"c|net central"
TRANSCRIPT
-EPISODE 35-

Original air date: 11/22/95

HOSTS: RICHARD HART and GINA ST. JOHN


GINA:  The Internet takes on a whole new dimension:  interactive 
virtual reality.  And, high-tech digital society got you down?  Bite 
back with a tech bash.  Hi, I'm Gina St. John.  Those stories, plus how 
to beat the holiday shopping crowds.  And Charlton Heston tells c|net 
the "greatest story ever told."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICHARD:  Welcome to "c|net central."  I'm Richard Hart.  Virtual 
reality until now has been, uh, frankly, a high-tech toy, relegated to 
arcades and sports bars.  But now it is a 3D interactive tool that's 
poised to transform the Internet in a big way.  And this time, you 
don't need the helmet and goofy goggles.  This is the Web as we 
know it--flashy graphics, video, audio, and, of course, plenty of text.
There's even been some added flash and sizzle recently from the new 
Netscape and Java.  But the wide world of the Web is still a flat one.
It's all 2D.

But that's about to change dramatically as virtual reality and 3D 
finally come to the Internet.

LINDA JACOBSON (SILICON GRAPHICS):  Once it gets into 3D, then we 
can start thinking about creating virtual worlds that we can enter 
and interact with freely, and that's really exciting.

RICHARD:  And the 3D transformation is underway.  Watch this Web 
site go from mostly plain text to no text and a virtual 3D water 
world.  Gone, too, are the old-fashioned text links to information and 
other sites on the Internet.  They're now woven into the new virtual 
world.  At InterVista's site, you now click on the sailboat or the globe 
to link and jump to other places.  Wander around this "virtual 
airport," and you'll find a rocket ship, a plane, a terminal, a ship, and 
a blimp--all with areas and other levels to explore.  Not surprising, 
you'll find links to Z-D's computer magazines inside their terminals, 
and on board the ship there's a multilayered world created by Intel.

TONY PARISI (INTERVISTA SOFTWARE):  Once we model enough of 
these spaces so that they're everywhere on the Internet, the barrier 
to entry just lowers.  People are going to be able to use the Internet 
who couldn't before.  People like young kids.  People who have 
problems with pull-down menus and scrolling text.  That's probably, 
first and foremost, the most exciting feature--the ability to easily 
navigate the space and information that we have.

RICHARD:  What enables that navigation through this 3D online 
environment is called the Virtual Reality Modeling Language--VRML, 
or "vermal," as it's sometimes called.  But you'll need a new piece of 
software called a VRML browser to go 3D.

LINDA J.:  Virtual reality gives us a direct medium of interaction with 
the data in our computer.  Now, we add VRML to that, and suddenly 
we have a direct medium of interaction with other people through 
the computer.  That's really where things get exciting.

RICHARD:  This is where the so-called "metaverse" and 
"cybercommunities" popularized by sci-fi cyberpunk writers like Neil 
Stevenson and William Gibson become reality, and the leap forward 
has already begun.  Welcome to  AlphaWorld; you're now in the 
coolest interactive 3D world to hit the Internet yet.  Largely through 
word of mouth, nearly 10,000 people have already landed and 
literally started building cybercommunities here, with thousands of 
buildings, trees, and roads--even a cyberbar. Your "avatar," your 3D 
representative, can also carry on typed chat conversations with 
anyone else in  AlphaWorld.  And in the near future, you'll actually 
be able to talk and hear each other.  This is a continually changing 
and growing cyberspace that can accommodate as many as a 
thousand people at a time right now.  Worlds Inc. has just started its 
formal beta testing of the site this week, and will officially launch it 
at the beginning of the year, when a number of commercial sites and 
sponsors will also join  AlphaWorld.

LINDA J.:  Oh my God, my skin is so shiny!  Look at that--cyber-me!

RICHARD:  If  AlphaWorld is the near future, cyberware isn't too 
much farther down the virtual road.  This special set-up at Silicon 
Graphics allows anyone to have face and heads scanned digitally into 
3D.  After that, it's easy to add new life to those faceless, anonymous 
avatars that are going to populate these new cybercolonies.  
Although the virtual world could just as easily be one like this--the 
virtual version of St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

LINDA J.:  Imagine if my cousin, my best friend, my pen pal in Italy-
-all of us--had been scanned and recreated as digital files, where we 
could then all interact with each other as we look in real life in the 
virtual world.

RICHARD:  The possibilities are mind-boggling--from games to 
collaborative scientific or educational efforts, to just plain, old 
hanging out and socializing, or even bringing new life to those 
confusing assembly instructions that come with so many household 
items these days.  Or virtual fly-throughs of real cities, like this one 
just done of San Francisco, with links to a variety of neighborhoods 
and famous sites.  You begin to see why 3D and virtual reality over 
the Internet could easily have a profound impact on the Net as we 
know it.  It's true that VRML at this point is still a bit complicated, so 
if you think you need a guide through the virtual worlds online, c|net 
online is standing by to show you the way.  Gina?

GINA:  Until now, the only way to beat the holiday crowds was to 
shop early or buy everything from catalogues.  Well, we found a 
place where there are no lines and parking is no problem.  Christmas 
is in the air as record numbers of people hit the streets in search of 
perfect holiday gifts.

FEMALE1:  Oh, look at this one.  Oh, that's so cute.

GINA:  But the crowd-weary have an alternative this year:  
cybershopping.  There are hundreds of Internet malls and stores 
offering everything imaginable--traditional Christmas gifts, such as 
fruit, wine and chocolate; gifts for women--perfume, flowers and 
jewelry; practical gifts--electronics, videos, dishware, bath 
accessories, even a fog-free shower mirror!  Computers and desktop 
products are hot items this holiday season.  Online shopping lets you 
compare prices and specs at your leisure, and some retailers even 
offer cybersavings.  Can't find that gift for Grandma?  Many shops let 
you power search by keyword.  You can even find toys for kids on 
the Net.  Your child wants a pony?  How about a plastic one?  But toy 
delivery from the Net Pole still depends on whether they've been 
good little boys and girls.  Make sure you tune in next week, when 
we'll feature the best software gifts for the holidays.

RICHARD:  All right, coming up next on "c|net central,"  Charlton 
Heston leads us all to the promised land of multimedia.  And, fighting 
back against a cold, cruel, digital world.  

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICHARD:  Now it's time for a look at this week's news in the digital 
world.

GINA:  "The Road Ahead," a book by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, 
was released this week.

BILL GATES (CHAIRMAN, MICROSOFT CORP.):  I wrote "The Road 
Ahead" to share my vision of what the next 20 years will bring.

GINA:  In the future, Gates predicts business, study, and 
entertainment will all take place at the computer.  And, a coalition of 
major high-tech and media companies, including AOL, MCA, 
Microsoft, and Time-Warner, sent a letter to Congress asking it not to 
censor the Net.  Tune in next week for a story about censorship and 
sex on the Internet.

To Buy It, Try It, or Skip It--that is the question, and this 
distinguished gentleman has the answer.  It is John C. Dvorak.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Hi.

GINA:  Hi, there.  Now, this is our first CD-ROM of the day.  It is 
"Discovering Shakespeare."  I have the entire collection of 
Shakespeare at home, and I would love to know: would the Bard 
approve of this?

JOHN C. DVORAK:  No.

GINA:  Oh.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  "Discovering Shakespeare" is a boring exploration 
of the life of William Shakespeare.  Navigate your way through 
Shakespeare's world.  There's his place of birth, Stratford-on-Avon, 
and his place of death. Did you know Shakespeare died after a 
drunken orgy?  There are videos with Shakespearean experts, but 
they are difficult to understand.  They look like home movies...and is 
this supposed to be a map? For some unknown reason, the text of his 
plays are not included; there are only these lousy synopses.  Major 
oversight.  But you do get the full text of some of his sonnets. Big 
deal.  You're better off with "Cliffs Notes."  Discovering Shakespeare 
sells for $30 and is a hybrid CD-ROM.  It works on both the Mac and 
the PC.  Lousy.  Skip It.

GINA:  Really?  Wow, you're right.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Yes.  You know, they could have put the entire text 
of all of Shakespeare's work on a CD-ROM, and they didn't even do 
that.

GINA:  You've got a point.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  It's kind of pointless.

GINA:  OK, well then, let's just skip the sonnets and start singing, 
"Take me out to the ball game."  This is Microsoft's "Complete 
Baseball."

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Yes, if you like baseball, you're going to like this 
disc.  Point and click your way through America's favorite pastime.  
Learn about baseball through articles and stats, and, best of all, enjoy 
the key moments in baseball captured on video.  Good old Nolan 
Ryan with his seventh no-hitter.

VOICE-OVER MALE1:  That's it!  Number 7 is in the books.  The 
remarkable Ryan has done it again!

JOHN C. DVORAK:  And remember Kirk Gibson's horrible World Series 
home run against the Oakland A's?

VOICE-OVER MALE2:  High flyball into right field, she is gone!

JOHN C. DVORAK:  With team histories and awards, the information is 
extensive, even for the most serious history buff, including an 
abundance of facts and figures.  How many homers did Hank Aaron 
need to break Ruth's home run record?  715.  There are baseball 
anecdotes, such as the birth of baseball and the Chicago Black Sox 
scandal.  What I liked best, though, were the specs on the different 
ballparks with maps guiding to you to the different stadiums.  Want 
to see the Montreal Expos?  Take Route 20 to Olympic Stadium.  
"Complete Baseball" sells for $49.95 and is available on the PC.  I give 
this a Buy It. I think anyone remotely interested in baseball is going 
to love this CD-ROM.  It's a lot of fun; it's very entertaining and 
educational.  It's hot.

GINA:  We're going from a sports game to a whole different kind of 
gaming.  This is multimedia celebrity poker.  It doesn't look all that 
exciting, but maybe I'm not giving it a fair shot.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  No, you're giving it a fair shot.  It's not all that 
exciting.  "Multimedia Celebrity Poker" puts you at the poker table 
with Jonathan Frakes, Morgan Fairchild, and pumped-up Joe Piscapo.  
Star-studded, yeah, right.  There's a choice of background music.  
Classical?  I don't think so.  Let's try "pop," and then select a game.  
How about Five Card Draw?  OK, ante up.  Boy, Piscapo's stupid jokes 
get tiresome.

VOICE-OVER JOE PISCAPO:  And the farmer goes, "Now, I'm still 
talking; he'll have you, leave me alone, you can't, you can't make 
me..."

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Fairchild's remarks are inane:

VOICE-OVER MORGAN FAIRCHILD:  Baby, I felt lucky.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  And as for Frakes, I doubt the Trekkers would 
approve of his performance.  The help section is pitiful, and if you do 
know how to play poker, you're not going to want to play with these 
guys, anyway.  I think I'll fold.  "Celebrity Poker" sells for $40 and is 
available on the PC.  I say Skip It.

GINA:  What are you doing?

JOHN C. DVORAK:  John Santucci, one of our viewers, suggested I start 
putting peanut butter on it. I though it was a good idea to add 
weight...

GINA:  Don't waste perfectly good peanut butter on that CD-ROM.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Next time.

GINA:  This was not a fun one.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  No, it wasn't very good.  I don't recommend it, 
obviously.

GINA:  But, you gave great reviews today.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Thanks.

GINA:  I hope you have some good ones for us next time.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  I'll be back.

GINA:  Thanks a lot, John.

RICHARD:  What if we told you there was one place you could go to 
find nearly all of your software needs--utilities, games, whatever?  
You probably want to know where that is.  Well, what if we also told 
you it's free?  Welcome to the Internet's largest resource for 
shareware and freeware--shareware.com.  You can browse by 
platform or by archive.  Check out what's hot and what's new.  These 
leading software and hardware companies, 33 of them, are 
participating in the launch of shareware.com. And we'll be adding 
more every day.  So, what can you find at shareware.com?  Just 
about everything.  Not only games and utilities, but business 
applications as well.  And all of it just a click away.

Looking to clean up your desk?  Deskmates 1.33 is an upgrade of the 
popular desktop utility to help you get organized.  Or, if you're 
looking to get rid of a few things, download this popular strip poker 
game.

Like c|net online, shareware.com is free.  And to help you sort 
through the more than 140,000 titles in our virtual library, we came 
up with this handy ratings guide to help you find software you can 
use.

GINA:  Charlton Heston is famous for his many roles in biblical films 
like "The Ten Commandments."  But his interest in religion and the 
Bible goes far beyond his acting roles.  In another c|net celebrity 
exclusive, Charlton Heston talks to c|net about his latest voyage into 
the "greatest story ever told."

VOICE-OVER CHARLTON HESTON:  This is Via Dolorosa, the old city of 
Jerusalem.  The buildings are more recent, but these stones are 
original.

GINA:  While there's nothing quite as miraculous as parting the Red 
Sea in Charlton Heston's "Voyage Through the Bible," there's plenty 
here to entertain and educate.

CHARLTON H.:  This series we have now offers a hundred hours of 
choices.  It's mind-boggling.  What the viewer wants to look at--the 
paintings, the exploration of the music, exploration of the King James 
Text--all these things are now possible.

GINA:  Heston divides the Bible into the Old and New Testaments on 
two different discs. The first one, that has just been released, looks at 
the New Testament and the life and times of Jesus.  And while it is 
the stories of the Bible, the disc is designed to appeal to more than 
just the religious.

CHARLTON H.:  This is the hall of the Last Supper.  This is said to be 
the place where Jesus gathered his disciples for that fateful dinner, 
the night of his betrayal.

GINA:  Mixing the past and present, Heston takes you on video tours 
of old Palestine and Jerusalem, as well as some incredible virtual 3D 
recreations of famous temples from the time of Christ.

CHARLTON H.:  Once, when Jesus and the Apostles were leaving the 
Temple, he had said that the day will come that there shall not be 
one stone left upon another.

GINA:  On making the transition from the big screen to the really 
small screen, Heston says he discovered that CD-ROMs can have their 
own theatrical excitement and surprise.  Like what, you might be 
wondering?

CHARLTON H.:  The chance to play all the parts.

GINA:  Part 2 of the series, which looks at the Old Testament, is 
scheduled to come out next Easter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GINA:  Do you ever feel like throwing your computer out the 
window?  You know, coping with this high-tech world can sometimes 
cause major stress.  But when we get our wires crossed here at c|net, 
we call our own Desmond Crisis to lead us in some virtual venting.

DESMOND CRISIS:  With the expansion and integration of technology 
into our personal lives, it becomes an ever-present desire to unleash 
oneself from technology's tightening grip.

Well, then, let's rage.  I'm Desmond Crisis, your new early adopter of 
emerging technologies.  One San Francisco art gallery called Blast 
House has offered over-amped cyberheads something called Tech 
bash, which is an opportunity to vent in a comedic, interactive group 
setting.  It sounds pretty cool to me, so let's go check it out.

VOICE-OVER:  Technicality has been reached

MALE3:  I burnt it and shot it with a shot gun.

MALE4:  This is the atomic blender--it's a symbol, it represents.

MALE5:  Mannequin One, Mannequin Two?

DESMOND:  Sick of email?  Want to rip a hole in the Internet and tear 
the World Wide Web to shreds?  This is your chance.   These 
antitechnology statements are part of an exhibition by artists who 
have had enough of computers telling them what to do.  It's all 
designed to challenge how we relate to technology and how 
technology relates to art.

PERRY HOBERMAN (ARTIST):  Pathartikeys are Interfaces.  You can 
sit behind us.  It's a wall covered with computer keyboards, and 
people get to come into the gallery and control a computer by 
throwing these little koosh balls, which are these little animal-like 
balls here, at the keyboards, thereby triggering all kinds of 
animations, and so on.

NICK PHILIP (ARTIST):  Everybody's computer guy is wrong.  
Everyone has problems with their computer, but at the time it's such 
a personal experience.  It's like, this is happening to me, this 
computer is going to get me.

PERRY H.:  See all these wires coming from the wall.  Each one of 
them is coming from one of those keyboards, and they all are 
channeled in here to this actual, functional Macintosh keyboard, 
which is this kind of mutant keyboard that has all these wires going 
to the underside of it, shorting out the various keys.  So, as far as the 
computer is concerned, it thinks you're just typing on the keyboard.

VOICE-OVER:  Scuzzi conflict.

PERRY H.:  Thereby getting out all of that tension from every scuzzi 
conflict you've ever had.

KENNETH RINALDO (ARTIST):  The reason I called it a delicate 
balance, actually, was because I was really trying to think about 
what the fish wanted.  I do believe that the fish enjoys moving the 
tank around.  Well, the way that it works, actually, is it uses a couple 
of break beams, and so when the fish is on this side of the tank, 
basically what happens is this "comparator" senses where the fish is, 
and then it slowly ramps the motor up and allows it to move in this 
direction.

LEE ROY CHAMPAGNE (ARTIST):  This is called the Bad Rock Castle, 
the Babylonian Baptism.  It's an altar or a shrine, if you would, to the 
ironies of what we praise in our culture these days.  It has a 
centerpiece of a bathtub, and in the wash of the bathtub are a lot of 
computer parts, a lot of garbage, a lot of junk.  These particular 
pieces use attractive elements of technology to talk about the 
negative elements of technology.  This pew here, if you kneel down, 
it activates a song, an audio portion of this piece.

DESMOND:  Technology bashing can be a cathartic release to the 
everyday frustrations of interfacing with the digital world.  But the 
truly enlightened 21st-century wireheads will embrace, explore, and 
enfold the emerging technologies.  So, get in and get on.

GINA:  The Tech bash is a fun, if somewhat extreme way to unleash 
your computer frustrations.  If your computer has got you down, 
make sure you check out c|net online's resource section for answers 
to all of your computing questions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICHARD:  On our last show, "c|net central" took you to Comdex.

GINA:  It's the largest computer show in the country.

RICHARD:  And while Gina and I were there, many of you came up to 
pose for photographs with us.

GINA:  We had the best time and we have been watching these 
pictures pop up all over the Web.

RICHARD:  And I want to tell you, we're flattered.  Thanks.

GINA:  Thanks so much for tuning in and logging on.
