On the Net

Group urges Ireland online 'blackout'

A group of activists is pushing for a Nov. 16 telecommunications "blackout" in Ireland to protest the country's lack of unmetered Internet access.

IrelandOffline says the Irish telecom industry is stifling economic growth by overcharging for dialup and broadband Internet access -- Irish customers generally are unable to pay a flat rate per month to get online and often pay per second when using the telephone. Participants in the blackout are being asked to take down their Web sites and avoid using the Internet and the telephone on Nov. 16. The group's Web site, blackout.irelandoffline.org, explains that "The primary aim of the blackout is to draw attention to the problems in the telecommunications industry in Ireland; and to educate consumers and businesspeople about the problems, and how they can be fixed.

Said a group spokesman, "We are categorically not attempting to disrupt business in Ireland. In the long term, in fact, we are trying to improve it."

Company pitches digitized mail to Congress

Mailing-equipment company Pitney Bowes has captured the attention of key players on Capitol Hill with a plan to convert traditional mail that arrives in Congress into e-mail or other digital forms, USA Today reported. Letters would be scanned and converted into e-mail or computerized snapshots that use a format such as Adobe's PDF. The arrival of anthrax-tainted letters on Capitol Hill has sent lawmakers looking for other ways to get their mail, which traditionally is opened and sorted by young interns. "Digitization is something that's definitely going to be looked at," said House Administration Committee Chairman Bob Ney, R-Ohio, one of the leaders that Pitney Bowes representatives spoke to. Company officials have also pitched their plan to the Senate, USA Today reported.

Poet writes small for mobile phones

Poet Fredrik Lloyd and business partner Dahlan Lassalle are making the most of the 160 text characters allowed by the mobile-phone messaging format SMS.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reports that for about $6 a month, British subscribers to the duo's poem-me.com service will receive a short verse, thought or epigram by Lloyd every work day on the digital screens of their pocket phones. Examples: "Rose petals filled with ounces of snow bend meekly. Saints sold for less beauty" and "Fields fell apart, separated by the shallow breathing of a damaged fence." Lassalle, who has been friends with Lloyd for about 30 years, told the BBC that the poetic messages are supposed to give subscribers a chance to think about something other than work. "I find a number of his poems particularly thought-provoking, others create a small smile," Lassalle said. "But all of them create a moment of repose."

Online travel sites rebound

The travel industry says its online sales are returning to pre-Sept. 11 levels, even though traditional ends of the business -- such as travel agents and call centers -- haven't done as well, reports Computerworld. John Marriott III, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Marriott International, told a conference in Miami this week that Marriott.com booked 12,900 reservations on Tuesday. "The biggest day before that was Sept. 10.

"We're not only back to pre-Sept. 11 channels, but we're ahead of it (online). Clearly, the Internet side" was the quickest area to recover, he said. Online travel site Expedia also said its hotel and rental car bookings are back to pre-Sept. 11 levels

Senators seek computer tax-credit

Sens. George Allen, R-Va., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., say that any economic stimulus package coming out of Capitol Hill should contain a tax credit for families who buy computers and related products. In the spring, Allen introduced a bill that would create the credit, worth up to $2,000, for families with children in elementary or secondary education, but the measure has languished. Congress is working on a plan to keep the national economy humming in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but the Allen bill is not yet a part of any overall proposal. The White House is wary of tacking too many extra items onto a stimulus package, especially since Congress passed $40 billion worth of emergency appropriations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

8-in-one gadget set for Comdex

The huge annual Comdex computer show begins Saturday in Las Vegas, and small Internet appliances are expected to draw significant attention, even though some companies have given up on pushing the gizmos for now.

InfoWorld.com reports that National Semiconductor Corp. is expected to show off a device that combines eight different types of digital gadgetry and weighs less than a pound. The Origami Mobile Communicator includes a digital camera, a videophone, a Web surfing pad and an e-mail terminal, InfoWorld said, and it uses Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.

National Semiconductor has not yet signed on a manufacturer for Origami, InfoWorld.com said. Other companies have put off developing hand-held appliances because the market for them has been so uncertain. Among those on the scrap heap: 3Com's Audrey and Sony's eVilla.

As might be expected in the post-Sept. 11 world, the hottest topic at Comdex is likely to be security of all forms -- cyber-security for business and government networks, and physical security that uses high-tech methods to help protect people. Systems that recognize biometrics -- unique personal features such as fingerprints and retina scans -- have risen in importance for many companies.

(Compiled by Joe Warminsky in Washington.)