`kindergarten Stuff' Leads To Grade A Feud At Meeting 
**see For The Record 1/15/98

Bar Scene Stealer: Watching Pittsburgh Lose 
After The Only Pa. Team 
In The Nfl Playoffs Lost, 
Many Area Football Fans 
Shifted Support To Denver And Qb John Elway

Tuesday, January 13, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Disdain for Gates of Hell won't prevent getting caught in the Net &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I'm not a high-tech guy. No one at our house carries a pager and we dumped
the cell phone plan. I wrapped crumpled foil around the rabbit ears just to
watch the playoffsA computer? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I figured the Unabomber would have a satellite dish before we had an
Internet service provider. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For years, I feared technology would ruin civilization. We've all heard the
stories of the guy who traded the family for the chat room gang. Or the kids
whose only friends are blinking droids, ninjas and starship pilots. Or the
'net-addicted mom who lost custody of her children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I sure didn't want to become another victim hooked on this electronic drug.
I'd just keep to my books, newspapers and free TV and let everyone else surf
to their demise. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it got to me. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I guess it was seeing friends, relatives and co-workers happily cruising
through cyberspace that did me in. Or maybe it was an urge to give Bill Gates
some extra pocket change before Christmas. He has such a big house, you know.
I'm sure he could use a few mini-blinds or towel holders. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm one of those "dataholics" discovered
in a Reuters survey last month. Ever since I pulled the thing out of the box,
plugged it in and double-clicked, I've been downloading, uploading and
e-mailing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In that survey of 1,000 international business people, 53 percent craved
information and 54 percent claimed to get a "high" when their electronic
searches hit pay dirt. In a news story, some psychologist was quoted as saying
the study reveals the link between Internet abuse, data accumulation and
information addiction. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The survey, called "Glued to the Screen: An investigation into information
addiction worldwide," also said the info junkies were worried about their
children. Forty-six percent said their kids prefer computers to their peers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's a problem when it starts to affect the way people perform in
business, and in the way it affects their home life," said Paul Waddington, a
Reuters spokesman. "When people are spending three or four hours on the
Internet, clearly it is not good for productivity at work, and the same thing
is true at home." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I think these guys might have missed the point. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I always turn on the computer with intentions to find information (or play
Asteroids). But I usually end up fighting just to get online. I wouldn't
vanish for hours at a time if the machine didn't cough and sputter like a
jalopy on a cold morning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Computers, you see, are time machines. Sign on, and two hours later you're
bleary-eyed and too woozy to remember what you did or where you've been. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For the uninitiated, the routine goes something like this: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You sign on, stare at an hourglass, type a password, stare at an hourglass,
reboot, stare at an hourglass, sign on, stare at an hourglass, type a
password, stare at an hourglass, wait while the modem "initializes," type a
screen name, type a password, stare at an hourglass. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then, as long as you don't hit a busy signal, you're ready to surf- no,
crawl- through the World Wide Web, that colossal swamp of "pages" strung
together by computers and phone lines. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Come to think of it, maybe I'm not a "dataholic." I'm not one to check
long-term interest rates, or the latest development at the United Nations or
the price of soy bean futures. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead, I'll waste 20 minutes watching a map slowly fill the monitor, even
though there's an atlas in the hall closet. Or, like some spy tapping a
message in Morse code, I'll chat from the keyboard while the phone sits on the
counter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This, I'm sure, fits into the computer industry's master plan to control
our time. The tech heads can't wait until the day families are curling up in
front of a glowing monitor, ordering pizzas, playing games and admiring
artwork- all via computer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The way they see it, we'll have no reason to leave home. The computer will
be the work station, the play station, the visiting station. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I'm not sure pulsing images on a 15-inch screen will ever replace a
real-life visit to a Cezanne exhibit, an afternoon at t

Disdain For Gates Of Hell Won't Prevent Getting Caught In The Net 
I'm Not A High-tech Guy. No One At Our House Carries A Pager And We Dumped The 
Cell Phone Plan. I Wrapped Crumpled Foil Around The Rabbit Ears Just To Watch 
The Playoffs.

Disdain For Gates Of Hell Won't Prevent Getting Caught In The Net I'm Not A High-tech Guy. No One At Our House Carries A Pager And We Dumped The Cell Phone Plan. I Wrapped Crumpled Foil Around The Rabbit Ears Just To Watch The Playoffs.