Originally posted: March 30, 1996

Netscape released thier Navigator 3.0 into beta here. OK, so now Netscape has a 2.01 release, a 2.0 Gold beta 2 that has a nifty WYSIWYG editor built in, an international version release, about 30 or so plugins and now finally the 3.0 beta codenamed ATLAS. (Ooooh, holds the world up!)Basically what Atlas is: Netscape wants to be the first browser on the block to release ANYTHING 3.0; it was a pre-emptive strike against Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 due this spring in beta.
I’m downloading it now, standard version is 5 megs, I’ll let you know what I think.

• Intel announced a chip with video and 3D rendering capabilites built in.
  Verdict: Need more info, sounds good, but vague. (i.e. Cost?)
• Sony, announced this week plans to market an Internet box affordable to the masses. ($500-$1000)
  Verdict: More like a TV/Playstation than a PC. Upgrade heaven for SONY, iffy for us.
• Cyrix is releasing a new 686 chip/motherboard. Major point: 75mhtz bus. 150 mhtz processor reaches Pentium 200+ speeds.
  Verdict: Go Cyrix! I want some price wars!
  Prediction: Cyrix announces record sales in the fourth quarter of 1996.
• RAM RAM RAM! Prices have been falling through the floor! 4 megs advertised in a magazine for 70 bucks! I payed double 3 months ago! DOH!
  Verdict: BUY BUY BUY! (Get EDO, why not?)
• @Home delays launch.
  Verdict: Sigh, let’s go people, we have a revolution to see….
  Prediction: 1997 will be the year broadband revolutionized the world.
• Apple is posting a 700 million dollar loss for the quarter.
  Verdict: This is a damn shame. Macs are greats computers and Apple is falling apart.
  Prediction: Apple bought by Kokopelli within 12 months.

Originally posted March 25, 1996 : 

The newest innovation in hard drives is the Ultra Wide SCSI-3. Quantum is releasing a 1.2 gig version along with some higher capacity drives. Seagate and other manufacturers are also expected to release SCSI-3 compatible drives. These drives will have a 40 meg burst transfer in addition to astronomical RPMs and infinitesimal seek times. Basically it will be your everyday run of the mill wet-dream hard drive.

The most surprising thing about these drives is the price tag. The drives themselves aren’t expensive. 300 dollars for a 1.2 gig SCSI-3 hard drive from Quantum. The annoying thing is the controller card. If you already have a SCSI card, it’s not going to work. You need the new and improved SCSI-3 card which runs in the $200-$300 range. The good thing is that it is backwards compatable; SCSI-2 devices will run on the new cards. The bad thing is it runs in the $200-$300 range.

Is it me or is that weird? $300 for the drive and $300 for the controller card. Even with the new fangled math that you can do with scientific calculators, that still smells like $600 for a new drive. Hmmm, money…cool stuff….money…cool stuff.

My business partner today is having her usual money pangs. We would like to run our business and never spend a dime and have million dollar sales. (Us and the rest of the capitalist world.) I’d like to make a quick point even if its not news…

Risk is part of life.
Money is part of a business.
You need money to live.
You need to risk money to succeed in business.

The way to know if someone is serious about a business is to see if he/she is risking their own money. If you are serious about your business, you have to risk your money.

And besides, who the hell wants to live 100% risk free?

By the way, Ultra SCSI-3 is cool but it isnt worth 600 bucks, wait two months.

Originally posted Mar 23, 1996:

Gateway unveiled this week in Manhattan (Hey, how come nobody sent me an invitation? It’s an old internet boys network (double pun) thats why!! … umm…anyway) Gateway unveiled a possible melding of mediums. A PC/TV. Let’s take for granted the fact that its Gateway SIX THOUSAND dollar price tag drops significantly within a year of first shippings. It’s got a 30″ screen, a powerful Pentium 120 processor, a TV Tuner card that works with cable, and all the multimedia bells and whistles. The input devices include a remote mouse and wireless keyboard.

The theory is give the public a TV with better resolution AND pack in a multimedia internet ready computer and the money will come a rollin on home! Assuming that the high price tag is mostly due to the monitor, and that it will follow the basic baby AT footprint and specs, this sounds like a great idea. Sorta, … well maybe not.

I like the idea of having my computer and TV into one, but this does away with basic work mainstays, like for example, the desk. Where will I put the printer and the scanner? Will I lean my keyboard on my lap? (Holy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Batman!) Will those Playboy scanning voyeurs or chatroom freaks find the privacy of their midnight indiscretions suddenly broadcast in 16.7 million 31″ letters? All of the sudden my web surfing resembles Thursday Must See TV. There are millions of SOHO workers out there who feel that a few minutes of watching TV is actually a break from work.

Work and Play and you dont even have to get up from the desk and slug over to the coach or even tilt your head to the side. I hear that Intel and GE will soon be releasing the couch/TV/fridgerator/toilet/PC in one unit. They call it the Manhattan-Studio-Appartment. Prices start at way too much.

Originally posted March 12, 1996

Microsoft and Intel announced Monday, March 11, 1996 that they are going to push for better hardware standards to make audio/video phones over the internet more available to the public. Forget about tax breaks. No Long Distance!

Here is the prediction for the Internet in for the Fall of 1996:

The killer app will be Internet Audio/Video Conferencing.

There will be millions of naysayers who finally get with the program once they hear that they can Phreak too. Online banking is great and the WWW is fabulous, but free long distance and video conferencing is the killer.

As we speak our long distance providers are trying to squelch this movement. Check out the VON Coalition and see what you can do to help.

Dont forget, you heard it here first: Killer App.

Originally posted Mar 9, 1996

FINALLY! America Online has announced plans to upgrade their popular proprietary software. The web browser that some consider the worst in existence will support backgrounds, tables, HTML 3.0 , and yes the <CENTER> tag! It gets even more interesting with America Online negotiating with Netscape and Microsoft to possibly license one of their web browsers. Netscape’s Navigator currently holds 70% of the internet market share making it the favorite in the web browsing arena, but Microsoft just annouced plans for an Internet Explorer 3.0 alpha this week. It will support everything Netscape Navigator 2.0 currently handles plus some more important features Netscape does not have including Visual Basic at the top of the list. These extra features make Microsoft the long term pick for AOL.

The good news is that America Online users will have a greatly enhanced view of the web after all of the wheeling and dealing is over. The bad news is that the actual broswer might not be in the hands of America Online users until late this spring. Better late than never.

Originally Posted Mar 8, 1996

Microsoft is going to release (real soon) their Internet Explorer version 3.0 (alpha of course). This version will include java support, Visual Basic support, frames, real audio, inline avi, marquee text, VRML, email, and newsgroups. Its code name should be Netscape killer. When it comes out, do not ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for Netscape.

And for all you business people out there, Microsoft is bundling their internet software with their NT system. It’s Mike Tyson versus Mike Jackson. Where is your money?

Originally Posted Monday, March 4, 1996.

Macromediaannounced the long awaited succesor to its award winning multimedia program. Director 5.0 will hit the streets at an estimated $900 US. Director 5.0 will be the first upgrade in several years with many badly needed new features. See the copy from macromedia here. What does this mean? It means that Macromedia is going to make ALOT of money this year selling its multimedia authoring tool, especially considering its lack of any real competition and its successful Shockwave plugin for Netscape. This new plugin lets HTML jockeys create multimedia right on their web pages without Mr. Java. Shockwave is free but Director is mondo bucks. Recently TCI’s online venture through cable http://web.archive.org/web/19970618003228/http:///www.home.net licensed Shockwave for their front end. (release) MACR is the stock to buy this year. Long term gain prediction = 100%.