Thursday, May 06, 1999

BITS AND BYTES - 5/6/99


NEWS BITS AND BYTES
 Send your news to: news@TheCyberScene.com

 Guess what? Another one's going public! David Friedensohn's BigStar
 Entertainment (www.BigStar.com) has filed their registration
 statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial
 public offering of its Common Stock. The IPO will be lead managed
 by Prudential Securities. BigStar is a leading online-filmed
 entertainment superstore. BigStar sells filmed entertainment products
 in all popular formats such as videocassettes, digital videodiscs or
 DVDs and laserdiscs. You may have known about BigStar and the
 fun, physical antics of NYC marathoner David Friedensohn (CEO)
 who coaches soccer with Donna Williams (VP, Marketing), and who
 appeared on TV when profiled for their napping facilities!

 The most obscure, anonymous and slightly annoying spam has come
 across my e-mail inbox and snail mailbox this week. From
 Helloisanybodyoutthere.com -- Network Solutions reveals that Eisnor
 Interactive is behind it. Yes. I'm out here (there). Now what?

 Manning Rubin, Senior Creative Supervisor at K2 Design, has
 authored Keep Your Brain Alive (www.keepyourbrainalive.com), a
 book that gives advice on how not to go 'braindead' by using simple
 exercises. It contains 83 exercises that can be done while commuting,
 at work, at the market, during mealtimes, or while resting. While I
 think this is a great idea and the book is well written, thought out and
 nicely designed -- I spent a few minutes just thinking how nice it
 would be to just not use my brain at all!

 Everybody's talking about fully integrated e-business solutions and
 Touchscreen Media Group has joined the hip-terminology band
 wagon with their new "e-connections" Internet business models.
 E-connections are created when businesses utilize the Internet to
 establish and enhance relationships with customers, partners and
 prospects. Focused on achieving business results, e-connections are
 unique Internet models that integrate a company's Internet presence
 with their business objectives.

 Alex Chaffee clued me in to another cool MIT app: Call
 1-888-573-8255 and try out a conversational interface for on-line
 weather information, over the phone. Ask it questions like: What's the
 forecast for today in Boston?, Where is it snowing in Colorado?, What
 cities do you know in China? Are there any tornado warnings in the
 United States?

 Pencom Web Works, the leader in web-based application integration,
 announced today that Applicom acquired a controlling share in the
 business, replacing Pencom Systems Inc. as the company's financial
 backer. The company also announced it has changed its href to the
 Net Quotient Consulting Group and that it has received outside
 venture from Applicom, a Formula Group company.

 Blue Marble ACG announced that it launched a new brand positioning
 campaign for 24/7 Media. The campaign, which bears the new theme
 line "It's About Time," consists of both print and online ads that are
 uniquely targeted to advertisers and Web publishers.
 http://www.bluemarble.com/247media/.