THE INTERNET TIMES NEWSLETTER (15 Sept., 1998)
==============================================
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*********************************************************
Topics:
------
"Global reasoning engines", the future of the Internet
Web Improves Relationships
Everest ski bid will go live on Net
Smart Card payable hambugers
Doctors Earn MBA over the Internet
Does the internet mean social isolation? An Italian study says not
Worldwide Internet Trade Shows
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"Global reasoning engines", the future of the Internet
------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON -- The World Wide Web isn't quite living up to its promise of
letting computers talk to one another so intelligently that they can
take over the most mundane tasks of running a business, according to
the man credited with inventing the Web.
But that promise is on the verge of being fulfilled, and when it
happens, the Web will become an even more integral part of users'
lives, said Tim Berners-Lee, director of the World Wide Web
Consortium, in a keynote address Wednesday here at the DCI eBusiness
World conference.
"Global logic and global reasoning are still missing from the Web,"
Berners-Lee said, noting that search and directory sites still
answer queries with "answers that are too broad or just plain
wrong."
Eventually, what we now think of as search engines will function as
"global reasoning engines" that interact with the user, collecting
enough data to winnow out irrelevant search results, he said.
"For example you could ask it a question like 'Is there a green car
for sale for around $15,000 in Queensland?' and give it a command to
fill in your tax forms," Berners-Lee said.
The same type of Web-based automation that will let consumers
command search engines or Web browsers to fill out their tax returns
is poised to revolutionize the business world, he added.
"Our companies could run themselves much more efficiently under this
type of model," Berners-Lee said. "All the bureaucracy of managing a
group would be done by the system."
Trust required of users Making this vision a reality will require
trust on the part of users, he added, saying that potential social
problems arising from it will not be easily solved.
"Will the lack of a Web geography polarize or homogenize our
culture? Will Web access be the great divider or the great
equalizer? This is what remains to be seen," Berners-Lee said.
In a question-and-answer session with reporters following his
address, Berners-Lee said he is confident that the U.S. government
will not impose excessive legislative restraints on the Internet.
"I do expect the Web to remain open," he said. "A minimalist design,
and a de-emphasis on central controls, is an integral part of
American culture, so I wouldn't expect the government to get
involved in censorship."
New laws not needed Asked about the tension between U.S. officials
and the European Union on Internet privacy, Berners-Lee said he
hopes the governments will apply existing laws to the Internet
rather than inventing new ones.
-- By Maria Seminerio, ZDNet
(http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/zdnn_smgraph_display/0,3441,21342
56,00.html)
*********************************************************
Activmedia: Web Improves Relationships
--------------------------------------
Activmedia have released the results of their latest study which
contends that Web users build on their social networks and improve
on existing relationships.
The findings are in direct contradiction to a recent Carnegie
Mellon's survey which found that the Web reduces people's contact
with friends and relatives.
62 percent of those polled said they had found the Net a positive
experience in meeting peers and exhanging views on similar
interests. 35 percent said it had no effect on their personal lives
at all and 3 percent said it had had a negative effect. 54 percent
said they found the Net intellectually inspiring.
Activmedia contest the findings of Carnegie Mellon arguing that they
did not take into account the amount of time the respondents to
their survey spent online. An Activmedia spokesperson strongly
reiterated the belief that the Internet strengthens relationships.
"From a sociological perspective, the enhanced sense of community
and the consequent decrease in isolation that the 'Net provides
should create a stronger, richer social fabric in the coming
years.", said Harold Wolhandler, Vice President of Research at
Activmedia.
The report notes that a reason communication on the Net has been so
popular is because email facilitates a stronger sense of personal
communication through writing as opposed talking on the telephone
and Web surfing demanded more interactive communication than TV or
film.
http://www.activmedia.com
*********************************************************
Everest ski bid will go live on Net
-----------------------------------
Digital equipment is being placed on the mountain so the record
attempt can be watched by millions
Extreme skiing: this month an attempt will be made to ski Everest,
descending 12,000ft from the summit to base camp.
Pictures of an attempt to ski down the north face of Mount Everest
are to be broadcast live on the Internet.
Special computer equipment will be carried by the team that is
attempting the stunt. It is led by Craig Calonica, 45, an American
mountaineer and skier, who plans to ski from Everest's summit to
base camp at 17,000ft and wants the record attempt relayed to
millions of computers around the world.
Calonica attempted to ski Everest last year, but bad weather stopped
him reaching the summit. However, a heavy monsoon this year has
helped the attempt by depositing far more snow than usual on the
mountain, making the trip far easier.
Declan Caulfield, the technical director, says the expedition also
aims to give Everest its first Net address. "We are taking our own
satellite earth station and Net routers, and for the first time
Everest will have a Net address."
The technology will be kept at base camp. The team's camera
equipment will then be moved nearer to advanced camp at 21,400ft. It
will send data by a wireless link to base camp, where it will be
sent by satellite to the team's web site and television companies
around the world.
The team is taking several power generators but had to have them
specially designed to cope with the very thin air at high altitude.
"We went out last year to test some of the equipment and found that
we needed to make a few modifications," says Caulfield. "However,
now we are confident we can make all this stuff work from day one."
The team had planned to create a wireless data network allowing
Calonica to send live pictures from the summit, but this will not be
possible because of the weather.
"Craig will have a digital camera with him at the summit and will be
in contact by satellite phone and radio throughout, so we won't lose
touch, but there won't be live pictures from his point of view,"
says Caulfield.
"What we do have is a web camera pointing at the summit. We have
found a vantage point where, if the weather is fine, we should be
able to see Craig on the summit. We certainly hope to capture most
of his descent with the summit camera."
Calonica estimates it will take about three days to reach the summit
from the advanced base camp. Once there, he will descend in less
than a day, leaving the Sherpas to bring down his equipment.
Caulfield says: "So far everything has gone right, with a lot of
snow about for Craig to ski on. But you need good weather and luck
all the way through."
Most of Calonica's ski equipment has been designed and built
specially for him, and he has special bindings that give him more
manoeuvrability than existing skis. Previous attempts to ski the
mountain have led to skiers reaching speeds of 100mph, but nobody
has made it all the way down.
The team hopes to make the summit attempt between September 20 and
30 but will be at the mercy of the weather.
Pictures and text from the team should appear on the site within 30
seconds of being entered at base camp. Visitors to the expedition's
web site at www.skiingeverest.com will be able to watch the attempt
live. The team is also planning online question-and-answer sessions
from base camp, where team members will be able to chat with web
users.
High technology has already hit Everest this month when a team from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) placed a GPS
receiver on the summit, along with several weather stations around
the mountain. All of them sent live data back to an MIT web site at
everest.www.media.mit.edu.
Climbers in the MIT Everest project wore a special pack that
monitored their health and sent the data back to base camp, where it
was transmitted to the web site.
The pack took data from four sensors - a blood-oxygen sensor
attatched to the skin near the temple, a heartbeat monitor,
thermometers under each arm and a tiny pill containing a radio
transmitter which the climbers swallow to measure their core body
temperature.
According to Michael Hawley, the head of MIT's Personal Information
Architecture Group, the project was a big advance for telemedicine.
"We wanted to show that wherever you are, you can still be monitored
and be treated by doctors. The data we had in almost real time could
have been diverted to any hospital in the world.
"Luckily there were no medical emergencies, but the bio-pack proved
to be very reliable, the only problems being an inability to
transmit from the summit, but obviously that was because the weather
and altitude are more extreme than most people will ever encounter,"
he says.
MIT now plans to make the bio-packs even smaller and able to
transmit data for longer periods. The current system weighs about
2lb and can transmit data over 20 miles for 16 days.
Future versions could be small enough for elderly or ill people to
wear constantly, and could even automatically call doctors if a
patient's condition deteriorates.
MIT also placed four weather stations on Everest. Researchers hope
they will send back data for up to a year.
--Mark Prigg, The Sunday Times
(http://www.sunday-
times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/98/09/13/stiinnnws02005.html?1334425)
*********************************************************
Smart Card payable hambugers
----------------------------
Hewlett-Packard's VeriFone unit has announced it will provide smart
card payment terminals in the 870 McDonald's restaurants across
Germany. In the coming months, in addition to paying for their food
using smart cards, customers will be able to download new money to
the cards using simple touch screen terminals inside the
restaurants. The solution was tested in 55 restaurants earlier this
year, and during the first 10 weeks of the trial, 30,000
transactions were executed.
http://wwww.verifone.com/solutions/smartcards/html/mcdonalds_success
.html
*********************************************************
Doctors Earn MBA over the Internet
----------------------------------
KNOXVILLE, TN -- The University of Tennessee's Physicians' Executive
MBA program, known as PEMBA, is a one-year executive master's degree
in business administration fitted for physicians taught over the
Internet and in four one-week residence periods.
Accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of
Business, the program is geared toward the busy physician with four
one-week campus sessions and weekly three-hour Saturday
"cyberclasses" using Centra's Symposium software.
Forty classes are taught over the Internet, which physicians access
from almost anywhere on laptop computers, a requirement for the
program. Classes are fully interactive between faculty and students,
but a missed session can be accessed later and replayed at the
physician's convenience.
The course is designed for physicians who cannot afford to take time
from their practices, but want to learn more about business. The
program is also for doctors who want to be leaders in the medical
profession.
A logical career path for many people attending this program are
chief medical officer in a hospital or chief medical officer in a
health plan or managing partner in a partnership of physicians,"
says Michael Stahl, program director of PEMBA.
The program currently has 21 participants from all over the nation
and continues through December 1998. The course already has 33
applicants for 1999.
More information is available from PEMBA's comprehensive World Wide
Web site at http://www.pemba.utk.edu
*********************************************************
If you're at Internet World in New York on Oct. 7...
----------------------------------------------------
The editor for the "Internet Times", Bill Dunlap, will be giving a
presentation at the upcoming Internet World in New York, about
Electronic Commerce in Europe and Latin America:
http://events.internet.com/fall98/workshops/elect.html
If you are at the conference on Oct. 7, please come to the
presentation and introduce yourself afterwards.
*********************************************************
Does the internet mean social isolation? An Italian study says not
------------------------------------------------------------------
After researchers of the Home Net project at Carnegie Mellon
released their findings about the effects of the internet on social
ties and psychological well-being, there have been a number of
articles explaining how the net can make people more isolated and
depressed.
The Osservatorio Internet Italia, an Italian research institution
based at Bocconi University in Milan, disagrees with the potential
generalisation of these findings. From a study conducted on the
Italian public in April-May 1998 they found the exact opposite to be
true.
They found that people use the net to connect with other people in
the cyberspace, but also to strengthen their ties with their local
social environment and their family. Users often connect to the net
and navigate in numbers, with friends or family.
Also, as with other media (in particular cinema and books), the
selection of information consumed on the net is made because of
suggestions of friends and relatives, and the communication process
continues after the user disconnects, with later discussions and
critiques of what they have found. The study was conducted using the
qualitative methodology of focus groups. Internet users from
different parts of the country participated.
Carnegie Mellon findings: http://homenet.andrew.cmu.edu/progress/
Bocconi University study: http ://www.sda.uni-bocconi.it/oii
*********************************************************
New at Euro-Marketing:
A report about European electronic commerce has just been published.
You can obtain a copy by sending a blank email to rep-
eur13@euromktg.com,
or by reading it on the Web: http://euromktg.com/eng/ed/art/rep-
eur13.html.
*********************************************************
Worldwide Internet Trade Shows:
------------------------------
U.S./Canada: all shows are summarized at
http://www.techweb.com/calendar/calendar.html and at
http://www.tsnn.com. There is an excellent listing of Web-
oriented events at http://www.cio.com/WebMaster/wm_calendar.html
Europe:
The European Events Calendar Service: http://www.eto.org.uk/events/
U.K./Ireland:
The Exhibition Net: http://www.exhibitions.co.uk (a
complete listing of exhibitions in the U.K.)
URL: http://www.redherring.com/events/vmu98/home.html
22-30 Sept. -- Ipex '98 (NEC Birmingham)
URL: http://www.ipex.org
6-8 Oct. -- Comdex/UK '98, Networld+Interop and EXPO COMM UK 98
http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=235
12-13 Oct. -- California Information Technology Investment
& Partnering Forum (London), URL: http://www.cal-it.com
13-15 Oct. -- E-Commerce 98 (Olympia 2, London)
URL: http://www.e-commerceshow.com
17-21 Oct. -- Internet World Ireland '98 (Dublin)
URL: http://www.internet-show.ie
27-28 Oct. -- Jupiter's Consumer Online Forum/Europe conference
and
expo (London: Sheraton Park Lane Piccadilly Hotel)
URL: http://www.jup.com/events/forums/cofe/
29-30 Oct. -- Successful Selling and Marketing over the Internet
(London, Mountbatten Hotel)
URL: http://www.fletch.co.uk/internet/index3.html
19-20 Nov. -- Fletcher Expert Forum (London: Claridge's Hotel)
Subject: Personal Finance Online
URL: http://www.fletch.co.uk/internet/index5a.html
8-9 Dec. -- Internet World Scotland
25-27 May, 1999 -- Internet World Spring (London)
France:
10-20 Sept. -- Techno Fest (Paris) -- http://www.reve.org
23-24 Sept. -- Internet World Expo (Paris);
URL: http://www.internetworldfrance.com
30 Sept. - 2 Oct. -- Forum des Médias et du Commerce Électronique
(Paris: CNIT, la Defense) URL: http://www.infopromotions.fr
20-23 Oct. -- Le Salon des nouvelles technologies: Networld-
Interop (Paris: CNIT) URL: http://www.lesalon.com/entree2.html
4-6 Nov. -- Interop-France (networks, Internet, Intranet: Paris,
Porte de Versailles)
19-22 Nov. -- Revolution Multimedia (Paris, Porte de Versailles)
8-12 Feb., 1999 -- COMDEX IT France '99 (Paris)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=280
9-12 Feb., 1999 -- MILIA (interactive media): Cannes.
URL: http://www.milia.com, email: 100321.1310@compuserve.com
10-12 Feb., 1999 -- IT Forum, Online Intranet, Solutions
Internet, EDI Commerce Electronique (Paris, Porte de Versailles)
URL: http://www.infopromotions.fr
28 Feb. - 2 March, 1999 -- E-Commerce and New Media: Managing
Safety, Security and Malware Challenges Effectively (Paris)
Email: Urs_the_Bear@bigfoot.com
URL: http://www.eicar.com/callp99.htm
Germany:
28-30 Sept. -- Comdex/Enterprise '98 (Frankfurt)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=245
7-12 Oct. -- Frankfurt Book Fair (http://www.buchmesse.de)
19-23 Oct. -- Systems (Munich): http://www.systems.de
4-7 Nov. -- Internet Vision (Leipzig):
URL: http://www.leipziger-messe.de
24-26 Nov. -- Internet World Fall (Duesseldorf):
URL: http://www.internet-world.de
24-26 Nov. -- Exponet (Duesseldorf): http://www.exponet.de
9-12 Feb., 1999 -- Online (Hamburg); E-Mail:
101370.635@compuserve.com
May, 1999 -- Internet World (Berlin)
Italy:
22-26 Oct. -- Internet World Italy/SMAU (Milan)
URL:
http://www.smau.it/magellano/english/smau/visitare/aree/intwo.htm
The Netherlands:
22-23 September -- Internet in Business (Amsterdam).
URL: http://www.iib.nl/asp/y_home.asp Largest Dutch Internet
show of the year.
Sweden:
10-12 Nov. -- Internet World Sweden '98 (Stockholm)
URL: http://www.exponova.se/iws98/
Denmark:
11-13 October -- High-Tech Forum in Europe (Copenhagen), Esther
Dyson's yearly European event:
http://www.edventure.com/edventure/ehtf.html
Switzerland:
11-13 Nov. -- Interactive Publishing Europe (Zurich)
URL: http://www.interactivepublishing.ch
Spain:
Nov. -- Commercenet '98 Global Summit (Madrid)
URL: http://www.commercenet.org/commercenet/sinerg/conf98.htm
May, 1999 -- Internet World Spain (Barcelona)
Portugal:
Feb., 1999 -- Internet World (Lisbon)
Poland:
29-30 Sept. -- Electronic Commerce in Central Europe (Sheraton
Warsaw) URL: http://www.euroforum.co.uk
Czech Republic:
31 March - 1 April, 1999 -- Internet World Prague
Pacific Rim:
Japan:
6-9 April, 1999 -- COMDEX/Japan '99 (Tokyo)
China:
27-30 Sept. -- World Wide Web: Technologies and Applications
(Beijing). URL: http://www.cm.deakin.edu.au/apweb98 or
http://www.conference.org.cn/98/index.html
29-31 Oct. -- PT/EXPO COMM CHINA 98 (Beijing)
URL: http://www.ejkrause.com/expocomm/asia/ptexpochina.htm
10-12 Nov. -- ChinaInet/Internet World (Beijing)
URL: http://www.conference.org.cn/98/index.html
23-26 March, 1999 -- COMDEX/China '99 (Beijing)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=281
Malaysia:
17-19 Sept. -- Internet World Malaysia '98 (Kuala Lumpur)
URL: http://www.iworld98.com.my/
Korea:
5-9 Sept. -- Comdex-Korea (Seoul)
http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=253
Hong Kong:
3-5 Nov., 1999 -- Internet World Asia @ Hong Kong
Singapore:
23-25 Sept. -- COMDEX/Asia at Singapore Informatics '98
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=257
3-5 March, 1999 -- Internet World Asia @ Singapore
India:
2-5 Dec. -- Comdex/IT INDIA '98 (New Delhi)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=251
Philippines:
5-7 Oct. -- Internet World Philippines (Manila)
Middle East/Africa:
Israel:
29-31 Dec. -- Internet Shopper Israel '98 (Tel Aviv)
23-25 Feb., 1999 -- Internet World Israel (Tel Aviv)
Egypt:
15-18 May, 1999 -- COMDEX/Egypt '99 (Cairo International
Exhibition Conference Centre)
URL: http://www.dit.net/comdex/daily/daily.html
20-22 Sept., 1999 -- Internet World Egypt (Cairo)
United Arab Emirates:
22-24 Feb., 1999 -- Internet World Middle East (Abu Dhabi)
URL: http://www.tfcfairs.com/oldind.html
Latin America:
Brazil:
Sept. -- Internet World Brazil '98 (Rio de Janeiro)
3-6 Nov. -- EXPO COMM BRAZIL (Sao Paolo)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=243
19-22 May, 1999 -- Internet World Brazil (São Paulo)
Argentina:
29 Sept. - 2 Oct. -- EXPO COMM Telecomunicaciones ARGENTINA 98
(Buenos Aires) URL:
http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=259
23-26 March, 1999 -- Internet World Argentina (Buenos Aires)
1-4 June, 1999 -- COMDEX/INFOCOM Argentina '99 (Buenos Aires)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=282
Chile:
Oct. -- Internet World Chile '98 (Santiago)
Venezuela:
11-13 Nov. -- Internet World Venezuela '98 (Caracas)
URL: http://www.internetwv.com/evento98.htm
Ecuador:
1-4 Dec. -- EXPO COMM ANDINO 98 (Bogota)
URL: http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=250
Mexico:
27-29 Sept. -- COMDEX/México Norte '98 and EXPO COMM MEXICO NORTE
(Monterey) URL:
http://www.comdex.com/comdex/owa/event_home?v_event_id=246
5-7 May, 1999 -- Internet World (Mexico City)
25-28 May, 1999 -- COMDEX/Mexico '99 (Mexico City)
If you know of any Internet exhibitions or conferences
to announce in future editions of "the Internet Times", please
send the editor a word: mailto:bill@euromktg.com.
Publication Notes:
The editor is at bill@euromktg.com, if you would like to give feedback or submit an article. We hope you find these articles to be useful and of interest to you. The "Internet Times" is published on the 1st and 15th of every month, and is available here on the Web and by autoresponder. To have the latest copy sent to you by email, click on the "news" image here (please click only once).
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Last revised on 15 Sept., 1998
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