The Cyber Scene in Washington, DC ~ by Sacha Cohen

They Laughed

For the past few months, I’ve been telling people that I’m trying to bring a little of Silicon Alley to DC. Why, they wonder? Because, darn it, DC needs a little fun, a little wackiness, and as many excuses as possible to cut loose and ditch work early. Most say it can’t be done. The naysayers tell me that DC is too stodgy and too over run with workaholics to support frivolous parties and tie-free cocktail hours. Wanna help prove them wrong? Send your ideas, invites, and comments to me at: sachacohen@att.net
Heck, there’s got to be more to this town than political fundraisers, embassy parties, and golf outings, right?

Meanwhile, at the Press Club

September 9 -- Once again, in the line of duty, I got soaking wet. This time, I was on my way to a "back to school" happy hour at the National Press Club sponsored by the NPC High Tech Committee. It was organized and hosted by bon vivant and Committee Chair, Tim Maloy. The evening’s raison d’etre (yeah, I’m feeling a little French today, okay?) was to discover which one of us is the biggest techno geek. When I arrived, they were passing around a RocketBook—you know, one of those devices that lets you download "War and Peace" and "Ulysses" for a little light reading on the road. Other objects of digital desire included a new digital camera, a cell phone, and an electronic organizer. The winner, by a nose, was Laura Taylor, PR/Marketing coordinator at the Matrix Group. She went home with a lovely Dilbert doll. Congrats, Laura.

Laura, Tim, and I will be trekking to NYC in early October for Internet World. Drinks at the Paramount, anyone? (picture on the website: http://www.thecyberscene.com/cgi-bin/show.cgi?city=washington&issue=current)

Also on hand, sipping Cosmopolitans, Martinis, and wine were Kevin Anderson of BBC Online; Kathleen Hickey of Traffic World magazine; Sean Moore, a PR staffer at Georgetown Law School; Ashley Gross, an intern at NPR; Thomas Timmons of LoneMountain Web Design; Heidi Strom, programs manager for DC Web Women; artist Seth Cohen; and Dan Rutherford, managing editor of Kiplinger.com.

Tim and Dan have been working tirelessly to organize the Press Club's latest CyberCocktail lecture series -- "The State of Online Publishing." – scheduled for late October. For more information about the event, click here: http://www.editors-service.com/oct28.html

Power Play

Here’s further proof that DC is the little tech capital that could. Bill Regardie – outrageous ‘80s publishing mogul -- has launched Regardie’s Power. The magazine (the third in Regardie’s publishing career), will cover "The buzz of fast money. The delirium of ‘closing the deal.’ The siren song of celebrity. The bright lights--and even brighter minds--of Greater Washington." Can it live up to its own hype? Well, the first issue includes a cover story about the Louisiana cybersquatter who owns the domain name www.americaonline.com, an article about local celebrities and their first cars, and a profile of AOL’s hotshot Hollywood lawyer George Vradenburg.

The magazine’s glitzy launch party was held at Sam & Harry’s in Tysons Corner, where DC’s tech elite gather to dine and deal. Guess my invite got lost in the mail.