Reach Out and Unnerve Someone
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As prepaid long-distance phone cards surge in popularity--there are trade magazines devoted to them now--it’s probably no surprise that the latest trend is Web-site-themed cards.
The appeal of the “Home Page Phone Card Series” is twofold. First, they feature such popular sites as Year 2000 (https://www.year2000.com), the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black (https://www.karenblack.com) and B-Monster (https://www.bmonster.com). Second, the graphics on the cards range, like the sites, from eye-catching to unnerving.
Portions of the proceeds from the phone cards, put out by Star Telecom, go to the Web sites as well as nonprofit organizations such as Rainforest Action Network and Lifebeat, an AIDS research group.
To buy the phone cards, go to https://www.startele.com, or call (818) 995-1922.
CYBERSPACE
* Technolink Assn. is a coalition of Southern California government bodies and high-tech firms that provides resources for local technology start-ups in an effort to develop a “high-tech trade and technology corridor in Los Angeles.” For information about the group and an idea of how it might help you (or you them), check out their recently launched site at https://www.technolinkassoc.org
* The Federal Trade Commission’s home page has new information about how to avoid scams from people who promise to turn your invention into the Next Hot Thing. Called “Operation Mousetrap,” the site offers information on how to spot a scam as well as links to the U.S. Patent & Trade Office and the National Congress of Inventor Organizations. The FTC site is at https://www.ftc.gov
* Get medical information between doctor’s visits at MedicineNet (https://www.medicinenet.com). Visitors can read about diseases and treatments, look up medications for information on dosages, warnings and side effects, use an online medical dictionary and browse a list of poison centers.
* For insurance news and a glossary of insurance terms, head to https://www.insure.com. The site also offers links to other insurance resources.
* Online film buffs can get ready to study the craft at Cinema U., an online film school that debuted last week. Topics for classes include “Godzilla on Film: A History of the Monster Movie” and “Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Film History.” How does it work, you ask? Each week, students watch a scheduled film and log in for a pre-viewing lecture, complete with “thought-provoking questions for threaded online discussions.” Each class ends with a summary lecture and offers additional reading and film suggestions. The first classes start Friday; enrollment has begun. For more information, go to https://www.reel.com/cinemau
* Always dreamed of owning your own pizzeria? Put together your best 250 words on why, head to https://pages.prodigy.net/fhita and it could be yours. You see, Frank Maimone finally realized his dream of owning a pizzeria, only to have it dashed when he suddenly found himself allergic to flour (also called the baker’s curse). So now he’s holding this contest to give away his South Philly pizzeria, Vito’s Pizza. Good luck.
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