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NOVEMBER
17, 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 45 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK
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Montage
by Manodh Premaratne.
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Chinese
War Game
Would-be
'War Gods' hit the Net, cellphones become immortal and kids get jiggy online
Compiled by YASMIN GHAHREMANI
"Wish you could go back in time to command a small Chinese nation to fight
against assassins and spies?" asks the maker of Zhanshen.com, China's first
free Net game. No? Well at least 610 other people want to. That's how many
signed up within the first day of play, Nov. 1. When you join, you get your
very own nation, which you can name as you want. The object is to build
it up using the philosophies of Confucius and other Chinese scholars, pictured
in the montage above. Sounds noble, but don't worry. The game includes all
the usual testosterone-infused elements, like attacks, land grabs and big
property developments. There are English and Chinese versions, and players'
messages to each other will be translated into the appropriate language.
A fresh game starts at the beginning of each month. The player with the
most points at the end will win a prize — and, more importantly, be
named Zhanshen, or "War God."
Asiaweek
Pictures.
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Online Juvie
Jam
Can't get your child to practice his
clarinet?
Maybe what he needs is a little music appreciation lesson. Not from a geriatric
teacher who smells like lavender and mothballs, but from the hip prehistoric
characters at UggaUgga.com. The site has free software tools that allow
kids to compose their own synthesized tunes online, or make animated music
videos to songs like Technosaurus or Bossa Ugga. They can then send the
videos to their friends or submit them to the Kids Rock Challenge for a
chance to make the weekly Top Ten List and win prizes. But it looks like
Junior's not out of the woods yet. Prizes include an IBM Think Pad and musical
instruments — with lessons.
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Asiaweek
Pictures.
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Ha! You Call
That Big?
We have seen the future of data storage and it makes today's DVDs look positively
laughable. Make way for the Hyper CD-ROM drive, a project in development
by Romanian scientist Eugen Pavel. While the typical DVD holds a mere 4.7
gigabytes of digital data, the Hyper CD-ROM can record up to 10 terabytes
— or 10,000 gigabytes. That's the equivalent of about 10 million books.
The disks are made of 10-millimeter-thick fluorescent photosensitive glass.
Unlike conventional CD-ROMs, which store data only on the surface, the glass
disks contain more than 10,000 levels that can be written on. Pavel says
the drive should be ready for commercial use within a year. Digital packrats
are sure to greet the news with glee. You could put every Harlequin Romance
ever published on there. Well, almost.
Asiaweek
Pictures.
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Drop
the Chargers
U.S.-based Manhattan Scientifics, Inc. has invented the mobile phone equivalent
of a perpetual motion machine — or a working prototype of one anyway.
The Power Holster looks just as unstylish as a regular cellphone belt clip.
But it houses a tiny collection of fuel cells that continuously charge the
phone. The cells use air, along with a mixture of methanol and water, to
produce electricity. The only wastes emitted are carbon dioxide and water,
better than the toxic chemicals used in regular batteries. Scientists say
they successfully powered a Nokia 6190 for one month with the prototype,
and it can be easily adapted for any phone brand. That's all very well and
good. But why couldn't they have made one that doesn't look like it should
be hanging from a carpenter's waistband? Now that will be a real breakthrough.
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Vol. 2 No. 8
COVER:
Storming Asia
U.S.-based yahoo is Asia's internet portal of choice, but
rival dotcoms are spoiling for a fight
Banter-Bots:
want to chat online with john lennon? how about a wisecracking hamster?
chatbots are the talk of the web
Expletive
Deleted: keeping your kids away from porn is made easier with
the right programs, but "chaperone-ware" can't completely sanitize
cyberspace
Pulse:
China gets a net game, fuel cells meet cellphones, cd-roms that hold
10 million books, and the latest in hands-free headsets
Politics.com:
Anti-estrada protests and resignation petitions build to a roar on
the philippines web
Index:
The asiaweek/cnn internet index may have hit bottom at last
Toolbox:
Lucent's "residential gateway" offers wireless internet access from
anywhere in your house — once you get it to work
Wired Exec: an environmental
activist's love-hate relationship with tech
Asiaweek Technology Home
Asiaweek/CNN Internet Index:
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