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Anvil
Issue Twenty Five
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*Welcome to Anvil, a free weekly newsletter and Web site providing
insight into online industry news, issues and trends, now available
in a 32 oz. Fun Size.
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TOP
INDUSTRY NEWS
*Waiting At Heaven’s Gate
*Larry’s Apple
DESIGN
*Microsoft Offers Full Fix
*Intel Enters Graphics Market
HOSTING
*IAC Debates Phone Charges
*Netcom Leads Pricing Trend
MARKETING
*Against All Odds
*Hacking The Spam King
TOP
WEB PICKS
*City Pages
*NOVA Online Pyramids
*The Revolutionaries
*World Wide Wall
*Yahoo Air Travel
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TOP INDUSTRY NEWS
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*Waiting At Heaven’s Gate
Rancho Santa Fe, CA was the sight of a tragic occurrence this week
as 39 bodies were discovered in a wealthy neighborhood mansion.
Apparently, the deceased were part of the Heaven’s Gate monastery
and Higher Source Web design company. The deaths are reportedly
a mass suicide, relating to the simultaneous lunar eclipse and passing
of the Hale-Bopp comet. According to reports, 39 group members took
a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol over a three day period
beginning Monday night. The "cult" members, both males
and females, gathered in the rented mansion from all over the country.
The deaths are reported to be the next step toward enlightenment
for the cult members (Evolutionary Kingdom Level Above Human), who
believe the celestial signs signaled the arrival of a "Next
Level" spacecraft, hidden behind the Hale-Bopp comet. Group
leader Marshall Applewhite, a.k.a "Doe," was among the
dead. Clients and co-workers of "cult" members say their
Web work was consistently good.
http://pathfinder.com/@@NcABrgYA*J1boqjq/news/heavensgate/
http://www7.concentric.net/~Font/
*Larry’s
Apple
Apple investors should be jumping up and down with the opportunity
to save the value of their stock. Earlier this week, Oracle CEO
Larry Ellison publicly announced intentions to buy out the struggling
computer company. Ellison, a long-time Apple supporter and friend
of Steven Jobs, is planning to generate $1.25 billion from investors
in order to complete a 60 percent cash and 40 percent equity offer.
If current Apple investors approve the deal, expect top management
to change. According to Ellison, the first to go would be Chairman
and CEO Gil Amelio and long-time board member A.C. Markkula. Steven
Jobs would likely increase his involvement in the new company. Analysts
and industry experts agree the potential buyout is perhaps the only
way to save the company.
http://www.sjmercury.com/business/apple/ap032697.htm
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DESIGN
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*Microsoft Offers Full Fix
In response to the flood of publicity concerning security holes
in Internet Explorer 3.0, Microsoft has posted a fully patched (for
the moment) 3.02 version to beta testers. Although no "real"
users were affected by security breaches, the new version includes
fixes for the three security holes found earlier this month by university
students. Brad Silverberg, as senior vice president at Microsoft
issued a public apology to IE users for the security flaws and inconvenience
created by downloading patches. In addition to the patches, the
new version will include an "auto-proxy" feature, which
allows companies to remotely designate new proxy servers for IE
rather than manually. The 3.02 release will likely be the last in
the 3.0 series, as public beta testing of 4.0 is scheduled to begin
Monday.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9097,00.html
*Intel
Enters Graphics Market
In the wake of MMX hype, Intel silently announced their foray into
the graphic chip market recently. The announcement solidifies Intel’s
market dominance of the entire PC chipset. The Intel740 graphics
processor, designed to work with the Pentium II processor, should
be available for shipping in the second half of this year. In related
news, Intel is pushing for an industry initiative to develop next-generation
visual computing technologies based on its 3D Accelerated Graphics
Port (AGP) architecture. The chip manufacturer has also announced
a workstation division. Intel will simultaneously compete and collaborate
with rival chip makers Cirrus Logic, S3 and ATI in the graphic chip
market.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9060,00.html
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HOSTING
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*IAC Debates Phone Charges
A coalition of ISPs including AOL, Microsoft, Netscape and Intel
are pressuring the Federal Government into further deregulating
the telephone industry to allow greater competition. According to
the Internet Access Coalition (IAC), telephone companies are unable
to handle increased traffic generated by Internet users and unable
to upgrade equipment fast enough to meet the needs of a growing
market. The IAC believes an open market would allow private companies
to build the necessary infrastructure. On the other hand, telephone
companies are hindered by local access pricing structures which
currently bar access charges for ISPs. In response, the FCC is looking
at deregulating interstate access charges. Only a roll of the dice
will tell which way the FCC will rule.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9099,00.html
*Netcom
Leads Pricing Trend
ISP Netcom, one of the first to devise the $19.95 unlimited Internet
access pricing structure, is now one of the first to adopt a new
market focus, first announced last December. Netcom will focus on
service, with the lowest level of service provided at $24.94 a month.
Service and features increase in the tiered model, up to $2,000
a month for Web hosting. Differentiating services will include the
amount of access time, level of support and premium services. Many
ISPs are watching closely as Netcom treads in new waters. Success
will lead to a rapidly crowding marketplace, with the likes of Sprint,
AT&T and AOL joining in the effort to increase revenues. The
small to medium-sized business market is believed to be much more
profitable for ISPs than the consumer market.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9062,00.html
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MARKETING
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*Against All Odds
Contrary to past statistical reports, two separate studies released
recently indicate online subscriptions and advertising are experiencing
continued growth. Amid well-publicized shutdowns of Web sites and
startups, the Electronic Information Report (EIR) and a report by
the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) show online subscriptions
topped 21 million last year, representing a 45 percent increase
over 1995. According to the EIR, AOL widened the gap over rival
commercial online services with their flat pricing structure. The
IAB study indicates total Internet ad spending totaled $267 million
last year. The most commonly advertised sectors include computing
products, new media, telecommunications and business services. While
the numbers vary from other industry reports and offer few surprises,
many experts see the results as a form of validation for the new
medium.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9103,00.html
*Hacking
The Spam King
The King of Spam is now a victim of his own efforts. Earlier this
week, hackers broke into Cyber Promotions’ Web server and altered
their Web site, stole a password file and posted it to Usenet newsgroups.
The attack is in retaliation to Cyber Promotions unwanted e-mail
Spam services. The company’s president, Stanford Wallace, has frustrated
past efforts to kibosh his service through legal channels. Wallace
is quick to deflect the attack, stating the password file was useless
and Web page was fixed in short order. To combat future attempts,
Wallace will install Hypocrite software, which automatically filters
flame e-mails from Netizens to Cyber Promotions clients and redirects
them directly to the senders ISP. Wallace is determined to milk
the junk-mail industry until the government tells him not to.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,8999,00.html
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TOP WEB PICKS
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*City Pages
This alternative e-zine is a great resource for current news and
the arts. With or without the FutureSplash plug-in, this publication
offers a slanted and sometimes shocking outlook on life, local news
and restaurants in Minneapolis and movie reviews. The Web Extra
section, deep in insight, offers new content every Tuesday.
http://www.citypages.com/
*NOVA
Online Pyramids
Explore the great pyramids of Egypt in your underwear, or at least
without leaving home. This site, a service of NOVA Online, provides
detailed information regarding the tombs, architecture and the pharaohs
within. The QuickTime plug-in offers a much more interactive experience.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/nova/pyramid/
*The
Revolutionaries
The Tech Museum of Innovation and San Jose Mercury News have partnered
in The Revolutionaries: On Turning Inspiration into Innovation in
Silicon Valley. The site takes a new look at the inspiration behind
more than 18 of Silicon Valley’s top technology and science pioneers
from Bill Hewlett to Steve Wozniak.
http://www.thetech.org/revolutionaries/
*World
Wide Wall
Those looking to burn a little a spare time at home or work have
a new place to doodle. The World Wide Wall provides a background,
paint tools and cut-and-paste Java functionality to allow users
to create their own art work. Advanced users can save multiple images
to create animated works.
http://ac.rosebud.com/
*Yahoo
Air Travel
Yahoo has bumped heads with Travelocity and TheTrip with their new
travel site. Users can check flight times in real-time, search for
low fares via the Flifo search engine and even purchase a ticket.
http://yahoo.flifo.com/
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