Date: Wed, 26 Apr 1995 19:39:28 -0700
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Hi gang -
Here's a short version of this week's international Internet
round-up. The longer version is on the Mecklermedia Web site
(http://www.mecklerweb.com).
There's an excellent article about online publishing in
today's Wall Street Journal, right on page one.
Comments, feedback, etc. most welcome, as usual. Thanks again
to those volunteering to provide translations from non-English
media.
- madan
__________________________________________________________________
Madanmohan Rao Phone: (212) 963-1175
Communications Director Fax: (212) 754-2791
Inter Press Service E-mail: rao@igc.org
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
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Oklahoma Disaster: Internet Shows Good, Bad Sides
-------------------------------------------------
The information superhighway showed "different lanes" for the
humane and for the violent during the Oklahoma disaster. The
Internet allowed people worldwide to share their grief, to get more
information, and to organise relief efforts through Web pages and
Usenet newsgroups. But it was also a platform for discussions
ranging from expressing hate to manufacturing explosives.
(Associated Press; April 26, 1995)
Momentous Change Ahead For The Internet
---------------------------------------
At midnight this coming Saturday, the National Science
Foundation will turn off the 10-year-old NSFNET, probably "the best
$100 million the government ever spent." Will this be a milestone -
or a tombstone? Gordon Cook, author of "The Cook Report on the
Internet/NREN," fears that this may lead to pay-per-usage access
schemes.
(Cincinnati Enquirer; April 26, 1995)
Sri Lankans Get Local Access To The Internet
--------------------------------------------
The Lanka Internet Service inaugurated local Internet access
in Sri Lanka today, through a 64K bps leased line from Sri Lanka
Telecom. Sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke, who now lives in Sri
Lanka, was at the inauguration ceremony. Initial gateway access
costs $300, and then about 8-16 cents a minute.
(Reuters News Agency; April 26, 1995)
Intelligent Assistants Needed In The Age Of Too Much Information
----------------------------------------------------------------
Artificial intelligence based software agents will be needed in the
"age of too much information." Some such agents are already
available on the Internet, while others are under development. An
MIT Web site (http://ringo.media.mit.edu) offers an agent called
Ringo for ratings and predictions about musical artists. SIFT
(Stanford Information Filtering Tool) is a Usenet clipping service
which handles 14,000 search profiles on 40,000 postings a day.
Another project called News Weeder is under way at Carnegie Mellon
University, to provide "personalised interactive newspapers." "As
the information barrage accelerates, agents will be as
indispensable as e-mail," according to Upendra Shardanand,
developer of Ringo.
(Omni magazine; April 1995)
Electronic Commerce Proven To Be Beneficial
-------------------------------------------
Electronic Data Interchange cuts companies' error rates by
more than 50% and leads to shorter business cycles, according to an
Illinois-based research organisation called the EDI Group. Business
conducted through computer networks greatly reduces the cost and
time of conducting business, and increases accuracy.
(World Trade magazine; April 1995)
U.S. Publishers Leap Online, But To An Uncertain Future
-------------------------------------------------------
Electronic publishing on networks like the Internet is a
"prominent topic" at the ongoing annual meeting of the Newspaper
Association of America in New Orleans. Out of 650 surveyed
newspapers, 12 percent are already online; 40 more will launch into
cyberspace by the year end. However, the new medium is "fraught
with unknowns, unrefined techniques and unresolved policy
decisions." Despite the opportunity to tell stories "in other
ways," print publications have to deal with issues like inertia,
scarce resources, staffing shortages, new presentation formats,
technical obstacles, and unclear revenue models. The "mad dash to
cyberspace" is partly fueled by fear of competition from telephone,
cable TV, and online ventures such as Microsoft's forthcoming
network service. Some experts estimate that the shift to online
media is the "biggest change for publishing since the 15th century
invention of movable type."
(Wall Street Journal; April 26, 1995)
Hate Groups in Europe and U.S. Emerge On The Internet
-----------------------------------------------------
More than 50 hate groups, in Europe and the U.S., have emerged
in cyberspace recently, according to Abraham Cooper of the Simon
Wisenthal Center in Los Angeles. Racist texts, messages against the
"immigrant threat," neo-Nazi propaganda, and Holocaust revisionism
can be found online. The Internet provides "a technological mask
for bigots and child pornographers." Measures such as demanding
"personal responsibility and accountability" are needed.
(San Jose Mercury News; April 26, 1995)
British Publishers Ponder Internet's Impact On Publishing
---------------------------------------------------------
According to Peter Stothard, editor of the "Times," the
proliferation of new media like the Internet "offers scope for
increasing cooperation" between different media organisations. But
newspapers will still help constitute the "worldview" for readers,
since "the more CNN, ITN and 24-hour Internet news stations you
have, the more you need a pair of glasses to put it all in focus."
David Hepworth, editorial director of "Emap Metro," said, "We don't
view the Internet as a threat." No media other than magazines can
"better target" specialist readers.
(The Guardian, England; April 25, 1995)
Thailand Condemns U.S. Writer Peddling Sex Guide On The Internet
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thailand has condemned U.S. freelance journalist Bruce Cassirer for
promoting his guide about the sex trade, on the Internet. The
newsletter, called "Travel and the Single Male," lists prostitution
houses in Bangkok and other resort towns, and "offended Thai laws
and morality." Thai embassies have been instructed not to issue
Cassirer an entry visa.
(Kyodo News Service, Japan; April 24)
Five Digital Age Publications Reviewed
--------------------------------------
The "angst-tinged confusion" surrounding the hope and the hype
of the information superhighway has spawned a host of books about
the digital age. The five leading titles seem to be "Being Digital"
(Nicholas Negroponte), "Silicon Valley Snake Oil" (Clifford Stoll),
"The Road Ahead" (forthcoming; Bill Gates), "Living at Light Speed"
(Danny Goodman), and "The End of Work" (Jeremy Rifkin). In some
sense, these authors are racing to be the "Marshall MacLuhan of the
1990s."
(New York Times; April 24, 1995)
U.S. Companies and Government Lobby Via Internet E-mail, Web
------------------------------------------------------------
"Cyber-lobbying" has clearly arrived, as U.S. companies and the government
discover the low cost and wide reach of information posted on the
Internet. For instance, in January, Bell Atlantic hired cyber-
lobbyist Issue Dynamics Inc. to mobilise the Internet community
against the FCC's proposal for higher charges for ISDN access. The
government is also distributing public information on the Internet.
However, it is possible that "mass e-mail lobbying" may become
commonplace and eventually ineffective.
(Washington Post; April 24, 1995)
Online Shopping Makes Advances - But Glacially
----------------------------------------------
U.S. and British companies have made inroads into electronic
home shopping - via TV and online - but progress has been "like a
glacier running through the valley," according to a management
executive. For its part, TV shopping in the U.S. increased rapidly
in the 1980s, but has slowed down recently. However, shopping
through online services is much more interactive and offers
multimedia capabilities. 100 "malls" have already been set up on
the Internet.
(Financial Times, England; April 24, 1995)
Internet Stocks Are Hot, But Access Providers Must Diversify
------------------------------------------------------------
Stocks of Internet access providers like Netcom and UUnet are a hot
commodity. But as the user base expands from techies to the general
public, most new Internet users will be interested in simple,
reliable, and affordable services, according to Adam Schoenfeld of
Jupiter Communications. Internet access companies will be
successful if they can enable users to "create value" by
establishing new services and applications, says Mark Winther of
Link Resources.
(Dow Jones News Service; April 23, 1995)
British Company Launches Internet Service, Database Access
----------------------------------------------------------
The innovative British information company, TelMe, launched
into the online services market with a plan to offer Internet
hookups as well as online access to its valuable databases. These
include the BT phone book, travel databases, Press Association
news, company profiles, and postal code matchers. TelMe will be
directly competing with CompuServe, which already has 100,000 users
in Britain and a wide array of databases. However, TelMe does not
intend to charge people for time spent online.
(The Sunday Times, England; April 23, 1995)
Stanford University "Most Wired" Of All Schools
-----------------------------------------------
Stanford, one of four universities that pioneered the Internet
in 1969, is "at the forefront of the ever-changing technology for
collegiate use." One engineering class posts all instructional
material on the Web. Every office already has a direct connection
to the Internet; in two years, every dorm room will be connected to
the Internet. Future plans include wireless modem systems. 90
percent of U.S. universities are connected to the Internet, but
fewer than 25 percent of the students are estimated to have easy
access to the Internet.
(San Jose Mercury News; April 23, 1995)
Press Convergence: Internet Publications Win Awards
---------------------------------------------------
Internet-related publications received awards for journalistic
excellence at the Tenth Annual Computer Press Awards in San
Francisco last week. They included Wired (Best Broad-Interest
Magazine), Hot Wired (Best Online Publication and Rookie of the
Year), Paul Hoffman's "The Internet" (Best Non-Fiction Computer
Book), and Charles Seiter's "Internet for Macs for Dummies (Best
Introductory How-To Book). "The technology press and the mainstream
press are inevitably coming together," said keynote speaker Terry
Shwadron of the Los Angeles Times.
(Business Wire; April 21, 1995)
Indian Government Wary Of Widespread Access To Internet
-------------------------------------------------------
Even though the Internet is being used by the academic and
research communities in India, officials in the Ministry of
Telecommunications are worried about the "broad security concerns"
arising from widespread access to the Internet. Several separatist
movements are active in the country, and the government is wary of
the precedent set by rebels in Mexico and insurgents in Burma who
use the Internet to propagate their views. BBSs in India already
offer e-mail, news, games, and shopping services.
(Associated Press; April 22, 1995)
New Web Sites Open Up In Britain
--------------------------------
The Press Association of Britain has opened a Web-based news
service (http://www.padd.press.net/) which requires registration
but is otherwise free. The Ethnicity, Racism and the Media Program
at the University of Bradford has posted information about its
mailing lists at http://www.brad.ac.uk/bradinfo/
research/eram/eram.html. On a lighter note, information about UK
beer festivals can be found at http://www.cityscape.co.uk/users
/al96/beer.html.
(The Guardian, England; April 21, 1995)
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