The Net Hits The Fringe
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday August 28, 1994
THIS year's Edinburgh Festival can add another first to its Fringe benefits with the introduction of a computer cafe by a former computer hacker. Dan O'Brien has a one-man comedy show at the festival, based on a 20th-century Romeo-and-Juliet saga played out with the help of computer technology. Caught in the Net plays out the real-life story of how O'Brien, then a precocious teenage hacker, tried to win the affections of a fellow Internet worker.
As an extension of the performance, O'Brien has installed a series of computers in a cafe in the courtyard of the Pleasance Theatre Attic where he performs. On it, is an introduction for amateurs to the pleasures of the Internet. Seasoned users can also check festival program details and write reviews.
There are plans to open a similar cyber-cafe in London - financial backing permitting. Both can be contacted on the Internet. The addresses are: Edinburgh cyber-cafe - Dannytse.cityscape.co.uk; London project -Heathcybercafe.org.
The worlds of the cellular telephone and the pager have grown closer together in Britain. Now, in some cases, the cellular telephone is the pager. And vice versa.
An SMS (short message service) is available in the UK on both Vodaphone and Orange mobile phones. A message of up to 160 characters can be keyed in, either via the phone's keys - which is complicated and a long-winded business- or more simply sent by modem from a PC.
The message is relayed on the telephone screen. If the phone is switched off, the message is stored for later retrieval.
The cellular telephone can be linked to a laptop which means that salespeople and engineers in the field carry a totally portable, wireless message facility.
Virtual reality is being used experimentally to give the disabled a feeling for the real world. The psychology department of Leicester University is refurbishing the interiors of a number of local buildings; it will then see if it can help people who are physically severely disabled by introducing them to virtual reality interiors of, say, schools, airports and public buildings.
One area the department is exploring is whether the system will help disabled children develop independent spatial awareness, rather than relying on others for that skill. The system is being constructed using Dimension Software's SuperScape VRT and Sense8's World Tool Kit.
The Cabinet Office Efficiency Unit, the UK Government's spending watchdog, says too much is being spent on information technology consultants. It has advocated stricter controls. Nearly half of all consultancy spending now goes on information technology.
Two of the big service companies are SDS and CSC Computer Sciences, whose joint earnings exceeded $120 million over 1992-1993. Apart from such very large consultancies, there are many smaller specialists.
Richard Williams runs Business Development Associates which has worked for the UK Government on a number of IT-related projects.
"In my experience," he says, "while it is sometimes true that savings may not be immediately apparent, consultancy advice often helps to confirm the advisability of a course of action. In many cases, government personnel simply do not have the expertise necessary to implement departmental change."
This European summer sees help for travellers on the main A7 route through France. At rest stops (aires) along a 130-kilometre south-east stretch of the motorway, a computer call-in system has been installed which can answer motorists' queries in English, German, Spanish and Italian. If successful, the service will be extended to other major roads.
© 1994 Sydney Morning Herald