Thousand Oaks Star from Thousand Oaks, California • 29

Personal Technology 3 MONDAY 51297 The Star Commections New camera has 3 effect A fun new camera from Argus Industries allows three dimensional effect photo prints to be taken using standard 35mm color negative film without the need for special accessories or processing The 3 Stereo Camera operates like most 35mm cameras and uses conventional film However when the user takes a snapshot the camera which uses twin lenses set at slightly different perspectives records the exposure in a stereo image When developed the prints appear normal to the naked eye but when placed into and viewed through a special hand held Argus 3 viewer they take on a full range of depth three dimensional effect The Argus 3 Stereo Camera is sold in a kit that includes the camera a maxi vfewer and camera bag at a suggested retail price of Cm News Service Seen Heard High tech news 24 hours a day Round the clock bits and bytes may be coming soon to cable TV Ziff Davis the San rancisco high tech publishing giant recently announced that it plans to build a national 24 hour high tech cable news channel by next year But so far the company has not lined up any cable 1 1 systems to carry it Called ZDTV: Your Computer Channel it will be the' first cable station devoted exclusively to high tech mews "The time is really ripe for said Jeff Ballowe president of Ziff Davis Interactive Media and Development Group He said the increasing popularity of the Web and personal computers will bring viewers to the new channel But some wonder whether people really want that much high tech news not apparent the demand is there I mean what is it that going to talk bout 24 hours a day regarding computer said Keith Benjamin an analyst at Robertson Stephens Ziff Davis tentatively plans to Softer breaking tech news in thejmorning how to shows dicing the day and on ''weekends a newsmagazine style show focusing on the Internet during prime time anfd computer gaming tips late at night Some of the shows will be named after Ziff Davis trade magazines such as PC Week amily PC and Ccimputer Gaming World of the episodes will be produced at Ziff television studios in San rancisco The company which is owjned by Softbank of Japan said it will spend more than $1 00 million and hire 300 nejv staffers to launch the nejwork Currently Ziff Davis has abbut 65 employees in its television studio who produce The Site a weekly hourlong show about high tech that i air? on cable station MSNBC Ziff Davis plans to continue producing the show for MSNBC even after it launches its own television I channel new channel will compete with CNet a San rancisco high tech news outfit that produces two and a half hours of televisionprogramming per week San rancisco Chronicle ishing simulator almost the reel thing NO SALT SPRAY: Salmon invention proving popular at expositions By Pete lacobelli The Associated Press COLUMBIA SC Steve Hill can make two minutes with a video screen feel like a day on the ocean The fiberglass rod shakes your arms as the 30 pound test line spews off the reel with a familiar mechanical whir Your prize a 120 pound sailfish is off and running deep into the salty ocean Hill who grew up fishing the deep sea waters off Virginia Beach Va shouts instructions You yank the rod up and slowly reel it back down You repeat the motion several times Each tug sends more sweat down your back Welcome to Moby Dick meets Microsoft The sailfish actually is a com puter processor sequencing a videocassette recorder and an electric motor attached to a winch A 32 inch video screen shows the action When the fish dives your rod ducks down with it When the sailfish grabs the bait the 40 pounds of torque can snap the line if not ready The sailfish rears up for a tail walk across the water Your rod is stretched to thedimit muscles aching to hang on pretty exciting in feeling the strikes when (the fish) makes the said David Anders a 44 year old fisherman who tried the Sportfishin' Simu lator at an outdoor expo here The machine gives you the full blown feel except for some queasiness and a little sea spray of hauling in that sail fish or tangling with a small mouth bass an experienced fish erman I think that if you stood there with a pole in your hand and blindfolded you could honestly tell the Hill said Hill who charges $3 a person shows the simulator at trade shows supermarkets or any where else he finds interest He has been booked solid since January when he bought the simulator at a Nashville Tenn fishing exhibit He has demonstrated it in North Carolina Virginia Geor gia lorida and South Carolina and expects the demand to last through summer The simulator was created by Charles White who Hill says is one of the best salmon guides in British Columbia But White knew that just four or five bites a day for a boatload of people was bad for business So he built a machine to give his clients a crash course on salmon fishing a while people told him to forget being a salmon Hill said the simula Larry Cartee of the state Nat ural Resources Department said it might be a teaching tool It gives inexperienced anglers a taste of the thing maybe just enough to lure them out on the water people done this actively before this is a good way to Cartee said booth at a three day show last month was constantly crowded with a line that snaked past other exhibits Maryanna Brown 17 had never fished before but she strapped the deep sea belt around her waist and cast off was fun but I was extremely she said know if do it Hill who has videos for sever al different fish says people look at his contraption as a cute gag until the bait vibrates through the water they feel the jerk of the rod and battle for almost two minutes Tucker Miller 22 says he fishes almost every day mostly for bass and brim Once he got hold of the simu lator he was hooked need a he said fish all HbIMK Bfl WBBB 1 BK cBRjR 'Z: jfxfl J1T The Associated Press VIRTUAL ISHING: Steve Hill instructs Maryanna Brown on use of his fishing simulator which uses a winch and video display to replicate the experience of catching several species of fish Help Desk DVD lives up to hype but expensive Dear Mike: There has been a lot of hype about the new DVD players I have seen them advertised I love video gadgets should I go out and buy one? LTV Dear LTV: Actually the new DVD Digital Video Disk players do live up to their hype When I last talked about this technology a few months ago it had not quite arrived yet The major players including Sony Samsung Toshiba Panasonic etc have all brought units to the market The DVD technology does deliver superb picture quality and enhanced digital movie theater type sound It can also deliver both TV and movie theater aspect ratios multiple language capabilities and numerous other special features the catch? The biggest problem is that there are not many movies available yet on DVD disks Only about 60 titles are expected by the end of this month with perhaps the same number to appear over the next year Like many new technologies it will take awhile before enough people own the players to encourage the movie companies to bring out their features on DVD The current crop of DVD players also are expensive ranging from $550 to $1000 If you can wait you can expect the prices to drop sharply over the next few years The other thing to remember is that these units are video players and cannot record You will still need your VCR It will be a number of years before a DVD unit with recording capability will be available for use If you have got to be the first on your block to own one feel free to go out and buy You will get a unit that really can perform well and live up to the hype Conservative types like me can wait till the prices drop and high definition televisions are available to go with the DVD players Dear Mike: I carry around one of those loose leaf binder systems for keeping track of my life When I am out in the mail I keep seeing lots of little calculator sized gadgets for doing the same thing They range in price all over the place How do I choose a good one? KTT Dear KTT: Choosing one of these gadgets or PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant) is a very private type of decision You will find that when you ask around each person you talk to will be very loyal to the make and model he or she chose This means that you need to actually try the various models out before you choose What feels right to your friend may not feel right to you PDAs vary in price from $50 to $500 They also vary in capability from a simple address book function to a Mike small unit that can act as a ITiihinctain scheduler word processor nUDIIlStclll spreadsheet and mailer The first thing that you need to do is to figure out just what you need the unit to do or example is a name and address function all that you need or do you need something that will beep you when something needs to be done and also keep track of your expenses? Second how much do you really want to spend on this gadget? Deciding this in advance will help narrow your choices down Size and shape are also important considerations I like a unit that I can slip into my pocket If you carry a purse or backpack this might not be as important a consideration A very important point is button pushing The small units while cute may be hard to operate accurately This is where hands on testing is crucial You need to be able to read the display easily too Depending upon your age you may want to opt for a bigger unit with a larger display screen DEAR READERS: like to hear from you about your pet technological peeves Write fax or mail your stories I will share the best ones with you in this column Be sure to indicate if you want me to use your name To get you started here are a few of my peeves: 1) Electronic clocks and appliance that only let you change the time in one direction a real problem when we fall back 2) Remote controls with small black buttons on a black background with tiny gray letters 3) Thick manuals that require a Phd to understand and a forklift to carry Mike Rubinstein can be reached at Help Desk do Ventura County Star RO Box 6711 Ventura CA 93006 or by faxing to 650 2944 You can reach him by mail at rubinstein(atelisorg A New system merges media by marrying PC to television rom wire reports sions range from $3000 rcrt Hoping to change the face of $4300) has been marketed couch potatoing Compaq Com puter and RCA yesterday intro duced PC Theatre an entertain ment center that combines a big screen television with a powerful personal computer The system which goes for a cool $5000 lets users watch TV and movies and play computer games as well as surf the Web and exchange mail It features a 36 inch multimedia monitor and a 200 megahertz Pentium based PC not the first attempt to marry the computer and the tele vision Another PC maker Gateway 2000 offers a similar system called Destination which comes with a 31 inch monitor But the Gateway package (ver high end PC that also can be used '1 to watch TV The PC Theatre by contrast: is the first system designed pH marily for family entertainment? The system can be used as' a 7 regular TV and can also hooked up to other components like a VCR or DVD player stereo receiver and speakers (jt comes with speakers but not adequate for home theatcrX audio) Software in the PC gives yoif an onscreen programming guide: and lets you customize the sys tem to your tastes You can store watched channels for easy recall'? and even block channels and coin puter programs rom the people who bring you OfficeMax TriMax Digital Printing Technology or The Right Look Right Now! Black 1 Self Inking 4 i White Copies! i Stamp I Minimum 100 Copies I Great or Home Or Office Use! 2 Bi Copies 8 12" single sided 201b white paper Never Needs an Ink Pad! Ji i black ink only One single sided 8 12" 1 1 original i Item PH01 or Ideal 0 per coupon One coupon per customer Otter only valid i One coupon per customer Offer only valid with with coupon Good thru 51897 122574344547 cpupon Good tfiru5A 897 122574344554J At all OfficeMax locations ANAHEIM: (714) 835 6157 MONTCLAIR: (909) 624 4451 CORONA: (909) 276 6303 PLACENTIA: (714) 579 1665 CULVER CITY: (310) 330 5520 0XNAR0: (805) 988 1558 1 GARDEN GROVE: (714) 703 0536 RANCHO CUCAMONGA: (909) 484 3024 HUNTINGTON 8EACH: i (714) 842 5150 RIVERSIDE: (909) 309 3980 IRVINE: (714) 753 1035 SAN DtMAS (909) 599 0707 LA HABRA: (310) 694 8085 SANTA CLARITA (805) 296 0702 LAKEWOOD: (310) 790 2334 SOUTH TORRANCE (310) 373 8979 NORTH TORRANCE: (310)793 2880 THOUSAND OAKS (805)446 4060 MISSION VIEJO: (714)364 6739 TUSTIN: (714)505 3942 rom the people who bring you OfficeMax TriMax $499 Save a.