Standard-Speaker from Hazleton, Pennsylvania • Page 47

Standard-Speaker, Sunday, February 18 1996 E7 I Steinbeck's classic goes digital USER FRIENDLY rw7 I 43 Monitors made simple A computer's monitor needs to suit you really well, especially if you look at it for long periods. Don't buy a monitor based just on a review or sales hype trust your eyes and your hunch. Screen sizes are measured diagonally. A 14-inch monitor is about as small closeness of the color dots is important. Smaller numbers are better, with .28 mm as will be comfortable.

Basically, bigger is better. The little dots (pixels) that make up the screen image should appear small and should (millimeters) being about as coarse as you will want. The "refresh rate" measures how often the screen image is replenished. The larger the number, -measured in hertz, the better. Lock br 72 hertz or "He loved to learn how things worked.

He would have had a computer and everything and he would know exactly how to work it. He was always up on the latest gadgets." The opening sequence, in which a hobo comes upon a fallen bedroll lying open on railroad tracks, makes her stop short. Exposed are a copy of the book, other literature and papers users click on to navigate the CD-ROM's many offerings. Marketed for classrooms as much as home reading, the CD-ROM grants schoolteachers a liberal use license and includes lesson plan materials. As a study resource it's full of background material on the historical era, local geography and migrant farm work practices of the time.

There are character profiles and area maps. Extensive use of video- and other multimedia aids should help hook even the shortest attention spans. Still, it all comes down the to the writing itself. So the CD was blessed with success just by landing the support of Mrs. Steinbeck, who has no complaints.

Reading Steinbeck's saddest story, seeing boyhood photos and rereading decades-old love letters can be a moving experience, especially if you were married to the guy. "It's wonderful. I'm glad I've lived long enough to see it," Mrs. Steinbeck said, clearly feeling every twang of the banjo playing in the background. "Thank you, thank you.

It makes me weep." Damp eyes glued to the screen, she soaked it all in, suddenly breaking the spell after a few minutes to return to her favorite topic. "You know who would love it? Steinbeck." she said. "Oh God, he'd love it. He would just flip over it." 0 A new CD-ROM takes 'Of Mice and Men' into the multimedia age. By RIC LEYVA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" is a timeless page-turner, even when printed on the paperless page.

George and Lennie will always be George and Lennie, their tragic story is universal. Going digital could never change that. It might make more kids take a look though. That's the plan, anyway. Taking his classic into the multimedia age, "John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men" (Penguin Electronic-Byron Preiss Multimedia, Windows and Mac, $49.95) mixes an illustrated cybertext with music, movie clips, old snapshots, personal letters, souvenirs and mementos.

The multimedia barrage includes scenes from the 1992 film starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, narrated historical photo -albums from Steinbeck's youth in California and scholarly comment and lively anecdotes from his widow, Elaine Steinbeck, in video footage. The Nobel Prize winner who died in 1968 immortalized the land and people of his beloved Salinas Valley-Monterey Bay home turf in such books as "Cannery Row," "Tortilla Flat," "The Red Pony" and "East of Eden." Although Steinbeck lived much of his later life on the East Coast, his influence is so profound the fertile region south of Silicon Valley is still called Steinbeck Country. The Dust Bowl saga "Grapes of Wrath" is widely recognized as his most powerful not be too visible to you. The more dots (higher work, but "Of Mice and Men" explored similar themes in a simpler way and remains a sentimental favorite of many. Mice and Men" is so popular," Mrs.

Steinbeck said. "Young people love it. It's about friendship and loyalty. "John told me, 'I finished it and we went out for dinner and when I came back the dog had eaten it. I mean, he had eaten all of it.

Tore it all up. And I had to sit down and write the whole thing all over. That's one of the reasons I think it's good, because I had to write it That's his Elaine Steinbeck's story is that she became the writer's third wife in 1950. A Texan who went to college with Lady Bird Johnson, Mrs. Steinbeck, 81, was one of the first women stage managers on Broadway.

The original 1943 production of "Oklahoma" is among her credits, but she doesn't want to talk about herself too much. The love of her life maintains a powerful presence. And to her it's more than his golden Nobel medal on the wall or the bronze portrait sculpture overlooking the room, or even her own special brand of devotion to the man. Its source is his work, his only real legacy. Steinbeck has been translated into more than 40 languages and most of his books' remain in print around the world, his wife is proud to say.

So the jump to multimedia is only natural. "John loved everything mechanical," she said, as she saw the entire CD-ROM for the first time in the apartment she shared with Steinbeck on Manhattan's Upper East Side. more to avoid (lickerina. resolution) tne clearer the picture. Typical resolutions: An acceptable resolution with VGA adapters on PCs with DOS software is 640x480 pixels (640 columns by 480 rows).

SVGA adapters (800x600 or more) should be the minimum for a 1 5-inch monitor while you are running Windows. Macintoshes with a 15-inch monitor have 832x624 pixels. On a 17-inch Macintosh monitor you probably will want resolution. "Noninterlaced" is better than "interlaced" it is double the refresh rate. For PCs you will need an adapter card to drive the monitor.

Be sure to get the right one. Most Macintosh users will not need one. Monitors give off very low-frequency radiation. The lowest output is from monitors that comply with Sweden's MPR II standard. To save electricity, look for monitors with the EnergyStar logo.

Plug and Play (PnP) is an emerging standard for PCs. PnP allows nearly foolproof connecting of monitors. Mac users have I Get a tight "dot pitch." The enjoyed PnP for some time. Copley News ServiceDan Clifford cation 'Peter Rabbit' on a PC Photo industry to show its best new products By LARRY BLASKO Associated Press By RICK SAMMON For AP Special Features with his life. The clothes wind up on a scarecrow but are retrieved by their rightful owner in the sequel, with Benjamin.

All of that is faithfully transferred to the CD-ROM and brought to life with magnificent watercolor quality animation and rich narration. As with most such works, the text is highlighted as the narrator speaks the words. The software also includes hypertext links that explain terms that might not otherwise connect in 3-year-old heads. Which highlights a nice decision by Mindscape: To keep the stories faithful to the pre-computer originals rather than dumb them down or pretty them up. The user interface allows a child to navigate between scenes in both stories and to visit activity areas for related games.

In the stories, 200 "hot spots" appear, and clicking on them rewards the child's curiosity. Narration is in English accents, and users are given a choice of American and British English (they spell funny in England). There's nice music throughout, and sound effects are aimed at the prospective audience. ASSOCIATED PRESS The Las Vegas Convention Center will be the site this week of the 72nd Photo Marketing Association Convention and Trade Show. "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter is the story of a poor lad from a single-parent family who turns to a life of crime that had already claimed his father.

At least that's how Peter's classic raid on Mr. McGregor's garden might be billed by today's guardians of youth. But those who remember the real story and want to pass it along to their children will be interested in The Adventures of Peter Rabbit Benjamin Bunny, a CD-ROM from Mindscape for Windows 95 and 3.1. Potter's world was the English lake country and her gift from that world to the rest of us was Peter, whose father had been made into a pie for visiting the garden. Faced with the option of picking blackberries with his goody-goody sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail, Peter took the high road of adventure.

He raided the garden, overdosed on radishes, was chased all about by a rake-wielding gardener and, leaving his clothes behind, barely escaped sumers. According to Roy Pung, executive director of PMA International, 'This year's show, with an anticipated attendance of about 30,000, showcases three still-imaging recording systems. "First, there is the new and exciting Advanced Photo System. The main advantages of this system are smaller, lighter and more versatile cameras; easier film handling, because the film cartridge is sealed; a choice of making different format prints on the same roll standard, panorama, and a new slightly longer than standard format called and high-quality prints due to advancements in photo-finishing equipment. The new Advanced Photo System is truly revolutionary because the new cameras will not accept current films, and vice versa.

"Second, we have new and more sophisticated camera models based on the standard 35 mm format. This system is currently the most popular way to record memories, and it will be Each year, thousands of worldwide photo industry experts attend the Photo -Marketing Association (PMA) Convention and Trade Show, the largest annual photoimaging 'show. Traditionally, the latest and most advanced products are unveiled for owners of camera stores, writers, editors and other professionals. For the previous 71 years of this show, attendees have looked forward to seeing new camera lenses, films and accessories that will help consumers take better pictures with the least amount of trouble. No PMA show to date, however, has offered the truly innovative products that will be introduced at this year's production at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Feb.

22-25. More than 550 companies will be showing their new cameras, accessories and photo-processing equipment. In addition, dozens of educational seminars will be given on how to convey the pleasure of photography to con "What we are seeing is just the start of what consumers will be able to do with their images. Even now, poor backgrounds can be corrected and annoying redeye can be eliminated on home computers and at photo store digital enhancement stations. In the next few years, these and other creative digital enhancement options will be more affordable, easier to master, and more accessible not to mention more fun in making images," Pung concludes.

around for many years to come. Here, too, we will see cameras that make picture-taking easier and more fun. "Third," Pung continues, "we have more consumer digital cameras and filmprint scanners, which are coming down in price and going up in quality. "All three systems offer many more opportunities for making traditional pictures and using pictures in computer-generated documents, for both home and business. Film Oscar losers: Oversights are puzzling By JOHN HORN AP Entertainment Writer fizzled at the Oscars.

The choices seemed to destroy the shibboleths that have been hurled at the Academy voters in past years: That they are partial to American movies, overwhelmed by big budgets and box-office success, overly influenced by films released in December or that they stick to their old favorites. 1 Aside from Apollo 13, international themes and movies dominated, and four of the five best-picture nominees appeared during the summer or earlier. these days with what's happening in the country and it's probably nice to go into a film and come out feeling happy," she said. Many prognosticators thought John Travolta would be nominated for best actor in Get Shorty. He wasn't.

Academy tea leaf readers thought Nicole Kidman was a shoo-in for To Die For. Not so. Not surprisingly, most of the year's box-office hits, including' Batman Forever, Die Hard With a Vengeance and Crimson Tide, BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) Tom Hanks' spaceship made it back safely to Earth. His Oscar chances perished on re-entry.

The Apollo 13 star failed in his bid for a record-setting third consecutive lead acting Oscar. Hanks' omission made some sense the Forrest Gump star said himself that his part in the ensemble wasn't Oscar-worthy but other oversights Tuesday were more puzzling. While the makers of Braveheart and The Postman celebrated their Oscar nomina- I i ASSOCIATED PRESS Tom Hanks, who starred in Ron Howard's "Apollo 13," missed his chance for a third consecutive lead acting Oscar. Howard wasn't nominated either, but the movie finished with nine nominations. Top weekend movies Weekend of February 9-11, 1996 AN EYE OPENING OFFER from EYE WORLD INC.

1201 NORTH CHURCH ST. 29th St. Office Complex, Hazleton 459-2430 Oscars tion haul, several other filmmakers wondered how 5,043 Academy members voted the way they did: Sense and Sensibility was nominated for best picture and collected seven nominations, but the movie apparently directed itself there was no Oscar nod for Ang Lee, the Taiwanese director who took on the formidable challenge of the British period film. Ron Howard's Apollo 13 joined the best picture race, too, and finished with nine nominations. But like Lee, Howard was left at the launch pad with no directing honor.

Dead Man Walking and Leaving Las Vegas were both nominated for best actress, actor, and director, and collected several prizes in film critics awards. With those credentials, the films normally would have been best picture locks, yet both came up empty in the top prize race. Some of the voting filmmakers felt Dead Man Walking and Leaving Las Vegas suffered from overly grave themes; after all, even Schindler's List had an upbeat ending. The same partiality for more pleasing works probably scuttled Casino and Nixon. "I doesn't surprise me, does it said Mike Figgis, nominated for directing Leaving Las Vegas.

Kathleen Quinlan, nominated for supporting actress for her depiction of astronaut Jim Lovell's wife in Apollo 13, defended the attraction to hopeful films. "I do believe that the American public has plenty of darkness to deal with in our lives HONESTLY, you will SAVE when you bring this coupon before you choose frames from our enormous selection! All dollar Figures in millions Gross to dale weeks in Weekend release, number at screens ross Broken Arrow $15.6 $1 5.6, one week, 2,388 screens Mr. Holland's Opus $6.8 $40.3, lour weeks, 1 ,659 screens Black Sheep $65 $193. two weeks, 2,092 screens The Juror $4.4 $1 5.3, two weeks, 2,205 screens Leaving Las Vegas $3.3 $15.4, 16 weeks. U10 screens Dead Man Walking $2.9 $139, seven weeks, 821 screens Beautiful Girls $2.8 $28, one week, 752 screens Bed of Roses $2.7 $15.1, three weeks, 1,533 screens Sense and Sensibility $2.4 $243, nre weeks, 952 screens White Squall $2.4 $7.4.

two weeks, 1,524 screens (Continued from El) Michaef Radford and Chris Noonan had less. All are first-timers. Bruce Springsteen, a winner for "Philadelphia," is back in the magic circle this year with his title song for "Dead Man Walking." Took a powder. Stripped bare. Up for sound (glub, glub).

There is real shock that popular John Travolta came up short with "Get Shorty" (Hollywood oldsters might have resented the film's comic jabbing at the biz). And that "Leaving Las Vegas," a "downer" for some, a dark glory for others, is not a iest picture." Other top absentees are Jennifer Jason Leigh We are pleased to offer ONE HOUR FAST SERVICE in most cases Robert De Niro and Al Pacino directors Scorsese, Howard, Lee, Michael Mann Oliver Stone plus Clint Eastwood (actor-director, "Bridges of Madison Nicole Kidman Die Michael Douglas American Ian McKellen and Michelle Pfeiffer No African-American actors including Delroy Lindo Angela Bassett to Laurence Fishburne Don Cheadle and Denzel Washington in a Blue and James Earl Jones the Beloved were nominated. As always, Oscar night will be big for glitz hogs, and maybe the best ever for a pig. UUUKUN I Cq) 5 OFF ALL FRAMES I MUST BE COMPLETE PAIR Some restrictions apply. Valid til March 1.

1 996 7 8 EYE WORLD inc. 29th Street Office Complex, Rt. 309 (between Holiday Inn McDonald's) AP Source: Exhibitor Relations Inc..