  stage, and according to the ReadMe file it's "barely stable, it
  probably won't work, but download it anyway so we can justify our
  over-inflated stock price."

<http://www.tidbits.com/issue321/>


TidBITS Staff Cited
-------------------
  by Tonya Engst <[e-mail]>

  Last week, TidBITS publisher Adam C. Engst, and TidBITS staff
  members Geoff Duncan and Tonya Engst were cited for the use of the
  phrase, "damn tootin'" in a TidBITS issue. The citation came after
  concerns that the phrase violated the indecency clauses in the
  recently passed Communications Decency Act.

  The ACLU has already offered to pay all legal fees associated with
  the court case, and is optimistic of a successful verdict that
  will exonerate the TidBITS staff. Senator Exon, sponsor of the
  Communications Decency Act stated that he's never read TidBITS,
  but said "the title alone leads me to believe that the publication
  should be banned. It's only one character off from a lewd,
  lascivious, and titillating word, and that's only the title. I can
  only imagine what filth may reside within."

  Allegedly, a group of 12 and 13-year old Girl Scouts had gathered
  for their weekly fix of "90210," the popular prime time television
  soap opera, but started reading TidBITS-320_ during the
  advertisements. The group began to speculate as to the various
  meanings of the phrase "damn tootin'" and reportedly went downhill
  fast from there, falling into an Internet-induced frenzy involving
  heavy intravenous drug use that almost led the girls to lives of
  prostitution.


Mac of the Month Club
---------------------
  by Howard Partner <[e-mail]>

  Are you confused by the constant proliferation of new Macintosh
  models? Worse yet, do you suffer from Mac Envy, when three weeks
  after you get your new Mac a new model appears offering twice the
  features at half the price?

  Your frustrations will be gone forever when you become a member of
  the Mac of the Month Club. Each month you will be sent the latest
  Mac model computer, printer, digital camera, or whatever! Try it
  out at your leisure. If you like it, keep it. If not, just return
  it. You simply agree to purchase just three Macintosh computers,
  printers, digital cameras, or scanners each year! We will
  automatically bill your MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or
  parents.

  To start off your subscription as a charter member of the Mac of
  the Month Club, choose three of these great Macintosh classics for
  just $9.99:


**The Mac Plus** -- It comes complete with floppy drive, System
  4.2, MacPaint, MacDraw, MacWrite, and QuickDex! Won't this tan
  beauty look great alongside your 8-track player and rotary
  telephone!


**The ImageWriter **-- Shipped to you complete with 42 yards of
  perforated computer paper. Leave your ImageWriter turned on and
  printing when you leave home or office. Burglars will think you're
  having a class reunion inside and steer clear! [Editor's note:
  Apple only recommends use of the ImageWriter as a home security
  device for trips under two weeks - in that time the ImageWriter
  will either finish the document or jam, thus eliminating its
  utility as a security device. -Adam]


**Floppies Galore** -- Two thousand pre-formatted 400K MFS floppy
  disks. They make great party coasters, mini-frisbees, or bathroom
  tiles!


**Graphics Extravaganza!** SuperPaint 1.0, FullPaint, Canvas 1.0,
  and PageMaker 1.0. Relive the days of the Desktop Publishing
  Revolution just like the early pioneers, in the comfort of your
  own home or office.


**ThunderScan** -- It's the scanner that pops into your
  ImageWriter just like a ribbon cartridge. Your kids will spend
  days spellbound by the sight of your stock certificates, magazine
  photos, and old love letters coming into view on your computer
  screen. You'll be surprised and thrilled each time you turn on
  your computer and view these items as startup screens.

  Send in your application today to the Mac of the Month Club.
  Membership is not available to residents of Cuba, certain Middle
  Eastern principalities, or planets currently at perihelion. A
  small charge for shipping and handling will be applied to all
  orders.


WebCommando Moves In
--------------------
  by Adam C. Engst <[e-mail]>

  Netscape plug-ins are all the rage these days (see Jeff Carlson's
  MailBIT above), stuffing multimedia features galore into the
  overburdened Netscape Navigator browser window. We've got
  Shockwave playing Director movies, Amber displaying PDF documents,
  and a host of QuickTime and PlainTalk plug-ins that only work on
  the Mac.

  In all this multimedia fuss, a small group of students at
  Linkoping University in Sweden are fighting back with a new type
  of plug-in for Netscape. You know how Netscape is attempting to
  turn Navigator into an operating system in its own right? Well,
  the new WebCommando plug-in takes that one step further, providing
  a full Unix-based command-line interface within Netscape
  Navigator's browser window.

  Finally! Enough frothy movies and scratchy sounds! Now you can get
  back to basics with such long-time Unix favorites as ls and cd.
  Worried about Java applets deleting files? I'd worry more about
  accidently typing "rm *" in WebCommando. As an added bonus,
  WebCommando has a couple of Web-specific features. You can grep
  the contents of Yahoo and Alta Vista with it, and if you need to
  test a Web page, you can even run Lynx within WebCommando.

  Pining for pine? Anxious for awk? Sighing for sed? WebCommando is
  the answer. Installation is a breeze - you just download the
  plug-in and put it in the plug-ins folder. Make sure Netscape
  Navigator has at least 32 MB allotted to it and that the disk
  cache is set to 80 MB, and launch Navigator. The requirements may
  seem a little steep, but remember that you're running Unix,
  actually a variant of Linux, within Netscape Navigator.


Larger Newton Due This Spring
-----------------------------
  by Mark H. Anbinder, News Editor <[e-mail]>

  Just weeks after the release of Apple's latest MessagePad model,
  offering on-demand backlighting and on-the-fly orientation
  switching, sources at Apple have revealed that the company is
  poised to release a long-awaited larger tablet-sized model. The
  Newton LetterPad 200, slated for an 01-Apr-96 release, is about
  the size of a small portfolio and offers almost a standard sheet
  of paper worth of active screen surface.

  As with the MessagePad 130, the LetterPad 200 is said to have a
  display that can be used with the backlighting on or off, and can
  be rotated and used in either a horizontal or vertical
  orientation. Unlike its handheld predecessor, the LetterPad 200
  has all of its controls within the active screen area, so that
  such always-visible buttons as "Names," "Dates," and "Extras" can
  be rotated along with the display.

  The LetterPad 200 features the latest low-power RISC processor
  from Advanced RISC Machines, Ltd, a 44 MHz ARM 640 chip that Apple
  hopes will let the Newton handwriting recognition technology keep
  up with a steady pace of notetaking during meetings or lectures.
  The deferred recognition feature introduced with the MessagePad
  110 will still be available, but engineers expect the unit's
  recognition pace will be so impressive that most users will
  disable the deferred recognition and allow the LetterPad to
  process handwriting as it goes along.

  Rather than the flip-down plastic cover of recent models or the
  slipcase of the original Newton MessagePad, the Newton LetterPad
  200, which will be about an inch thick, will come with a leather
  portfolio whose cover will have room for business cards and up to
  four PC Cards. (The system has two Type II PC Card slots side by
  side, so it will not support such thicker Type III cards as
  SyQuest's removable cartridge drive.)

  The most interesting new feature in the Newton LetterPad is a mode
  codenamed "Big Brother" that enables the wary executive to check
  up on what every other Newton user in the room is doing with his
  or her Newton. Gone are those unproductive meetings because the
  junior vice presidents are beaming love notes back and forth to
  one another, or because the CFO is playing Daleks again.

<ftp://mirror.aol.com/pub/info-mac/nwt/game/daleks-10.hqx>

  Answering a months-old criticism, Apple made the LetterPad 200's
  infrared port compatible with both previous Newton technology and
  the IRTalk ports built into the PowerBook 5300 series. The
  infrared port remains capable of communicating with many consumer
  electronics devices, and Apple has bundled a universal remote
  application that can control almost any known infrared-capable
  device.

  Final pricing had not been announced as of this writing, but the
  Newton development group expected the LetterPad 200 would debut
  between $900 and $1,100 depending on configuration. Since the form
  factor is completely different from existing Newton models, no
  upgrade will be possible through chip swaps or software
  installation, but Apple hopes to curry the favor (and reward the
  loyalty) of existing Newton owners by offering a trade-up credit
  to those looking to exchange a MessagePad for a LetterPad.


Microsoft Testers Threaten Strike
---------------------------------
  by Geoff Duncan <[e-mail]>

  In a surprise announcement, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed
  last week that Microsoft has been in labor negotiations with its
  testing and quality assurance staff for some time. "We don't
  believe the labor dispute has impacted the quality of our
  products, and we stand behind them one hundred percent," the
  spokesperson said. "However, it's true that negotiations have been
  underway for a few months."


**Whining in the Rain** -- TidBITS's investigation reveals
  Microsoft's spokesperson may have been putting a positive spin on
  the situation. "It all started back in 1993 when Microsoft took
  bottled Talking Rain out of the free soft drink coolers," said one
  tester, who declined to give her name. Talking Rain is a brand of
  bottled water packaged and sold in the Pacific Northwest. After it
  was removed from the coolers, bottles of Talking Rain were only
  available for sale in Microsoft cafeterias in awkward one liter
  sizes. "I mean, it's not like we can't get water from other
  sources, but it's the principle of the thing. Soft drinks, unlike
  software, should _always_ be free."

  According to reports, the situation gradually deteriorated from
  there. Microsoft makes a variety of juices and beverages available
  for free to its employees, and apparently did make carbonated
  varieties of Talking Rain available in cans. But the testers would
  not be appeased. "You can't put the top back on an aluminum can,"
  said one contract tester. "That basically means you can't take
  your water to a meeting, or carry it down the hall without fear of
  spilling it. That's a completely unacceptable working
  environment." Not being able to put the top back on aluminum cans
  is believed to have cost Microsoft thousands of dollars in damaged
  keyboards alone. Further, the problem does not seem to be endemic
  to testers; at least one Microsoft program manager is routinely
  seen with dozens of half-finished cans of Talking Rain on her
  desk. With one spill, those cans could easily spell doom for her
  computer and irreplaceable files. Oddly, for a company of its size
  and sophistication, Microsoft provides no centralized data backup
  services, leaving most groups to fend for themselves or (more
  commonly) not back up their files at all. "Management is always
  telling us testers to work smarter," complained one test lead.
  "Then they go and pull a no-brainer like that. Go figure."


**Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk** -- Microsoft apparently began to
  negotiate in good faith with its testers, who initially agreed to
  stay on the job until the issue was resolved. "The salaries aren't
  that important, but we didn't want them to suspend our stock
  options. Some of us will be fully-vested soon!" But apparently
  testers were frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations, brought
  on by a number of technical failures, and are now threatening a
  walk-out.

  Negotiations are said to have broken down at one point due to
  problems with Microsoft's internal email system, based on
  Microsoft Exchange. "We actually had to walk copies of proposed
  settlements around on floppies because the network could have
  taken days to deliver the documents," noted one program manager.
  However, according to a negotiator for the testers, communications
  broke down later because the Word documents (with OLE attachments)
  became too large to fit on floppies. There are also unconfirmed
  reports that a Microsoft negotiator attempted to sabotage the
  talks by distributing a proposal infected with a Word macro virus.
  "They made it look like an accident, but you never know."

  Leaders of the testers say they will stage a walk-out on 01-Apr-96
  if their demands are not met. "This has been going on for too long
  - we want to resolve it before the weather gets nice in the
  summer." Microsoft declined to comment.


FEdit Returns!
--------------
  by Adam C. Engst <[e-mail]>

  The Macintosh was treated to a blast from the past today, as
  startup Dogcow Software announced that it has acquired rights to
  the popular disk editor FEdit from its original developers. FEdit
  was the first powerful disk editor on the Macintosh, enabling
  users to modify disks at the lowest level, much like Norton Disk
  Editor can do today. Those of us who specialized in floppy disk
  repair back in the late 1980s remember FEdit fondly as one of our
  most useful disk repair utilities. However, despite its following,
  FEdit wasn't updated and soon ceased to work on new Macs, such as
  the IIfx.

  Bringing FEdit into the present proved difficult for Dogcow
  Software, not only because of the low level at which FEdit works,
  but also because the source code was lost in the serious San
  Francisco earthquake a few years ago. Lacking that source code,
  Dogcow Software opted to revitalize FEdit by writing a wrapper
  around it, insulating FEdit itself from the wildly different world
  of today's Macs and Power Macs. Similar technology has been used
  in the past to bring back Atari 2600 video games and other video
  games that never ran on microcomputers, much less Macs. In FEdit's
  case, though, Dogcow had to write what was essentially a complete
  emulator for the Macintosh Plus, complete with a fixed 9"
  monochrome window.

  However, that's not the most interesting part of FEdit's return.
  Dogcow Software's Mac Plus emulator is highly extendable through a
  technology that Dogcow spokesman Rex Muefmann says is awaiting
  final patent approval. As an example of how the technology can be
  extended, Dogcow plans to ship FEdit, renamed FEdit Pro, with a
  module that enables it to take advantage of Open Transport to edit
  disks over AppleTalk and TCP/IP-based networks, including the
  Internet. Another module broadens FEdit Pro's range to disk
  formats used by a variety of common operating systems, including
  DOS, OS/2, Windows NT, and a number of standard flavors of Unix.

  "Just think of what this will do for tech support," enthused
  Dogcow's Muefmann. "Never again will a novice user be forced to
  walk through a highly technical bit of disk editing on their own."
  Critics respond that FEdit Pro's capabilities provide power beyond
  what should be put in the hands of the public. In fact, such power
  might explain an otherwise inexplicable act of online vandalism.
  For a period of two weeks that appears to have fallen within the
  time when FEdit Pro was tested, all postings in
  <news:alt.politics> that contained what are considered "obscene"
  four-letter words had their letters replaced with "Exon," the name
  of the senator responsible in great part for the widely reviled
  Communications Decency Act.

  "You have to admit, it's a good explanation for sentences like
  'What the Exon does Representative Exon Armey think he's doing in
  the Exon budget debate?' appearing in alt.politics," said Mike
  Goodwrench, legal counsel for an online advocacy group. Goodwrench
  and others point to the indiscriminate replacements of words that
  aren't always considered indecent, and the strict character-for-
  character replacement that's representative of brute-force disk
  editing as evidence pointing at FEdit Pro. When confronted with
  this logic, Dogcow's Muefmann dismissed the allegations as FUD
  (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) started by competing companies.
  "You wait," he said, "I'll bet tomorrow Microsoft announces it's
  been working on network-based disk editing for six months."

  When asked about FEdit Pro's future, Muefmann said that Dogcow was
  working on adding color to the interface, along with support for
  QuickDraw 3D. "We understand that FEdit Pro's interface isn't one
  of the easiest ones to use these days, but we have some great
  ideas for how to make low-level disk editing the sort of thing
  that any kid who can play Nintendo can do. Because of this,
  support for QuickDraw 3D is definitely one of our strategic
  directions." It's safe to say that the industry will never be the
  same again.


Internet Downsizing Brings Heavy Losses
---------------------------------------
  by Tonya Engst <[e-mail]>

  Complaining of feeling increasingly "old and stodgy," TidBITS
  publisher and Macintosh Internet maven Adam C. Engst announced
  today his plans to retire gracefully as part of the InterNIC's
  recently announced downsizing plans. The InterNIC's plan calls for
  the retirement of anyone who has been on the Internet for more
  than ten years, noting that "if one Internet year is like ten
  normal years, these users have consumed as many Internet resources
  as some third world countries. It's time for them to step down and
  make way for newer users." Adam will receive a lifetime supply of
  postage stamps from the U.S. Postal Service and a gold 100 MHz
  clock chip.

  The downsizing is so broad in scope that Geoff Duncan, TidBITS
  Managing Editor, and Mark Anbinder, News Editor, are accepting
  voluntary retirement. Both Geoff and Mark will receive silver 66
  MHz clock chips as thanks for their long service. Tonya Engst, the
  remaining staff member, has been laid off. As a result of these
  broad cuts, the last TidBITS issue will be sent out on 01-Apr-96.
  The issue will mark the end of the sixth consecutive year of
  TidBITS publication. InterNIC spokesman Charlie Cutenhack
  commented, "it's sad to see resources like TidBITS swept away in
  the reorganization, but I anticipate the Internet users will enjoy
  a new era of reduced choices."

  Other publications in the Macintosh industry face similar
  problems. All members of the MacUser staff who have ever used the
  Web are being summarily laid off. MacSense, MacChat, and a number
  of other publications will cease publication by July, though
  rumors have it that MacWEEK is busily hiring summer interns who
  have never touched computers before, in hopes that those new
  interns can carry the torch for those who must retire.

  The TidBITS staff will be banned from owning modems or using the
  Internet in any fashion for life, and they plan to donate much of
  their equipment to charity. They do not, however, intend to lead a
  retired life-style. Instead, they've decided to move on to the
  world of television. Staff members recently signed a contract to
  participate in a cartoon mini-series called Bit Buddies. The story
  will focus on a small group of twenty-something East-coasters who
  move to Seattle, meet a long-haired stranger from Nevada and -
  amidst a backdrop of spectacular scenery, drizzling rain, and
  ubiquitous espresso stands - wage battle against the forces of
  evil while attempting to learn how to pronounce "Nevada"
  correctly.

  Scheduled guess appearances on the show include The Tick, Gil
  Amelio, and Kermit the Frog. Bit Buddies action figures will be
  released to complement the cartoon; the anatomically correct
  action figures will come complete with keyboards, although
  batteries will not be included. The Tonya figure will come with an
  optional accessory set that will include a miniature, bootable,
  PowerBook Duo and a trendy collection of clothing necessary for
  today's digisavvy female action figure. The Geoff figure will
  include an optional guitar collection plus hair grooming
  accessories (cut off the Geoff figure's hair, and the figure
  explodes). Information about the Adam and Mark figures has not yet
  been released, but toy industry experts anticipate the release of
  action figures of several other Macintosh celebrities, including
  well-known Internet Macintosh programmers Steve Dorner, Peter
  Lewis, and John Norstad.

  Before starting serious work on Bit Buddies, though, the staff has
  more personal plans. Geoff hopes to head home to Nevada for the
  dedication of the Extraterrestrial Highway (formerly Nevada State
  Route 375). Adam plans to do work with General Mills on a new
  breakfast cereal called "TidBITS" that will be market-linked to
  Bit Buddies, and Tonya has signed a deal to work with Apple
  Computer to create a line of Macintosh-related home decorating
  materials, such as sheets, wallpaper, and bathroom tiles. Mark has
  not yet announced his plans, but rumor has it he in negotiations
  for a part in the next Star Trek movie as an exceedingly polite
  alien.


$$

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