Philanthropy
WP: For Baltimore, Uncommon Gift From Unorthodox Source
EdTech
NOTE: Special Technology Section in WSJ Today on EdTech
WSJ: Hard Lessons
WSJ: The Big Game
WSJ: The College Connection
WSJ: Kids Say The Darndest Things
Internet
WP: What a Tangled Net They Weave...
WP: Idaho Tribe Hopes to Net New Income
NYT: Smart Site for Black and Hispanic Youth
WSJ: Sun Is Expected To Announce Plan For Java Approved
WSJ: Northern Telecom, Rockwell Team Up For Modem Service
WSJ: Congress Asked To Help Speed Internet Growth
NYT: WebTV is Microsoft's Linchpin In Its Drive For The
Interactive Media Market
NYT: CNBC To Offer PC Simulcast
Telephone
WP: The Competitive Nature of Anne K. Bingaman
WSJ: Motorola, Siemens To Sell Jointly Cable Telephones
NYT: 'Next Generation' Telephone Service
Television
B&C: Stations ready to spend for DTV
B&C: MSTV to ask FCC for DTV changes
B&C: Powell airs doubts about FCC liquor inquiry
InfoTech
NYT: US Regains No. 1 Spot as Maker of Fastest Supercomputers
** Philanthropy **
Title: For Baltimore, Uncommon Gift From Unorthodox Source
Source: Washington Post (A1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/17/115l-111797-idx.html
Author: Paul Valentine
Issue: Philanthropy
Description: Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros has
selected Baltimore, Maryland for the first satellite office of the Open
Society Institute. Soros will give the city $25 million to develop and
implement unorthodox solutions to inner-city drug problems.
** EdTech **
Title: Hard Lessons
Source: Wall Street Journal (R1)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author(s): Various
Issue: Ed Tech
Description: There is an entire section of the Wall Street Journal that
is asking the question "What have we learned?" concerning computers in
school -- what works and what doesn't work. Articles deal with a
range of issues from "Paying the Price", which confronts the cost of
connecting our schools, to where teachers fit in this new setting in "Those
Who Can't", and "Kids Say The Darndest Things" which deals with students and
free-speech issues on the 'Net. Many other issues are covered in the section
like the development of new teaching methods in "Dewey Wins!", how being
online has affects students in colleges like Northwestern Univ. in "The
College Connection".
Title: The Big Game
Source: Wall Street Journal (Technology, R22)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Nick Wingfield
Issue: Education Technology
Description: Software makers are looking to make a "killer app" for the
educational market, but it doesn't look promising as no software out now has
captured the attention of educators. Knowing that schools are holding back,
software companies are less willing to spend the funds developing software.
Part of the challenge is that the educational
market is very fragmented, and the concern that schools may not have the
hardware needed to support their content. Peter Neal, a project officer at
Annenberg/CPB, said, "I think it's a chicken-and-egg thing. When there's
good educational software out there, people will use it. But who is going to
make those initial investment that will create the software that will then
create the demand?"
Title: The College Connection
Source: Wall Street Journal (Technology, R24)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Alexia Vargas
Issue: Education Technology
Description: Northwestern Univ. has been rated the "second most wired
university in the country" behind MIT. But the question remains: does
online computing really enhance the learning process? Students at the
university say that the Internet and the university network have improved
communication between students and professors. It also enhances access
to information, allowing students to explore resources that weren't as
readily available before the Internet era. Some faculty members believe that
the multimedia experience computers offer improves learning by invoking more
of a student's senses than reading alone. Political-science professor Jerry
Goldman said, "Multiple sensorial experiences enhance memory and data
recollection."
Title: Kids Say The Darndest Things
Source: Wall Street Journal (Technology, R12)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Ross Kerber
Issue: Internet Content
Description: Due to an upswing in offensive e-mail found on high school
and college Web sites, educators are reconsidering just how much freedom
students should have to create and send electronic communication, or
download it into school computers. Some of these efforts raise thorny
free-speech questions. Student speech has in public schools has enjoyed
broad protection since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that the First
Amendment permits things like political pronouncements on campus. But, a
1988 ruling allowed officials to censor what they deemed as "inappropriate"
in student newspapers. Rules to govern online material are still in
question, though. Mike Hiestand, staff attorney of the Student Press Law
Center in Arlington, says that the schools would have a stronger legal case
for censoring content generated by students on school computers than it
would for barring offensive messages sent to the school, or students at
school, from outside.
** Internet **
Title: What a Tangled Net They Weave...
Source: Washington Post (WashTech p. 17)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/17/013l-111797-idx.html
Author: Victoria Shannon
Issue: Internet Regulation
Description: A quick survey of regulation of the Internet around the world.
Saudi Arabia appears posed to launch a country-wide Intranet and call it
their version of the Internet. India is ending the monopoly control over
Internet access in that country. France is giving up on Mintel and
supporting Internet ventures -- as long as Web pages that originate in
France are written in French. The United Nations is exploring if it has a
role in regulating "hate speech on the Internet." Related sites: Global
Internet Project http://gip.org, Saudi Arabia http://www.saudi.net,
Minitel http://www.minitel.fr, UN http://www.un.org.
Title: Idaho Tribe Hopes to Net New Income
Source: Washington Post (A21)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/17/066l-111797-idx.html
Author: Bill McAllister
Issue: Internet Content
Description: Not long after the Coeur d'Alene tribe opened casino and bingo
hall 50 miles of I-90 in Northern Idaho, tribal leaders realized they needed
a better highway to lure more gamblers. Instead of building a new highway,
they've found a better on: the Internet. The tribe's four games of chance --
Lotto 6/49, Super Lotto, Bingo and Lucky 21 -- have higher payoffs than most
state lotteries, but 35 state attorneys general argue that the online
gambling is illegal. The case will be decided by U.S. National Indian Gaming
Commission which began hearings on the issue last Friday. See
http://www.uslottery.com/.
Title: Smart Site for Black and Hispanic Youth
Source: New York Times/CyberTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/111697online.html
Author: Anthony Ramirez
Issue: Minorities
Description: Mclean Graves, a native of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada,
created, 'Cafe los Negros', billed as "New York's Black and Latino virtual
hangout," for two reasons. One to promote his company, Virtual Melanin
Inc., and two because he felt that most sites on the Internet for minority
groups appeared to take a narrow view of black and hispanic culture. "We
aren't all handcuffed to rap and hip-hop," said Mr. Graves, "some of us are
devoted to rock and roll." In addition to offering an alternative, Cafe los
Negros has become a venue for promising young artists as the site receives
around 300,000 hits a week. You can check out this site at
http://www.losnegroes.com/.
Title: Sun Is Expected To Announce Plan For Java Approved
Source: Wall Street Journal (B10)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Nick Winfield
Issue: Programming Languages
Description: Sun Microsystems is expected to announce today that an
internat'l technical group has approved its plan to make Sun's "Java"
programming language an official standard, a campaign that sparked
opposition from Microsoft and other companies. Tallies over the weekend
indicated that more than two dozen countries in the Internat'l Organization
for Standardization voted in favor of the move. Sun has been promoting Java
as a new way to write software for network-based computing, a move that
could weaken Microsoft's control over software standards.
Title: Northern Telecom, Rockwell Team Up For Modem Service
Source: Wall Street Journal (B10)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Stephanie N. Mehta
Issue: InfoTech
Description: Northern Telecom and Rockwell Internat'l are teaming up to
offer a new modem service that will allow users to connect to online
services at least 17 times as fast as is capable today. The partnership
calls for Rockwell to make computer chips for the modems while Northern will
supply the "central office" technology that local phone companies must
install to make the modems work. This system would allow the Baby Bells to
provide high-speed connections cheaply and easily, according to Nortel.
Title: Congress Asked To Help Speed Internet Growth
Source: Wall Street Journal (A28)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: John Simons
Issue: Electronic Commerce
Description: Eleven major U.S. high technology companies are asking
Congress and the White House to speed the growth of electronic commerce.
Companies like Compaq, Digital Equipment Corp., Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and
Sun Microsystems asked for a moratorium on Internet taxes, the addition of
Internet-specific language to the uniform commercial code and a loosening of
encryption-export controls. The companies are also issuing an 18-page policy
paper that touches upon issues of sales taxes and tariffs, encryption,
consumer privacy, and content regulation.
Title: WebTV is Microsoft's Linchpin In Its Drive For The Interactive
Media Market
Source: New York Times (D5)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/digicom/111797digicom.html
Author: Denise Caruso
Issue: Digital Commerce
Description: Microsoft's purchase of WebTV Networks this past April appears
to be central to the company's push into the global market for interactive
digital media. The company, which provides World Wide Web and email access
via television instead of personal computer, will release an updated device
called the WebTV Plus Receiver in retail markets this week. The WebTV Plus
Receiver identifies itself with television as much as it does with the
Internet, appearing to be much more advanced than those offered by competitors.
Title: CNBC To Offer PC Simulcast
Source: New York Times (D7)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/111797cnbc.html
Author: Reuters
Issue: Interactive TV
Description: The cable television channel, CNBC, will begin to offer a
service today that will broadcast its programs on personal computers while
allowing users to simultaneously track personal portfolios and read news.
CNBC will not charge users for their service as they hope to generate enough
revenue through advertising.
** Telephone **
Title: The Competitive Nature of Anne K. Bingaman
Source: Washington Post (WashBiz p. 5)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/17/002l-111797-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Competition
Description: Former Chief of the Justice Department's antitrust division
Anne Bingaman is no a senior vice president and president of local services
for LCI International, a long distance company based in McLean, VA. Mrs.
Bingaman is working to open local telephone markets to competition: "This
thing is turning out to be hugely, hugely difficult." A look at her carer
and accomplishments.
Title: Motorola, Siemens To Sell Jointly Cable Telephones
Source: Wall Street Journal (B20)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Matt Marshall
Issue: Telephones
Description: Motorola and Siemens have signed an agreement to sell
cable-telephone systems world-wide. Under the accord the two companies will
jointly manufacture and distribute the hardware and software that television
cable companies require to offer service phone services. By supplying phone
equipment to cable TV companies, they hope to compete with nat'l phone
companies. Siemens spokesman Guenthar Gaugler said that his company would
benefit from Motorola's experience and Cable Access Systems Protocol, and
that Siemens offered Motorola its global distribution network.
Title: 'Next Generation' Telephone Service
Source: New York Times (D5)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/111797phone.html
Author: Laurie J. Flynn
Issue: Information Technology
Description: 'Internet telephony' is considered to be one of the fastest
growing services offered on the Internet today. Experts predict that more
and more businesses and consumers will begin to use the Internet,
particularly for money saving services like faxing. Jeff Pulver, an
Internet analyst and chairman of a nonprofit group called the Voice on Net
Coalition, believes that "This is the start of the next generation telephone
industry." However, not everyone holds this view. John Sigmore, chief
executive of UUNet, a large Internet service provider, commented "We are not
big believers that Internet telephony is going to take over the
circuit-switch phone network." One of the main problems Mr. Sigmore and
others cite is the "typically low quality of Internet phone calls."
But as technology and voice quality improve, it is predicted that companies
are expected to connect these Internet technologies to their corporate phone
systems.
** Television **
Title: Stations ready to spend for DTV
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.10)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Richard Tedesco
Issue: Digital TV
Description: A new study from Forrester Research finds that local broadcast
television stations are prepared to spend $3-$6 million to upgrade their
facilities to transmit high-definition or other digital programming. Local
broadcasters expect that 19% of their viewers will own DTV receivers by
2001. But by 2007, 71% of households will be cable subscribers and the "Big
Three" networks' audience share will drop to 40%. Sixty percent of the
station executives polled say they are interested in datacasting; 72% feel
that interactive applications could improve program content. Many local
broadcasters still believe in TV in its passive present tense.
Title: MSTV to ask FCC for DTV changes
Source: Broadcasting&Cable
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Digital TV
Description: Broadcasters are preparing a proposal to the Federal
Communications Commission asking the FCC to adopt a new channel allotment
plan to reduce interference. "We did not rebuild the [allocation] table,"
says the Association for Maximum Service Television's Vicor Tawil. "The goal
is to show that the problems could be corrected."
Title: Powell airs doubts about FCC liquor inquiry
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.19)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Advertising
Description: New FCC Commissioner Michael Powell is not so sure the
Commission needs to deal with liquor advertising on television: "Have we
really been told [by Congress] to do this?" Commissioner Powell would prefer
the issue of liquor advertising as part of a broader investigation of the
broadcast industry's public interest obligations. Commissioner Powell said
that such a investigation will include "a clean, honest discussion" of the
constitutional issues involved.
** Info Tech **
Title: US Regains No. 1 Spot as Maker of Fastest Supercomputers
Source: New York Times (D4)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/111797super.html
Author: John Markoff
Issue: Info Tech
Description: In a report issued Friday by computer scientists at the
University of Tennessee and the University of Mannheim in Germany, they
state that the United States has bypassed Japan as the number one builder of
the world's fastest computers.
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