Some tidbits from EDUPAGE

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

HIGHWAY REFEREE.  Ken Auletta says in the New Yorker that four basic issues
dominate the Washington debate about the electronic superhighway:
antitrust policy, universal access, fairness, and privacy, and that
"despite all the talks of deals and converging technologies, and of how
seven players -- cable, telephone, computer, studios, broadcasting,
publishing and consumer electronics -- may shift allegiances, perhaps the
role most often overlooked has been that played by an eighth force -- the
suddenly assertive government referee." (New Yorker 1/17/94 p.49)


DBS & CABLE COMPETITION. The kind of cable system that can deliver 500
channels is at least several years away, but Direct Broadcast Satellite
(DBS) television, which can send digital signals to homes equipped with an
16" dish and set-top decoder box, will be available in a few months. By
being first with a lot of programming, DBS will offer healthy competition
to cable systems. (U.S. News & World Report 1/17/94 p.56)


CANADA'S ELECTRONIC SUPERHIGHWAY. A report called "The Electronic
Connection: An Essential Key to Canadians' Survival" implores the federal
government to lead in the development of the information superhighway to
meet educational needs, provide better channels of communication for
businesses and schools and improve the country's competitive position.
(Toronto Globe & Mail, 01/10/94 B8).


[wonder which I am]


TECHNO-SAVVIES ARE HOT. Madison Avenue is lusting after its
newest-discovered consumer species -- the Techno-Savvy. The average T-S is
male; 42 years old; married; and lives in a suburb of Los Angeles, New York
or San Jose. Forty-eight percent use a computer every day and 54% earn more
than $100,000 a year. For marketing purposes, advertisers have subdivided
Techno-Savvies into three groups: "perpetual motion" (always carries a
laptop and mobile phone); "networked" (work with computers, early adopters
of innovation); and "home office types" (telecommuters or self-employed
entrepreneurs). (Wall Street Journal 1/11/94 B1)