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"LE GRAND SECRET": JUICY FRENCH CENSORSHIP SCANDAL
It has all the elements of a French farce. It seems that the former physician of long-time French president Francois Mitterrand (deceased) penned a scandalous book revealing all the good bits about his patient. By the time the French courts got around to banning the book (they still do that in certain backward parts of the world), 40,000 copies had been sold and the text posted on the Net. What followed were arrests, lawsuits, copyright infringement, talk of encrypting the entire French portion of the Web (!!), and major flambe on soc.culture.french. And all this in just the last 15 days. It's a totally tabloid tableau, and you can't find a better guide to the whole melange than Declan McCullag's "Le Grand Secret" page. "http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~declan/"
LEGAL CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST PHIL ZIMMERMANN IN PGP CASE
Mr. Zimmermann, as most of you probably know, is the author of the dangerously useful PGP encryption program. Back in 1991, the feds initiated a case against him for making PGP available online and running afoul of U.S. export regulations for encryption software. Earlier this month, and no doubt many legal fees later, they finally dismissed all charges against him. Discussion of this and related topics can be found in the alt.security.pgp newsgroup.
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT RELEASES FOREIGN ENCRYPTION SOFTWARE REPORT
In other encryption related news, the US Department of Commerce has released a somewhat censored report on the foreign availability of encryption software. The report discusses availability and economic impact to the US of foreign software encryption products. Copies of the report, entitled "A Study of the International Market for Computer Software With Encryption", along with other privacy news are available on the excellent EPIC site. "http://epic.org/"
LOTUS ANNOUNCES NEW NOTES WEB SITE
This new site, the Notes Network Information Center (NotesNIC), is mostly aimed at Lotus Notes developers. It also serves as an organized system for locating and communicating with Notes sites globally. It's specifically designed to provide Notes Name and Address information in a manner analogous to the Internet's InterNIC. Lots of Notes-related software and other information. "http://www.notes.net/"
SUN AND APPLE, WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY?
It's kind of like waiting for two pandas to mate. They're cute, the press loves them, and everyone is waiting for a consummation. Rumors have been flying lately about a potential takeover of Apple by Sun Microsystems. There's been talk of a $4 billion (yes BILLION) changing hands in this deal. Apple stock naturally went up while Sun's went down, making it clear how Wall Street feels about the whole thing. We wish we had a press release site to give you, but nobody's talking.
GENIE SOLD TO PRIVATE FIRM, PLANS TO PUT GAMES ON WEB
General Electric has finally unloaded its ailing GEnie online service. The buyer is a small private firm called Yovelle Rennaissance Corporation, based in New York. No price was provided in the terse announcement. Recognizing that one of the most popular portions of GEnie is its games, the company reportedly plans to port the games to the Web via some sort of subscription service. "gopher://gopher.genie.com:70/00/news/bull.a23s2637"
WEBCARD VISA CARD HITCHES RIDE ON THE INFORMATION SUPER-HYPE-WAY
The new VISA card, ostensibly created "just for Internet and World Wide Web users", will allow you to do such exciting things as check your balance via the Internet and import the data into your favorite accounting program. In most other respects it is just a normal credit card, though clearly designed to take advantage of the hype surrounding the Web. No wonder. The card comes to you courtesy of Block Financial, an H&R Block company, the same folks who own CompuServe. Coincidence or conspiracy? "http://www.conductor.com/"
NETSURFER MAKES BOARDWATCH 100 WEB SITES LIST
As far as we know, Boardwatch is the only print magazine you'll buy for the technical info but wind up reading for Jack Ricard's social commentary. We've raved about this indispensible publication before (NSD 01.02), which makes it all the more pleasant to note that they named us to their January 1996 Boardwatch 100 List. Admittedly, the list "has no rhyme or reason other then the suggestions of our writers and the whimsey of our Editor at Fault", and they did mangle our URL, but still, it's a nice gesture. Thanks guys. If you haven't checked out this magazine, do yourself a favor and subscribe. For the gearheads in the audience, we note their indispensible November 1995 coverage of Windows 95 Net connectivity. "http://www.boardwatch.com/"
Find/SVP, a market research firm, has released the results of a recent Internet survey. Included on their Web site is an analysis of their findings. About six percent of US households with telephones have at least one Internet user. Although adult Web users now total more than 6.5 million, 21 percent say they do not use the Web "regularly." More than half report that they began using their first Internet application during 1995. And a quarter of respondents have more than one access provider. For more of the nitty-gritty and additional reports, check out the company's site. "http://etrg.findsvp.com/"
CHILLIN' THE WORT: THE CRAFT OF BREWING
Just how does wort smell and how does it effect morning sickness? Can a car radiator be used as a wort chiller? What about aerating hot wort? Is it legal to do it in public? Can you say "wort" in a room full of six-year-olds and maintain your sanity? If these kinds of questions make you drink to excess, you probably want to visit the rec.crafts.brewing newsgroup. Every question you could possibly have about brewing your own beer, root beer, ale, and mead - Marijuana in beer?; Can I develop my own yeast strain?; Chilling with liquid nitrogen? - can be soberly answered by the folks who hang out here. In particular, check out the regularly posted scholarly issues of the moderated "Homebrew Digest" and the scoop on the "World Cup of Beer '96" home brewing competition. Homebrew Digest: "ftp://ftp.stanford.edu/pub/clubs/homebrew/beer/" World Cup of Beer: "http://www.hooked.net/users/regent/worldcup.htm"
The Metropolitan Museum of Art arrives with a stunning site that offers a delightful experience for those not able to visit the New York City icon. The museum director's online brochure describes the entire collection and a calendar lists current exhibitions. Select a floor and room to navigate the online gallery. Each room is described thematically, and lists several images that can be examined. Images are displayed and annotated on the page, and clicking on one will summon a higher quality JPEG. The Met's famous gift shop is properly represented with a huge collection of gifts, including prints and posters, displayed in photographs. This site is simply a cultural oasis. "http://www.metmuseum.org/"
FILM FESTIVAL FREAKS FIND FOUNTAIN OF FILMS TO FILLET
With Web sites for every imaginable topic, it's natural that there's at least one for film festivals. This site has over 500 pages and 300 images, plus video clips for your enjoyment. There is info from the Ghent, San Sebastian, Moscow, Prague, Cannes, and London 1995 festivals, with more to come in 1996. During actual festivals, they host live virtual interviews with the stars and more. A movie lover's dream. "http://www.filmfestivals.com/"
Strange but true. For some people, nothing is more beautiful than a barf bag. And at this site, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. You'll find puke pouches from airlines past and present, from countries great and small. There's even a link to "The Joy of Vomiting", an essay that puts blowing chunks into a historical perspective. "http://www.pvv.unit.no/~bct/spypose/"
According to the resident webspinner, his uncle left him a batch of comic book covers - no innards, just the covers. He presents a new one each month, and they ARE rare ones: old Marvel, Fox, and DC covers from the late '30s and wartime '40s. Patience and a decent modem are a must. A worthwhile stop for the comic book fan and WWII enthusiast as well. "http://www.ultranet.com/~adjm/comics/cover.html"
ANOTHER YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A NERD
This is a freshman humor site - literally - with the funny and sometimes downright hilarious diary entries of a waistline-battling, self-deprecating freshman college student. If you ever were a college student, expect to be one, or despise the sitcom "Wings", you'll find something of interest in the indexed list of Andrew Hicks's writings. He even finds time to comment on the 36 comic strips carried by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. You should know that if you start reading Andrew's notes, you may get hooked. "http://www.missouri.edu/~c667778/diary2.html"
If you're a fan of Dorothy Parker, writer, poet, and wit of the 1940s - and possibly the leading drunkard of the Algonquin Round Table - you'll find this site an online paradise. It has the text of three volumes of Parker's poetry with a pleasant but unintrusive introduction. If you've always wondered about the flaming tongued female, drop in and catch a taste. "http://www.phantom.com/~eponine/parker/parker.html"
New and improved, Camden Lock includes music and film sections, columnist Wavey Davey, and a range of other features. Topics in the issue we looked at included "24 Hours in Camden Town" ("from early-morning market traders to late-night ravers") and an article on Douglas Coupland. The Wavey's Week link is worth mentioning. The columnist, a sarcastic chap, picks out and questions trivia from UK newspapers. Wavey also offers a word of the week, such as "looney," which is accompanied by directions on its usage - in this case, "shout it clearly at any old people seen stomping around in wheelie-bins." "http://www.delphi.co.uk/"
AfterNoon, an international WWW magazine of art and literature,is part of the excellent Motley Focus Locus. Sections for fiction, plays, reviews, essays, and film are all open for consumption and contribution. The article "The Future Of Our Discontents", on Ridley Scott's film "Blade Runner", examined the disconcerting elements of the film and why it was so effective. Some sections are sadly lacking in intrigue and content, but the potential is there for some good analysis. Judging by the level of work available, it could develop into something scrumptious. "http://motley-focus.com/~timber/afternoon.html"
A WOMAN'S DISCOURSE, POETRY, AND OTHER NIFTINESS
Kathy Biehl, author of a hardcopy zine from which she gathers articles and info for the Cafe Compendium page, has created a progressive and original net space. Main course is tantilizing, with nouveau cuisine like Jeff Hansen's "Road Trip". For dessert, she offers the Chocolate Lovers Playground and the Twinkies Project, both worthy beyond the gastronomic delights. Check out the advice section for some personal problem help, or articles like "101 ways to sabotage a date". "http://www.neosoft.com/~fortuna/intro.htm"
Northcoast Internet, a California ISP, publishes a monthly newsletter available on the Web and via e-mail subscriptions. Each issue contains local system news of interest only to Northcoast clients, one or two feature stories worth checking out for their astute analysis, and an annotated guide to sites on the Net similar to our own humble NSD. This is a small publication that doesn't attempt to be much besides an additional service to its customers. However, it is well written and does offer another dose of site links for the surf addicts among you. The Net-savvy will recognize the name of assistant editor Kevin Savetz. "http://www.northcoast.com/ndn/ndn.html"
This one slick site. So slick, in fact, that we thought at first it was a joke. Listen to this description of designer Todd Oldman's work: "His clothes invite us to a terrific party, the party of life." Say what? We felt slightly patronized by articles like "The clueless guy's guide to buying a suit", which made the site a little annoying. Makeup tips top it off. For lipstick, "think colour, or think sparkle or think shine" and for "eye opening luminescence... sweep a pearly powder cross your cheeks and shoulders to give your skin an alluring glow". It would be hilarious if it weren't so serious. "http://www.finy.com/"
If, after Fashion Internet, you still hunger for more, try Hypermode for a taste of hot fashion trends through photo essays, editorials, and special effects like QuickTime VR, which you can download from a linked site. Modeled after fashion magazines of the newsstand environment, Hypermode spotlights cutting-edge looks from Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Todd Oldham, and the like. The overall feeling is sophisticated, but if you're over 20 years old, you might find some of the quiz questions and text rather silly. "http://www.hypermode.com/"
BILL CALVIN'S BIG BRAIN DOES BIG JOB
William Calvin, a professor of neurophysiology at the University of Washington and a prolific author whose home page we've covered in the past, has put all the big-name science journals to shame. One of the newest and best - and that is saying a lot - parts of his exhaustive home page is the mini-webzine, Science Surf. Feature articles range from creativity and depression to global warming. Also interesting are the book reviews, some with sample chapters, and lists of brain-related sites. It's astounding that a man who does as much research, writing, and lecturing as Dr. Calvin could put together such a beautiful and rich site in the first place, never mind continue to improve it. "http://weber.u.washington.edu/~wcalvin/scisurf.html"
Doctors and patients alike will find Medscape News a place to go for free medical news, articles, columns, and PicTour, an image-based, instructive show-and-tell for clinicians. Register, then bone up on a case study, or browse the large body of clinical and public-health information here. This site won't substitute for a medical degree, of course, but it promises to grow with input from support organizations - and it's easier to find your way around here than in a real medical center. Most of the authors have MDs or PhDs. Medscape News could be your antidote for Net quackery. "http://www.medscape.com/"
At this unassuming site, you'll discover a wealth of information about Mayan language and heiroglyphs. A syllabary leads you through an alphabet of symbols. Sound files are available if you'd like to actually hear what you're seeing. If you have a chance, take the virtual tour of Mexico's Uxmal ruins. This requires downloading Virtus freeware, but it's worth the effort. "http://www.he.net/~nmcnelly/"
Hacker wannabes or proto-cyberanthropologists can brush up on their hacking lingo and etiquette with a quick visit to the Jargon File, the WWW version of a fabled compendium of hacker slang that, in its own modest words, illuminates many aspects of hackerish tradition, folklore, and humor. The File is actually a literate, witty, illuminating document that captures the swagger and soul of a tight-knit community. In addition to its lexicon, the File's appendices offer hacker folklore, a portrait of a "random hacker", and a bibliography of additional works that inform the hacker mindset. Passing along the URL of the Jargon File could undoubtedly be considered a faradizing act, but we'll risk it. "http://www.phil.uni-sb.de/fun/jargon/index.html"
Planet Science thinks that because we told you Nature has a jobs database, we should have told you it has one too. We're still debating whether we will or not. And UniSci, the Net newsletter reporting on research at US universities, has been revamped, updated, and given a shiny new coat of paint. Planet: "http://www.newscientist.com/" UniSci: "http://www.cyberstreet.com/unisci/"
19TH CENTURY PERIODICALS LOADING AT HORSE-AND-BUGGY SPEED
Roger Corrie thanked us for the write up on the 19th century historical periodicals online at the University of Rochester's History server, but asked us to list the mirror site to keep surfer frustration levels at merely simmering. So here it is. "http://idevelop.com/ehp/"
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