ANOTHER OPENING, ANOTHER SHOW
By MIKE BERMAN
Journal of Commerce

Another opening, another show. And so it goes! Internet World has just ended and Comdex looms on the horizon, only a month away.

Although I managed to avoid the hype of last week's Internet brouhaha, I did attend Internet:Press, sponsored by J.P. Davis. What I saw was inspiring, but what I learned was disturbing.

Despite all of the innovative things these Internet folks are accomplishing, most of it won't be available until neon lights the horizon and the ka-ching of slot machines ushers in Fall Comdex in Las Vegas. Again, we find that New York is a nice place to visit, but they wouldn't want to give birth to new technology there.

That said, let's look on the bright side.

Are you ready for feature- length movies online? Click Movie.com (www.clickmovie.com) has made a deal with the moguls of Hollywood to release feature films via the Internet that can be viewed on your PC or TV. Of course there's a fee, just as there is when you rent a videotape, but imagine being able to download any movie you want to see, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And, if you provide them with the make and model number of your television, they'll walk you through the process of connecting your PC to your TV.

Along the same lines we have the Entertainment Boulevard Network (www.entertainmentblvd.com). The folks there have linked their site to tons of movie trailers, music videos, infomercials, stand-up comedy acts and sports broadcasts. It's all free and all available at the click of a mouse.

The only drawback is that you can only use RealPlayer G2 to see these things. But they promise to introduce Windows Media Player compatibility within the next few months.

If you're puzzled by all of the technobabble going on around you and want to learn more, you can visit InformIT (www.informit.com), which is a joint venture between Macmillan USA and Pearson PLC.

Both are big names in the publishing business: Macmillan is one of the biggest publishers of computer books and Pearson publishes The Financial Times and just acquired Simon and Schuster. They've joined forces to answer any and all questions involving programming, data bases, Web publishing, net working, operating systems and certification online.

For people who have to remodel everything - including their kitchens - and don't known who to call or what it'll cost, there's ImproveNet (www.improvenet.com).

Basically, this site puts you in touch with contractors in your area after giving you estimates on how much it will cost to beautify your surroundings. All estimates are adjusted for the area in which you live, style preferences, square footage and room shape.

Once you get a quote, you can adjust it by changing some of the variables or by entering the exact cost of materials you've already purchased.

I'll continue with this look into the cyber world next week.