Watercooler Stories

GOLFER DROWNS DURING GOLF BALL HUNT

Medical officials in the Chicago area say they now think that the death of an 83-year-old golfer was accidental. The Tribune is reporting that officials at the Winnetka (Ill.) Golf Club found the man's body floating in a lagoon at the edge of the course.

An autopsy found no signs of foul play. Officials think David Caldarelli was looking for golf balls in an area near the pond. He likely slipped down a near-vertical six-foot-high embankment into the water and drowned.

Caldarelli was known to his friends as a "ball hawker," a term used to describe a person who has a knack for finding lost balls in the oddest places. The publication says golfers at the club describe him as being a gregarious guy who made playing golf more fun.

KANSAS COMPANY PROJECTS A GREAT IMAGE

The next time you see a high-tech animated feature cranked out by Hollywood, much of the technology used in the transfer of the images may have been born in the Midwest -- in Topeka, Kan., to be exact. A company called CuVIS makes much of the state-of-the-art storage and projection equipment used in today's slick features.

The Capitol-Journal says the company's new QuBit device is a 70-pound unit that can record, store and play back digital images, eliminating the need for big reels of film and expensive projectors.

More and more theaters are using digital projectors. That means that instead of the need to ship a theater a dozen or more reels of heavy movie film, a half dozen digital disks can be delivered. And, with each passing day, more and more movie houses are downloading films directly from satellite.

COMPUTERS GETTING MORE AFFORDABLE

Each week it seems that computers are getting cheaper. Now that the level of processing is stalled at the so-called "Pentium plateau," much consumer money is being spent on peripherals -- printers, scanners and the like. So, to get rid of the increasing warehouse of computers, prices are dropping.

But what if you're a person who still can't afford the $800 or $900 price tag being offered by the discounters? Enter the "mom and pop" neighborhood computer store.

Many small, strip-mall computer shops are able to assemble state-of-the-art computers for half the price. Take a small shop in Las Vegas, for example. The store, PC Crazy, is selling a fully assembled, Pentium-level unit for $259. The only thing missing at that price is a monitor. But you can usually find one for $25 at your local thrift store. Total cost, less than $285.

And, one other thing, in dealing with "mom and pop," they know you if you have problems.

THIEF MAY NEED RADIATION TREATMENTS

Police in Vancouver, B.C., say a robber who broke into a Canadian weather station may have left with more than he bargained for. Published reports indicate that the person who made off with more than $500 worth of tools from the station may have received a dose of radiation at the same time.

It seems that entry was made into the un-manned, rural station through the dome of the facility's Doppler radar array. In a statement issued by the RCMP, it was noted that whoever went through the area might have received radiation that could do drastic damage to their eyes and sexual organs.

To reach the dome, the thief was a determined one -- he or she had to go through three barbed wire fences and then climb an 80-foot spiral staircase. An urgent warning for the person to report to a doctor has been issued.