THE INTERNET
Judging from the amount of press coverage about the Internet, you would get the impression that "everyone" is on the Internet. O'Reilly Associates of Sebastopol, California recently conducted a survey of 1,003 MIS Directors and Webmasters to determine the extent that businesses have connected to the Internet. Their results may surprise you. Of the large businesses (over 1,000 employees) surveyed, 51% where on the Internet. 25% of the medium size (101 to 1,000 employees) and 8% of the small businesses (less than 101 employees) currently have access to the Internet. 79% of the small companies, 53% of the medium and 28% of the large businesses indicated that they had no plans to "ever" have Internet access. The companies were randomly selected from Dun & Bradstreet's database of 7 million U.S. and Canadian companies. Unfortunately, the article didn't go into why so many firms had no plans to access the Internet. (Source: Communications Week; March 25, 1996).

CD-ROM TECHNOLOGY
The CD-ROM technology that we are so familiar with is changing quickly. For under $1,000, you can purchase a CD-R (CD-Recordable) drive and "burn" (write) your own 650MB CD-ROM. Later this year, Phillips is expected to have their CD-E (CD-Erasable) drives on the market. Just as the magnetic floppy disk, the CD-E is both erasable and rewritable.

The next generation of CD-ROM drives, known as DVD, are also expected to make their appearance on the market later this year. The DVD disk will be able to store 4.7GB of information, enough space to store a 135 minute full length movie including audio on a single disk. The 4.7GB drive will be able to read the current CD-ROM disks. The recordable DVD-R 3.8GB drives are not expected to be available until 1998. The double sided DVD, holding as much as 8.5GB, is not expected until 1998. If all the predictions come true, DVD disks will be replacing the VCR tape at your local video stores. (Source: PC Magazine; April 9, 1996).

WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
Spending too much time in unproductive meetings? If so, you may want to visit The Institute for Better Meetings www.california.com/~meetings hosted by Bernie (a.k.a. Dr. Fun) Dekoven. The site contains various articles on how meetings can be improved and the use of technology in meetings. The site was updated on March 30, 1996. (Source: Fast Company; April/May, 1996).
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Technology Tidbits is published monthly by Jerry Price, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
© 1996 Jerry W. Price

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