“In this column David Mertz gives an up-to-date review of a half-dozen leading XML editors. He compares the strengths, weaknesses and capabilities of each — especially for handling text-heavy prose documents. The column addresses the very practical question of just how one goes about creating, modifying, and maintaining prose-oriented XML documents.”

“”I don’t want to reveal too much, but let’s just say we put the Gin in Ginger,” boasted Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems. McNealy later conceded he hasn’t found out what Ginger is, exactly, but argued that like the Internet, “it isn’t what you know, but whether or not people perceive that you know.””

“When the Digital Convergence Corporation introduced a device called the CueCat last summer, it promised to “revolutionize the way people interact with the World Wide Web” — specifically, through
technology designed to link print and broadcast media to relevant pages on the Internet.

But as with many Internet ventures with lofty goals, Digital Convergence has run into a few roadblocks.”

“When Americans are asked to identify the country from which America gained its independence, 76% correctly name Great Britain. A handful, 2%, think America’s freedom was won from France, 3% mention some other country (including Russia, China, and Mexico, among others named), while 19% are unsure. ”

“Probing a more universal measure of knowledge, Gallup also asked the following basic science question, which has been used to indicate the level of public knowledge in two European countries in recent years: “As far as you know, does the earth revolve around the sun or does the sun revolve around the earth?” In the new poll, about four out of five Americans (79%) correctly respond that the earth revolves around the sun, while 18% say it is the other way around.”

“If you, an average caffeine consumer, see your peers enjoying “an even better in-store experience” and “shopping online while enjoying their beverage,” as the press release predicts, won’t you want get on board, too? Won’t you want to feel the rush of a million blinking gadgetry advertisements, the miniscule text scrolling across your pager telling you that you got that house, the smart snap of the Enter key being hit? To get all those non-geeks thinking that it’s fun to get online when they’re not at work, that it’s okay to incorporate the Internet into every aspect of their lives, Microsoft has to demonstrate its wares in a safe, non-threatening, non-technical environment. What better place to begin, then, than amid the tasteful lighting and woody hues of a Starbucks, conveniently located on every single corner of every single American city?”