Spicing Up the Recipe for Chips
Hughes Electronics today will become the first company to sign on to a new chip technology technology developed by IBM researchers that could significantly improve the performance of two-way pagers, interactive television terminals, satellite phones other wireless devices.
Until recently, the silicon-based chips used in most micro-electronic devices were believed to be impractical for the new breed of personal communications products because radio-frequency chips made from silicon can not handle the many billions of cycles per second that the devices require.
But by adding a small amount of germanium--a sister element to silicon--scientists created an alloy that causes the electrons in the device to travel far more rapidly than in a conventional silicon transistor. Hughes is the first company to announce that it will incorporate silicon germanium chips into its consumer products, although others are expected to follow.
Marketing in Cyberspace: Pacific Bell will offer a pair of free, two-hour small-business seminars in Los Angeles and Pasadena on Wednesday covering online marketing, creating a Web site to attract new customers, and emerging trends on the Internet. The L.A. session begins at 9:30 a.m. at 1010 Wilshire Blvd. and the Pasadena meeting starts at 7 p.m. at 177 E. Colorado Blvd. For more information or to reserve a spot, call (800) 808-7199.
THIS WEEK / ONLINE
* Tuesday, 7 p.m.: LAPD Chief Willie L. Williams promotes his new book and discusses O.J. Simpson, Heidi Fleiss and the Menendez brothers. Prodigy. Jump: Chat
* Wednesday, 5 p.m.: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) answers questions. America Online. Keyword: Centerstage
* Wednesday, 8 p.m.: Singer Carly Simon talks about her career. America Online. Keyword: Centerstage
ON THE NET / ONLINE
* If you need directory assistance Internet-style, visit Switchboard at https://www.switchboard.com. Just type in the name (and location, if you know it) of the person or business you’re looking for, and there’s a reasonable chance Switchboard will find it. Addresses and phone numbers have been culled from phone books and other public records.
* The Court TV Law Center (https://www.courttv.com) offers a legal survival guide on everything from renting a car to recovering luggage lost by an airline. Special sections also highlight small-business and family law, and there’s an online law library to boot.
* It seems everything in Seattle is high-tech, including the homeless newspaper Real Change (https://www.speakeasy.org/realchange). The Web site introduces visitors to vendors who are homeless or formerly homeless and includes archives of the paper’s best stories and opinion pieces.
* If you need to access library catalogs from the Web, try the new Web Catalogue site, which maintains a master list of local libraries that are connected to the Web at https://library.usask.ca/hywebcat/
* Faces of Adoption (https://www.adopt.org/adopt) contains profiles and pictures of children awaiting new parents. The site also has information on how to adopt a child and features families who share their experiences with adoption.
* For a quick bit of market research, visit HispanStar, the home page of Hispanic Business magazine (https://www.HispanStar.com). You’ll find information on the top 10 Latino markets; major Latino players in business, education and politics; and a list of the 75 wealthiest Latinos in the United States. (Coca-Cola Chief Executive Roberto Goizueta tops the list.)
* Read a review of new Internet software each day on the Cool Tool site at https://www.cooltool.com/
* For a look at something so random you might actually think it’s cool, go to https://ff.vin.nl/info/webcam2/index_english.shtml and watch traffic at a busy intersection of Amsterdam.
Site suggestions can be sent to cutting.edge@latimes.com
