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CYBERCH@TTER
E-zines?
Try Some Off the Rack
 All
right, I'm going to stick my neck all the way out. If you're serious about
the Net, don't just get on to it. Read about it as well. This isn't about
being hip with Wired, PC World or Computers Today —
a sister publication of the group that publishes India Today. This isn't
about being clued up with HTML, XML and other protocols that are being
developed as you read this.
It's about
picking up and browsing through primary level zines about the Net. It's
about using the Net rather than creating bits of it (some of us, alas,
will never be blessed with the H1-B virus). It's about making the Net
even more approachable than it is without having to plough through trudge-text
typical of most Indian computer magazines.
Most importantly,
it's about not being afraid to say you don't know enough or you've just
got your Hotmail or Yahoo! address.
I mean,
I get mail that range from queries like, "Why is it that the electronic
signature is not accepted in India?" to "I am interested in
opening a cyber cafe. Please advise me from where I can get hardware and
Internet connection facility at the most competitive rate." Unaware?
So what? We're just starting out, and the Net will die the day it prevents
more people from getting wired.
So I picked
up a couple of these how-to zines last weekend: M@g.Net (India's
first Internet Magazine with Nettitude!) and Net for Beginners (The
ABC of Internet). Both are a couple of months old as entities and have
the standard add-ons like splashy covers and free CD-ROM. But far and
away, M@g.Net's my pick. It isn't just the price, at Rs 50 a throw
compared to Rs 90 for Net for Beginners. It's also the CD-ROM loaded
with freeware from Plug-ins (Real Player, Acrobat Reader), Browsers, Java
tutorials, multimedia players and games, compared to some speed-connect
info and an arrogant "Find the best websites" deal at Net for
Beginners. It's M@g.Net that scores in the end.
First, a
lot of Net for Beginners in print is also on the CD-ROM, which is a bit
of a yawn. Second, the site reviews sway between gushy and gushier, the
overall tone is judgmental and the package a hodgepodge. M@g.Net,
though awkward in parts, scores because it chooses to inform entertainingly
rather than say "Hey, we know it all."
(Remember
that crashing bore at the last pool party?)
Anyhow,
the point is that in much the same way shaky dotcoms disappear, shaky
zines will too. Meanwhile, next time you go to the bookstore-or have a
must-impress-we're-wired guest list at drinks-look for magazines like
these. The Net is a brilliant teacher, even if it tends to overwhelm.
How-to magazines just help to make it that much easier. It's great we
finally have a growing stable. They will only get better.
(Write
to Sudeep Chakravarti at Sudeep@india-today.com)
 Get
it Right: This software kicks in to help resuming downloads
and error recovery, among a host of features. At getright.com, the
download's 4.3 version speeds things up by simultaneously downloading
different parts of the page from different servers. |
Hip
Parts: This is strictly aspirational.
Nike's PSA Play 120  delivers
up to 120 minutes of digital quality music with 64 megabytes built-in
memory. Multiple format digital audio technology plays various digital
formats, either downloaded from the Internet or converted from your
own CD collection. It's great looking, straps on, weighs less than
200 g, and the bonus-no skipping and long battery life. Play 120 retails
for the equivalent of Rs 14,000 (US$299.95) in the US. Play 60 comes
in at a hundred dollars less. Ultra-cool, as always, has a tag. |
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Wired
Toolbar: I'm partial to this site. It has great Web/tech-related
news told well and also a @hoc-powered toolbar that let's you customise
it to search and it's blazing fast. Get to wired.com, click on the
toolbar prompt and it's yours in a minute.
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How
can Non-Performing Assets of companies be cleared? By recovering what
you can, writes INDIA TODAY Associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar in
