Compares three electronic encyclopedias offered for young people: Compton's, Encarta, and the new Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Contents, interface, and navigation between articles are discussed; and recommended grade level, computer platforms, price, upgrade costs, documentation, and multimedia elements are compared. (LRW)

Presents a technique for developing a knowledge-base of information to use in an expert system. Proposed approach employs a popular machine-learning algorithm along with a method for forming a finite number of features or conjuncts of at most n primitive attributes. Illustrates this procedure by examining qualitative information represented in a…

Provides decision-making tips when selecting facilities management software for colleges and universities. It advises to get a program that fits a prepared plan, pay attention to user friendliness, negotiate for changes and modifications in the vendor contract, test run the program before buying it, and determine a vendor's service level…

Reviews commonly used search engines (AltaVista, Excite, infoseek, Lycos, HotBot, WebCrawler), focusing on existing comparative studies; considers quality dimensions from the customer's point of view based on a SERVQUAL framework; and groups these quality expectations in five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and…

Describes a system for using the World Wide Web to distribute computational tasks to multiple hosts on the Web that is written in Java programming language. Describes the programs written to carry out the load distribution, the structure of a "distriblet" class, and experiences in using this system. (Author/LRW)

In many companies, training management and knowledge management are merging. Enterprise-resource-planning software products promise seamless integration of all information flowing through a company. Training then becomes part of a process, not a course or event. (SK)

A shortage of information-technology professionals is leading some companies to recruit and train people from other fields. Some dissenters believe the shortage is an excuse to fill positions with lower-paid foreign nationals and college students. (SK)

Describes the Application Development for the Distributed Enterprise (ADDE) project, a methodological set that supports the design of distributed business processes and information and communication technologies. Discusses principles behind ADDE, guidance on definition and planning of application development, guidance on distributed application…

Discusses search engines used on the World Wide Web and explains Web-searching principles. Topics include statistics and probability, relevance, weighted terms, precision and recall, monitoring and filtering software, push technology, Boolean operators, metasearch engines, and special features of six main search engines. (LRW)

Presents guidelines for effective presentations using audiovisual aids to highlight the key points. Discusses simplicity and the use of one concept on each slide or transparency; the best use of visuals; text legibility; consistency; the number of visuals; software tools; and where to buy clip art and stock photos on CD-ROM. (LRW)

Considers models incorporating principal components from the perspectives of structural-equation modeling. These models include the following: (1) the principal-component analysis of patterned matrices; (2) multiple analysis of variance based on principal components; and (3) multigroup principal-components analysis. Discusses fitting these models…

Identifies presenters' aversion to an Internet-assisted presentations for fear of failed Internet connectivity, and discusses options offered by "offline browsing" software that allows users to download information for later offline use. Lists features of an ideal offline browser. Illustrates problems with early backup methods. Reviews…

Provides special instructions for "The Wonderful World of Time," a Macintosh tutorial developed by gifted sixth graders in the Keppel Union School District in California for grade 1 students learning how to tell time on analog clocks. The game won the HyperSIG's software development contest and was displayed at the National Educational…

Includes "The Coolness Factor" (Julie Creswell); "Cool Companies 1998" (Melanie Warner et al.); "Four Forces that Will Shape the Internet" (Andrew Kupfer); "Nashville Online. A Case Study: Has the Internet Changed Anything at All?" (Eryn Brown); and "Electronic Books Are Coming at Last!" (Carol…

Analyzes claims with regard to GTE's (Generic Tutoring Environment) epistemological foundations and suggests that GTE's assumptions reveal a reductionist bias through the use of formalism. Implications for courseware design and instructional modeling are discussed. (Author/LRW)