CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing November 15, 1997 Issue 106 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> Watching TV/Video on the Net, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> Welcome to our New Associate!, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 3=> This Issue's Winner! News: 4-> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Columns: 5=> The Big City Byte by Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Reviews: 6=> Product: @loha Animated E-mail Messages by Media Synergy, Inc. - internet/e-mail Reviewer: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com 7=> Product: Front Page Sports Baseball Pro '98 - games/sports Reviewer: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com 8=> Product: Altec Lansing PowerCube Speakers - hardware/multimedia Reviewer: Missy Grote, mailto:mcg@i1.net --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> Watching TV/Video on the Net. mailto:pgrote@i1.net I've always been a big believer in the net as a device for broadcasting audio. Although I am at 128K ISDN, 14.4 is enough for audio. I work nightly on my computer and listen to Sightings and Art Bell radio shows through my favorite web service on the Net, AudioNet . AudioNet is a complete source for all live audio programming on the net and archived material. They have a daily selection with everything from music to sports to talk shows. Using a player such as RealAudio (which I prefer) or Microsoft's NetShow you can listen to a radio station in Denver, Colorado, a jazz concert live in New York, a survivalist show from Texas or a paranormal show from Oregon! On the weekend you can listen to almost every computer show known to man! Anyway, I know broadcast audio is going to be a winner. AudioNet has recently added a Jukebox feature to their site which lets you listen to CDs over 28.8! ISDN stereo connections are supported as well! I wasn't so convinced video was going to be a winner. I always believed it was going to be a ugly step child to the audio broadcast genre. Again, NetShow offers video, but it is horrible. The RealPlayer supports video that seemed to be better, but it was still very choppy giving it that Japanese English dubbed look. "Gee, Bill Gates' lips aren't moving, but I hear him. Damn that telepathic update in Windows 95!" Starting with version 4.5 of RealPlayer they supported stereo broadcasts over ISDN. Of course, you had to pay for this as their regular player didn't include this feature. I quickly registered and was dismayed to see the CD collection of theirs was 30 odd CDs from Warner Brothers. Sure, they sounded GREAT, but I was disappointed with the selection. Again, I could listen to the CDs on AudioNet, but they force you to listen with NetShow which doesn't allow you to pick tracks and the "stereo" really wasn't. RealPlayer was recently updated to version 5.0. I was excited, but quickly deflated as I found out I would have to pay to upgrade. Seems I didn't buy the subscription option when I bought the first player. For some unknown reason I paid and got the new version. I did like the addition of Shockwave support inside the player, so I was satisfied. A couple of weeks have gone by since I updated and I have used the player exclusively for audio. Sighting and Art Bell have been my mainstays, although I have listened to a few St. Louis Blues hockey games and Mizzou college games . A technical sidenote here: RealPlayer uses something called UDP to transfer the audio or video stream you receive. UDP is great for this because it sends packets out and doesn't wait for your computer to acknowledge reception. If you miss a packet the RealPlayer will request a new packet, but otherwise your computer just receives data. Sometimes network congestion is too much to handle, so you can change to TCP which is a ACK/NAK protocol, which means your computer ACKnowledges each packet received. It taxes your system more, but is more reliable. (Just listened to Footloose! Kevin Bacon and his brother played!) Ok, back to the commentary . . . Tonight I popped onto AudioNet to see what was playing at 8:00pm Central Time. Sightings doesn't start until 9:00pm, so I had to find something to listen to for an hour. Warner Brothers had some new CDs up, but Deep Purple isn't my thing. As AudioNet's screen popped up it alerted me Kenny Loggins was having a live concert on the net! I JUMPED ON THE LINK and was put into Sony's website. Sure enough, Kenny Loggins was broadcasting a REQUESTS TV Show for A&E. I could choose from audio or video, both using the RealPlayer, and decided to try video. Boy, was I shocked! I am now watching Kenny Loggins in concert while typing this. The Video isn't choppy at all and I can actually see Kenny's lips move when he sings. In addition, it's in stereo! I LOVE IT! Now, keep in mind, the video is in a box approximately 2 inches in height and 3 inches in width. This sounds small, but it is a perfect size to watch and work at the same time! At commercial instead of seeing commercials, etc. I see what is going on behind the scenes and listening to other Sony Artists such as Billy Joel, Fiona Apple and James Taylor. Again, in STEREO! (Just listened to Danger Zone from TopGun!) This is weird for me! For two reasons I thought I would hate this: 1) I thought it would be too choppy and too horrible to watch and 2) If it did look good it would be too distracting to work. I was wrong. 1) Technically RealPlayer is superb! The video display is awesome and the clarity is unreal. Subtle movements the people on TV make can be seen. Lips move in sync with the words. (Ah, they are playing Angry Eyes!) 2) The last time I tried a TV tuner for my PC I was about four years ago. I watched a Blues game and a movie. Unfortunately, I got no work done. The TV windows took up a 1/4 of my screen, so it was very distracting. This time the window size is nice, stays on top and is not distracting! I am now listening to Celebrate Me Home as Kenny walks through the audience. Pretty cool! Video may be here to stay. I've learned it definitely matters what viewer you use and which protocol you select. Enjoy the net! 2=> Welcome to our New Associate!, mailto:pgrote@i1.net CompuNotes is a 100% volunteer effort. From myself, to Doug, to our writers, everyone is volunteer. We do this in an effort to 1) Promote the real reviews of products and 2) To give something back to the net. Doug and I devote 20 hours or so a week to CompuNotes. It is a substantial investment of time and I'm happy we'll be getting some of that back! Robin Nobles has graciously become an Assistant Editor. She is a professional freelance writer and will be working with the writers and helping direct our focus. Since we can't take a page out in a trade rag and welcome her, why not send her a mail message congratulating her. Her e-mail address is mailto:smslady@netdoor.com. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Free Laptop Newsletter from NotebookMall.com * Cool notebook ideas, news summary, links to resources * Great deals on used and refurbished notebooks To subscribe, mailto:newsletter@NotebookMall.com For more info: http://NotebookMall.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 3=> Winner! This week's winner: huntel@aol.com. 4=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Some More on Internet Video Hmmm. Java a Standard without US Approval . . . Microsoft's Trying to Prove they aren't Anti-competitive and Now This .. . . Another Example of the Net Being Full of Losers . . . om/News/Item/0,4,16324,00.html> 5=> The Big City Byte by Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com We have a problem. My oldest child came home from school the other day with a deep scowl on his face. He enjoys working on a P166 MMX machine at home, using Office 95 or 97, Calamus Publisher, and PhotoShop. At school, he's confronted with a tiny handful of 286 and 386 SX boxes, or worse. We'll pass over the memory of the 9-pin printers too . . . It's enough to make anyone depressed. His files don't load into anything the school owns. There are newer machines around the school, but they rarely show up in any of the classrooms he attends. The problem is quite big, and it's growing at a rather frightening pace. The 'have not' school boards and school divisions are falling further and further behind, while the handful of 'haves' get all of the budgetary glory. It's enough to make a savvy Principal turn to private or corporate business for help. Perish the thought? Think again. There may be no other solution. Recently (two years ago), a smart elementary school Principal I know made a deal with IBM to supply two classrooms-worth of machines. IBM agreed to not only supply the initial shipment and related software, but to maintain the two classrooms with nearly up-to-date hardware and software for the following 7 years. It's a great relationship. The only problem is that none of the parent or school board steering committees and associations have followed the Principal's example. The end result is that the wonderfully equipped and maintained Grade 3 and 4 classrooms are passing on students who won't have access to another classroom computer in that school until they reach Grade 7. The parents are going absolutely nuts over the disparity. The Principal is working valiantly to find another, similar stake. He wants the higher grades to benefit as much as the lower grades. The parents could remedy the situation by refusing to pay anymore tax increases to fund school computers (which never seem to actually show up), and by forming corporate relations committees to actively solicit support from computer makers and big business. Of course it's an easy suggestion to write, but quite another matter to put into practice. Even considering the importance of such an idea, how many parents can take time away from work and other urgent and abiding responsibilities, to participate on such committees? How many parents can bring the necessary qualifications, skills or experience to a committee meeting? Reality is harsh, and it certainly dictates that parents will have to take up the slack, as hard as it may be to accomplish. There is no other choice until such time as education budgeting undergoes a serious paradigm shift. At the moment, education budgeting is based on a cycle of capital expenditures supported by subsequent spending to maintain the original investments in operating materials (books, tables, chairs, library materials, general resource materials, etc.) The problem with directing capital expenditures toward computers is that the same capital expenditures have to be made every two to three years. The current bi or triennial capital costs for computers are wildly prohibitive, and traditional levels of maintenance budgeting are also grossly insufficient for such a task. A set of books for every student is one thing. A reasonably up-to-date computer for every student is quite another situation. Current budgeting does not account for fundamental spending reductions in traditional areas which could be wrought by imposing capital expenditures on computing. The two most significant areas of traditional budgeting surcease should come because of A) the reduction in capital expenditure on printed resource materials as the WWW becomes better organized and more authoritative, and B) the realization that while printed materials produced only on an as-needed basis in the school, via high speed lasers, inkjets and color copiers may be more expensive per copy, the overall costs will be reduced because of lower volume production. Note that the big publishing houses are not giving school boards any great price breaks, and rarely have. As with all forms of government tenders and contracts, the bid which wins the day rarely carries an accurate final number. An educational institution should only have to carry the printed materials it needs, as they're needed. Exactly how anyone is going to get elected to a school board or to a State or Provincial legislature on a 'Reduce Spending On Books' platform, is not yet clear. Once again, a paradigm shift (in the education philosophy of the average voter/parent) is necessary. Take note of the fact though that the average software vendor is paying bulk printing prices which amount to between $5 and $7 for individual packages in 10,000 unit runs. The packages include a 200-300 page manual, a CD, promotional materials, and a fancy colored outer box. Why then are our educational institutions paying double or triple the price for even larger print runs of 200 page text books alone? The fact that our educators and political taskmasters aren't managing these tax dollars very well begs the question: why shouldn't parent-run business committees take a crack at developing desperately needed computing resources? There is an obvious gap between the budgeting philosophy that's needed and the philosophy which exists. The way to bridge the gap is to get into bed with business (and the computer manufacturers.) The most effective bridge will be created by the parent groups which go to local business and local corporate network managers (and the network managers' bosses) and say (every year!): "give us your slow, your underpowered, and your weak of RAM." If the corporate lions choose to one-up the parent groups and use available tax incentives to donate newer (or brand new) hardware and software, the most enthusiastic companies will earn the right to promote their 'stuff', front and center, on Career Days, at the Science Fairs, at PTA meetings, and at budget appropriation meetings. More than that of course, local and regional business will profit down the road, from a better educated and more completely skilled workforce graduating from the education systems. It's not Nirvana, but it is a good start. It's also a long term investment. Most reasonable parent groups at all levels of education have a morbid fear of allowing big business into the classroom. The most common element of that fear revolves around the notion that some arrogant multinational corporation will begin plastering its logo over every available square inch of space on classroom walls. Parents with the most business experience understand that corporations are populated by more than just marketing specialists; everyone in the glass and steel office towers went to school. Most of them are parents too, struggling with the same educational issues as Joe and Jane Average. And as long as governments exert some control over who makes a deal with whom, there is a chance that (in North America at least), the educational standard can be raised beyond measure over the short and medium term. For the long term however, that nasty paradigm shift will still have to take place. What's the downside? It's a significant slope actually, and the consequences could be onerous. In the first instance of any strategic partnership between education and business there will always be enthusiasm on both sides. There will always be active participation too. The problems come when a second round of donations or heavily subsidized purchases must be made at a time when it is inconvenient or horribly unprofitable for any involved business to participate again. This happens a lot. The education system is used to maintaining a status quo. Business suffers quarterly turns in profitability, control, and market stability. Walk into a CFO's office asking for 'the usual' at a time when he's juggling $250,000 in past due accounts (with only $200,000 in the bank), and you're likely to receive little more than a cold stare. The fact that 'the children' need their computers will mean very little to him at that time. The parents involved in such a situation have to walk away and return the following week; the next week if necessary too, or the next month. Persistence tempered by patience is crucial. There are other problems, not the least of which are characterized by competition. Businesses which recognize the advantages inherent in this sort of participation in the education system, tend to attract new 'players'; normal competitors who will arrive on the scene, full of promises such as, "we can do much better than the company which is supporting your efforts right now. Why not accept our offer and try us out for the rest of the school year?" The inexperienced educators, school boards and Principals will succumb to these sorts of blandishments, forgetting that consistency is the fundamental by-word of education. The software will change, the learning curves will increase, and while students may benefit in many small ways, the fact that everyone should have access *only* to properly usable and familiar classroom computers will mean somewhat less than it should. What's needed is for students to be able to keep up, not for every semester to bring a totally new learning curve. There's a tradeoff here that shouldn't be made. Solid relationships are often built on the simple notion of 'leaving the dance with the one that brung ya'. The things we do for our kids! Is there an alternative? No. Governments tell us we must help to find more creative and effective ways of educating our children. If governments now represent a system which can no longer accommodate the exigencies of digital-age education, then we have to do an end-run around our own tax dollars and get the job done ourselves. You might also have to kiss your weekends good-bye if you live in an area in which no businesses partners exist. You're going to have to invest in a second computer for the kids in that situation, as well as investing the time to teach them all about it. Coaching the kids for thirty minutes a day, three or four days a week, should give them the 'leg up' they need. The place to get the ball rolling is at parent/teacher meetings, your local Chamber of Commerce, and the executive offices of the biggest corporations in your county, state, region or province. The tool you need to get the ball rolling is either your telephone, your e-mail or both. Sea changes in education standards have always occurred over long periods of time. Technology is evolving so rapidly however, that most of our schools are turning out graduates who are functionally illiterate in some of the newer fundamental skills. The kids can read and write quite well, but far too many of them don't know DOS from Windows. Heck, the schools aren't even teaching typing properly. Touch typing skills now need to be taught from Grade 3 and up. The schools can effectively teach touch typing using aging electric typewriters, but there isn't any money being spent on those items either. If you're a parent, take the time to find out what's going on in the schools your kids are attending. What you find may shock you. Just don't let it stop you from doing the right thing. 6=> Product: @loha Animated E-mail Messages by Media Synergy, Inc. - internet/e-mail Reviewer: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Tested On: Pentium 200 MHz; 64 MB RAM; Win 95; Eudora Pro 3.0.3. Minimum Requirements: 486 or higher CPU; Win 95 or 3.1; Major e-mail package; 8 MB RAM; 4 MB hard disk space; CD-ROM; 256 color VGA monitor Price: Time limited free trial version for Win95 available at website: http://mediasyn.com/files/dnldfrm.htm, $49.95 for full version. Do you enjoy sending virtual greeting cards to your friends over the Internet? Would you like to create your own cards, complete with sounds and animation, and send them through e-mail? @loha Animated E-Mail Messages does just that. The recipient doesn't even have to have @loha to play back the message, because the program automatically sends @PLAY.exe, which is all that's needed to view the animated greeting. And, @loha files are much smaller than average graphics files at 10 to 20kB in size, so they only take a few seconds to download. Installing the program was a breeze, and I encountered no difficulties. You have the choice of full or minimum installation. The program itself is easy to use, and the user's manual offers step-by-step instructions and detailed information about all of its features. When the program is first opened, you're even presented with a short "tip" screen, which is quite helpful. To create an animated greeting, you begin by choosing a "character" from among 270 or more different choices. You can choose a dog, a witch, a Christmas tree, a birthday cake, and so forth. Drag and drop your character into the work area, then decide if you want to change its size or location. Next, add a personal message by clicking on the text button "A" and entering your message on the Edit Text screen. You can change the font style, size, or color to go with your picture. Click on OK, and your message appears on the work area by your character. Move the message and character around to suit you, or even have the picture brought to the front with the message in the background. The program is totally flexible, which allows you to be as creative and innovative as you choose. Next, decide what color of background you'd like by "emptying a bucket of paint" onto your work area. You can choose a rainbow, diagonal, vertical, or horizontal effect for your background as well as a solid color. If you'd like a border around your greeting card, you'll find a large assortment to choose from, such as footballs, balloons, flowers, holly, or fish. Or, if you'd like a background with layered characters on top, you have that option as well. Now the fun really begins with the special effects. Do you want your graphics to "grow" on the screen? Or swirl, bounce, fall, or shrink? No problem. You simple choose an effect, drop it on top of your graphics, and then preview your animation. If you don't like it, delete that effect and try another. If your animation is facing one direction and you want it facing another, use the "mirror" effect to change its direction. You can also add sounds effects or music. For example, you can add the sound of a kiss, a dog barking, a bell ringing, or someone burping (believe it or not). Or, you can choose to have music played with your card. If you're feeling particularly obnoxious, you can pick a beautiful piece of music and add the sound of someone snoring (or burping) in the background. If you'd like the text itself to move, you can add motions such as the words moving from left to right on the screen. At any time during this creative process, you're free to click on the "play" button to see how your card is progressing. Once you've completed your greeting card, you simply save it, then click on the envelope to send your card by e-mail. A confirmation message appears to ask if you want to include the player (@PLAY.exe) with the greeting. The first time you send someone a card, you'll need to include the player. But you won't have to send the player file to that particular person again. @loha cards are sent as attachments. If your e-mail program doesn't support that feature, you may need to save the animation on your hard drive and attach the file manually to your e-mail. @Play.exe is an executable file that allows the recipient to view the animated e-mail card. In most e-mail programs, the recipient just needs to double click on the attachment icon to view the card. If the recipient's e-mail program doesn't support this feature, Media Synergy's technical team provides detailed instructions for major e-mail packages. Almost anyone with a Windows e-mail program can receive @loha greeting cards, with one exception: CompuServe. CompuServe users are able to send attachments to one another smoothly, but attachments from other e-mail programs often appear garbled. Free technical support is offered for thirty days starting from the date of your first support call. Support is available by telephone, fax, or e-mail, but a toll free number isn't provided. As I mentioned before, the user's manual is easy to understand and very helpful. An extensive on-line help file is also provided, complete with "How to wizards" for all major features of the program. You also have the option of importing graphics, music, and sound into @loha to personalize your messages and cards even more. The program is easy enough for children to use, and the variations of characters, backgrounds, sounds, and effects are limited only by your creativity. @loha allows you to create delightful animated greeting cards from your own desktop, instead of fighting with the delays often present at the greeting card sites on the Web. It's easy and fun to use, and I highly recommend it. Media Synergy Inc. 260 King St. E., Building C Toronto, ON M5A 1K3 Phone: (416) 369-1100 Fax: (416) 369-9037 E-mail: askme@mediasyn.com http://mediasyn.com CompuServe 76201,444. Installation: Gold Ease of Use: Silver Quality: Gold Overall: Gold 7=> Product: Front Page Sports Baseball Pro '98 - games/sports Reviewer: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Reviewed on: Pentium 200, 64 MB RAM, Windows 95 Requires: Pentium 60, DirectX Certified Sound Card with Win95 Drivers, 8-bit Video Drives, 2X CD-ROM, 16 MB RAM, 20 MB free hard drive space, Win 95 MSRP: $29.95 (can order on-line through Sierra at http://www.sierra.com/) If you enjoy baseball, Front Page Sports Baseball Pro '98 is a game to consider. You can go from very simple batting practices to managing an entire baseball league. Installation was simple and fast with no problems. Sierra recommends that you install all the game files, since CD access is much slower than most hard drives. I began at the logical place--the tutorials. "In the Stadium" tutorial lets you practice batting and get used to the controls. You're also provided with an Exhibition Play tutorial, which I tried to do as well. And that's where I ran into some problems. I could use the keyboard controls just fine. With the joystick, though I could get the guy up to bat, I couldn't get him to swing at the ball. And when it was my turn to pitch, I couldn't get him to throw the ball. Also, the Swing and Pitch boxes that are supposed to guide you in batting and pitching were shoved up against the side of the computer screen, basically useless to me. Regretfully, Sierra doesn't have a toll free number (pet peeve of mine--all software companies need a toll free number), so I wrote a note to their technical service department on-line. The information they provided was marvelous. They gave step-by-step, detailed instructions on what to try, then they told me to check on DirectX drivers. Two of the needed drivers weren't installed on my system. Microsoft DirectX Version 5.0 for Win95/NT is available for free download at Stroud's Consummate Winsock Applications (http://cws.internet.com/32auxx.html). This program offers the latest set of drivers designed to enhance games that support DirectX. After installing the new drivers, the game worked like a charm. Baseball Pro allows you to decide on even the most minor details. You can choose the weather, wind direction, and wind speed, or decide on things such as bat size, pitch speed, fielder speed, and even glove size. Beginners can enjoy the game as well as the most advanced players. One of the easiest ways to jump into the game is at the Arcade, where you can select your home and away teams and start playing. All difficulty settings will default to the easiest level so you can learn how to play before beginning in a league. You can play against an opponent, against the computer, or against yourself. Choose to use a joystick or the left or right sides of the keyboard. Honestly, your choices are limitless. During an exhibition or league game, you can fill every available portion of the screen with items such as a scoreboard, player information, pitch information, game updates, and more. If you like background sounds of a real ballpark, you can hear everything from hecklers to the yells of the crowd. At the beginning of the game, you'll even hear the "Star Spangled Banner." Or, shut off all sounds for blessed silence or anything inbetween. With this game, you'll never be forced to play on the same field with the same teams or players. Choose from 28 different ballparks, and play in the Astrodome one day, then Wrigley Field the next. The game itself is a lot of fun, though a little complicated at first. Learning how to maneuver your players and understanding the different choices can be rather confusing. Once you get the hang of it though, it's no problem, and it's easy to get into the spirit of the game. When it's your turn to pitch, you can choose between a fast ball, a curve ball, a sinker, or a slider, then decide when you're ready to make the pitch and click on "enter". You can also choose the Manager menu for defense strategies. The Advanced mode offers many more playing options, such as pitch speed and pickoffs. If your pitcher is struggling, "Visit the Mound" and get a full report of the game situation and factors that will affect your managerial decisions. For batting, you can select your swing with these choices: bunt, contact, power, and normal. In the advanced mode before swinging the bat, choose a location in the strike zone to look for a pitch, which will give you a greater chance of whacking the ball. After selecting the swing type, a menu appears where you can select where to watch for the pitch. When your team is at bat, you can set various offensive plays by accessing the Manager menu. If you choose "Steal 2nd," you're giving the runner on first permission to steal second, and so forth. Fielding choices vary from the computer controlling all fielding to the Advanced where you control all fielding. Under Advanced, when the batter hits the ball, you automatically gain control of the fielder best suited to make a play on the ball. Three fielding aid options are provided to make fielding easier: SmartMove, SmartThrow, and IntelliPoint graphics. Another tutorial for the game is called Front Office, where you'll learn how to create a baseball association, configure the leagues, and set up teams. I highly recommend going through the tutorials, because with the number of choices and variations of the game, it's very easy to get confused. Learn, and then play for real. When setting up a career association, you manage your players from the beginning of their career until retirement. Just like a "real" team, you'll have the draft and spring training, then have the privilege of watching your players improve and possibly make it to the Hall of Fame. Or, your players may get injured or choose early retirement. If that's more than you want to fool with, set up a single season association, where you can play one or more seasons with the same group of players. The endless choices are yours--from the very basic to the very complex. If you don't want to set up your own association, the 1997 MLBPA association is included as well as an association reflecting team rosters as of the end of the 1996 MLBPA season. The game provides statistical information in a whopping 2000 categories, such as the association's history and standings, batting/fielding statistics, and situational stats. Schedule a draft, delete associations, and establish new ones. You can even buy and sell teams, trade players, or do something mundane like pick out uniform colors. Another wonderful feature of the game is the Camera Angle Management System, where you can change a camera's position and angle at any time, even during a play. With the camera, you can record plays, keep a library of the "tapes," and use the VCR control window for replays. Advantages of the game include being able to start at the very beginning and working your way up to the complex. Children would enjoy batting practice, arcade action, and exhibition games, while older teens and adults would prefer the more complicated angle of operating an association. Don't expect younger teens to be able to sit down and play on their own though. The game can be quite confusing without reading the manual and taking the tutorials, which most kids wouldn't want to do. The owner's manual offers detailed information about all the different areas of play, which is helpful. Also, Sierra's website features a message board for trading hints with other players as well as a technical support board for problems. Again, their e-mail technical support provided extremely helpful information. If you play in remote leagues over the Internet, the Remote Manager utility will automatically send and receive league data files daily over the Net. Can't get much easier than that. Sierra On-Line, Inc. 7100 W. Center Rd, STE 301 Omaha, NE 68106 (800) 757-7707 Technical Support E-Mail: support@sierra.com WWW: http://www.sierra.com/ CompuServe: GO SI (Cserve Mall) AOL: Keyword Sierra Installation: Silver Ease of Use: Silver Quality: Silver Overall: Silver 8=> Product: Altec Lansing PowerCube Speakers - hardware/multimedia Reviewer: Missy Grote, mailto:mcg@i1.net Have you ever had a pair of computer speakers that every time you listened to them made you want to go right out and buy a new set? I have, and it's not fun! Luckily, I had an offer to review Altec Lansing's PowerCube Speaker System that enabled me to stay out of the computer stores just a little bit longer. I know you are all probably wondering what kind of speakers that I was using. Sorry, I'd rather keep you guessing. Plus, I'm not into bashing a product unnecessarily. Instead though, I will tell you all the things on it that made owning them not fun at all. To start, my old speakers were only four inches high and wide. I disliked that there was no power on/off button, as well as no volume control. Also, every time I tinkered with my computer, my speakers would fall to the floor because they had such a short cord. Ughhh! Needless to say, I was very glad when this new set arrived. It didn't take me long at all to disconnect the old set. Of course I had problems untangling the very short cord. Oh well, they're gone for good now. I opened up the new box from Altec Lansing. I could tell the moment I saw the PowerCube, that we were going to be good friends. To my excitement, the speakers had a volume and treble control as well as an On/Off button. The On/Off button is located in the back, while the volume and treble knobs are on front of one of the speakers. They also include a light which indicates if they're on or off. They are light gray, about 8 inches high, and are very sleek looking. Connecting the speakers was a breeze! I simply plugged in the AC adapter, which was small enough to plug in other power cables next to it on the surge protector, and connected the wires between the speakers. I must add here that this task was so simple because the cord was long enough. Both the plug-in AC adapter cord was long, and the wire between the speakers. For those beginner computer users, they even have the cord ends color coded to keep you on track with where to plug them in. Now that I had everything connected, I was eager to test the quality. I quickly loaded a WAV file to listen to. WOW! I was so amazed at the sound that came out of the speakers. They might not look super large, but they are super powerful! Altec Lansing says the multimedia PowerCube is for you "if your audio needs are simple but your demand for quality is as uncompromising as an audiophile." I even dialed up to AOL so I could hear them "welcoming" me. I could tell they are good speakers because it doesn't sound like the noise is coming from the right or the left_ but instead, from all around! I must say, now that I have tried these speakers I have no intention of getting a new pair anytime soon! Try them out, you'll really love them! Altec Lansing includes a one year limited warranty on this product. You can complete the registration card via a snail mail postcard included in the box or you can log on to their website at to complete the registration. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net Assistant Editor: Writer Liaison: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Assistant Editor: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Archives: ftp://ftp.uu.net/published/compunotes/ Website: e-mail: mailto:notes@compunotes.com Want to Write for Us?: mailto:writers@compunotes.com fax: (314) 909-1662 voice: (314) 909-1662 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CompuNotes is: Available weekly via e-mail and on-line. We cover the PC computing world with comprehensive reviews, news, hot web sites, great columns and interviews. We also give away one software package a week to a lucky winner for just reading our fine publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we are here to bring you the computing world the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us! CompuNotes B440 1315 Woodgate Drive St. Louis, MO 63122 notes@compunotes.com (C)1997 Patrick Grote == Thanks for participating in Ebay! Patrick Grote 1315 Woodgate Dr. St. Louis, MO 63122 I leave positive feedback! I hope you do! __________________________________________________________________ Sent by Yahoo! Mail. Get your free e-mail at http://mail.yahoo.com .