Stamp Column Archives

The Glassine Surfer Column Archive

This column originally appeared in the American Philatelic Society's monthly magazine, "The American Philatelist." Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

March 1999

The 'Net is the Message.

Gutenberg started it all, or maybe it was Caxton, but printing was the first mass medium.  Now every PC can churn out thousands of printer copies at the touch of a button.  Radio with pictures became TV, and satellites have flooded the world with instant global picture radio.  

The Net grabbed the phone lines and the virtual world is pushing itself up to the media dinner table like a starving six-year-old.  

Besides Email sharing millions of people's thoughts and ideas in a flash, the Net is becoming a global, on-demand, topical video-caster, and right now, ZDNET TV carries Net video.  

ZD is Ziff-Davis, paper magazine publishers with a huge web site, and the programs are Net and PC news and talk with related people stories.

The Net wants to be your Tv, your radio and your shopping mall.  Imagine watching NetChannel on PC-Tv on your widescreen wall-LED in '06, checking out the live APS netcast from Washington's World Philatelic Exhibition.  Imagine messaging sales booths, browsing the halls and events, scrolling through exhibition pages while you page through your own album at home, and putting in the winning bid on that sheet of Zeppelins.  Then you can go outside and wash your car.

ZDNET TV at
http://www.zdnet.com/zdtv/zdtvnews/
(You need RealAudio for this, and instuctions are available at the site.)

WASHINGTON 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition at
http://www.washington-2006.org/

Hmm, Gravvvvy

Commenting on January's column, Robert Lowen of Florida told me that Bart Simpson was taunted about his stamp collection in an early Simpson's episode, and he recalls hearing that Bart collected SON prison cancellations.  Does anyone else recall that reference and from where it originated?  If you do, please post me.  Anecdotes like these are truly the gravy on the donut.

Net Books, E-text.

Besides selling millions of books online, 2000 years of written human thought is jumping out of obscure academic libraries onto the 'Net.  A flood of text, ideas, politics, myth, religion, fact and fiction can be picked off the 'Net via Books-On-Line.

BOL is a workhorse group serving as a virtual card catalog for several electronic text archives around the world.  Go there, search or browse by title or author and then download the text file that you want.

Most, if not all, are out of copyright works, and depending on your PC savviness you can read them in your word processor or web browser, or put them on your laptop for that plane ride.

If Oliver Wendell Holmes thought the marketplace of ideas was the right medicine for what ails us, then he'd love the 'Net.  Now if someone would just sell a pocketbook-sized viewer for etext I'd be happy.

Books-On-Line at
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/books.html

Net Tonight on TV

The Net is one communications medium, and just as newspapers cover radio and Tv, Tv now covers the Net.  Stewart Cheifet in Mountain View, California, hosts two excellent half-hour PC-Net TV programs.  

"Computer Chronicles" was his first, and is PC news and developments in a TV magazine format.  Regular features are a news segment of current topics, and a new product demonstration slot.  Each program is a basket of related stories, such as new chips for the new Christmas PCs and software to put under the tree.

Chiefet's other show is the "Internet Cafe," and it's great to sit back and see and hear what other live humans have to say about the great invisible 'Net.  Typically, there's a niche primer followed by an overview and a talk with some Webworker.

Both shows are carried by PBS, and you can check air-times at the the CMPTV site, which also has a text library of past shows and topics along with all the bells and whistles, like software downloads and URLs.

"The Computer Chronicles"
http://www.cmptv.com/

Curious Item

The President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion has a new toll-free telephone number.  It's very hard to get through, and weekends are best.

If you have a touch tone phone, you can access the informative tapes:  1 for the gov't's effort to solve the problem; 2 for Y2K and banking; 3 for a review of PC matters; 4, effects on small business; 5, airlines; 6, telecommunications; 7, electrical service; 8, for elevators, or 0 to speak with a specialist, 9am-8pm eastern time, M-F.

Save this number if things go kafooey on next New Year's Day, but if #6, above, is impaired who will get through?

The President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion at
1-888-USA-4-Y2K.