Seti@home

Scientists believe that the best way to find life in space is to look for radio signals. Since 1960 there have been about 70 unsuccessful searches.

The project has a list of nearly 400,000 people from 96 countries signed up and maybe already on line.

After the computer is finished, it sends the results back to Seti@home's Dan Werthimer. More details are available on line.

A sharper clearer Star wars

The team behind the new Star Wars film have made history once again by using digital projectors for the main US premieres.

Audiences at the opening showings of The Phantom Menace were not just the first to see the long-awaited new Star Wars movie, but they also saw the first major blockbuster ever shown through a digital projector.

Up to now, projectors have used celluloid, a plastic film invented last century. But digital projectors read and image that has been scanned into a computer. The projector then transforms the computer code into moving pictures on the screen.

The copies themselves are cheaper to make, because the film can be stored on a computer instead of on expensive celluloid. And unlike celluloid, computer files will not decompose or wear out.

Digital film equipment is also cheaper than celluloid cameras, opening the way for more low-budget films to be made.

Unfortunately, most people who see the picture will see it on celluloid. If it catches on, digital film making will radically change how films are made and seen in the future.

Windows 98 Second Edition

Windows 98 Second Edition offers a first step toward enabling a truly networked home with the introduction of Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). ICS is a set of advanced technologies that enable multiple computers to share a single connection to the Internet for simultaneous Internet access. In addition, consumers can connect more easily and use a wider range of devices such as digital camcorders with Windows 98 Second Edition because of its enhanced support for technologies such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE 1394 and Device Bay, as well as broadband network connections.

NetMeeting(R) 3 videoconferencing software, which enables chatting and collaborating online. In addition, Windows 98 Second Edition includes Windows Media(TM) Player 6.1 to provide playback of popular multimedia formats, including streaming audio and video such as Windows Media, MP3 and more.

Second Edition extends the existing performance benefits of Windows 98, including faster application loading and faster shut-down, to offer faster rendering of items with HTML content such as Web-enabled folders and Windows Help as a result of the integrated Internet Explorer 5 technologies. In addition, Windows 98 Second Edition includes the Windows 98 Service Pack 1, which addresses top issues, such as year 2000 updates, in existing features.