The Good, The Bad, and the Internet
By Stephen Schleicher Producer
05/22/00

The Spaghetti Western taught us alot about good guys, bad guys, and how to easily spot bad overdubs. Click image to learn more.

I watched 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' again over the weekend (the only western besides John Wayne's 'Cowboys' and 'The Magnificent Seven' that I'll watch), and I thought I'd use the title for my own purpose.

The Good

  • DSL - I'll say it again; it's wonderful, fast, and always on.
  • PDAs - Endless possibilities once you realize they are not just electronic file-o-facts. Don't forget to register for the Palm VII give away.
  • Hand-held PCs - I know what I want for Christmas.
  • LEGO Studio - I've been playing with LEGO for over 15 years and used to make my own stop motion movies with a beat up 8mm camera. This partnership with Spielberg has made half the office say, "That's what I want for Christmas". I'm willing bet that there will be a large proliferation of LEGO movies showing up on the Internet December 26, 2000 … ages 8-12 my ass. I already have my request into LEGO for a review copy.
  • e-books - Looks like a PDA, size of a small paperback, holds 10 novels at a time. Now I have more space on bookshelves for LEGO models.
  • mIRC - What better place to meet and chat with people with interests that match yours. Check out #lightwave and #aftereffects on the EFnet. Who knows, you might also meet the person of your dreams and keep the gene pool active… or at least have a good laugh.
  • Microsoft - Personally, I've had very little problems with Microsoft products and find that they work 95% of the time.
  • XEROX/PARC - THE place for original technology ideas. Don't believe me? Do some research and find out who developed e-mail, the GUI interface, and the mouse to name a few. Too bad they can't go back and collect royalties from Apple and Microsoft for "borrowing" their tech.
  • Canon's XL-1 - I still think this is THE kick-ass digital camera. Would love to get my hands on one… Canon, are you listening?

The Bad

  • So. Cal Edison, who decided they wanted to turn power off for system upgrades at 9:00p.m. on a weeknight without notification. This is the third time the article had to be rewritten.
  • Backup Power Supply - Only here because I don't have one connected to my system. Could have prevented me from having to rewrite this article.
  • Ananova.com - While she is attractive to look at (for a 3D female) and delivers updated news via RealPlayer, her voice box sounds like she pushed Stephen Hawking over, stole his computer voice and tweaked the pitch to sound more female. If I want to hear news read badly, I'll turn on the local talk radio station. Ananova will probably move up to the good section when the technology improves.
  • The Tolkien family for not releasing the entire Tolkien library in e-format. The stories are already in print, in audio format (audio book and radio drama), movies, and made for television cartoons, why not e-format?
  • The New Mexico fires - Who's idea was it to burn off brush in the middle of a drought and then let it get out of control? Thanks to this moron, the fire burned up all sorts of toxic/radio active material dumped outside of Los Alamos National Laboratories and put it in the air for all to breath.
  • Elevators - Take my advice, if you only have to go up three flights, take the stairs, it's better exercise.
  • Metallica v. Napster - Stop the madness. Idiots will sue for anything these days if they need the money. Doesn't the record label own the rights anyway?
  • Driver's license photos - I've never seen a good one, mine included.
  • Microsoft - The 5% of the time the software doesn't work is generally when I need it the most. Should Microsoft be broken up? I don't know… I flip back and forth on the issue. I think the decision should be left to Microsoft and the Government.
  • Personal rocket packs - It's the year 2000, where's mine?

The Internet

The Internet continues to grow everyday. Some of the stuff that is being squeezed out of/for that network of wires is gold, and some of the stuff is gold painted dung; the job for you is to figure out which is which. As for the other stuff; hey, I do have a life outside of the Internet.

Comment on this editorial on the Digital Webcasting Forum

Stephen Schleicher Stephen has crossed the country over the last 6 years, going from Kansas to Georgia and now California. Prior to joining Digital Media Online, Stephen ran his own freelance animation business (Thunderhead Productions) providing content for clients in and around Atlanta. As Operations Manager of the Media Production Department of The American InterContinental University in Atlanta, GA, Stephen installed and built out an entire video facility from the ground up. In addition to having a strong traditional and interactive video production background, Stephen has shared his tremendous technical and production knowledge as an instructor at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas and AIU in Atlanta.
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Previous Columns:

Things to do in L.A. When You Have DSL by Stephen Schleicher
Who Wants to be an e-millionaire? by Stephen Schleicher
It's the Content, Stoopid by Charlie White
Looking Ahead: Webcasting's Predictions for 2000 by Charlie White
RealNetworks: No Spying Without Permission by Charlie White
Webcasting? This Sucks. by Charlie White
Fat Pipes Change Media World by Charlie White
Casting Our Net by Frank Moldstad