Search:The WebTripod

CLICK HERE for Travel Discounts!

Vol. 3, No. 16

April 18, 1997

Welcome to the Tripod Insider -- your source for all things Tripod. This week, after the editors tell you what's new on the site, read all about how the Williamstown police broke up a rowdy Tripod party!

General News

---

Remember a few weeks ago when Tripod's fun_games ran a Peeps Memories contest? We asked you to submit your Peeps love stories, Peeps science experiments, and all things Peepish to our panel of judges. Well, the results are in! See if your Peeps memory made the grade.

Content And Services

---

WORK & MONEY

This week, our theme is "Beware shortcuts to success!" Is the hot fad of hiring a career "coach" a godsend for the clueless, or just an excuse for overbearing weenies to carve out a high-priced self- employment niche? We sent fearless reporter Harry Goldstein to a training seminar for such coaches; here's what he discovered.

Ted Rall points out that many employers are taking a shortcut by hiring hip young workers to keep their stodgy companies plugged into the zeitgeist -- while paying scheiss.

Next, we review a best-selling book entitled "The Ten-Day MBA." Gee, who knew it was so easy? So why'd I take out all those student loans?

Penultimately, we continue polling Tripod members for results to be used in our upcoming "Work Day" module. This week's survey covers the commute to and from work -- tell us how you spend YOUR travel time:

Finally, be sure to get more out of each work day by participating in our Work Smart conference.

Randy Williams, Editor

POLITICS & COMMUNITY

In week three of our "Personal Media" month, Mike Agger asks, "What's up with all these people baring their souls on the Internet, anyway?" He examines some of the most infamous online diaries and comes to the conclusion that (for some people) the Web has become a soul-extension:

And in the P&C; survey this week, we ask: How honest are you, really, online? Do you take advantage of your anonymity to tell all? Or do you hide behind a made-up character? Tell us.

Debate over the "What makes a zine a zine" question continues to rage in the Media Savvy conference. This week, drop by and tell us how you feel about zines, e-zines, ham radio, or any other kind of personal media on your mind.

Josh Glenn, Editor

TRITECA

In our ongoing exploration of what makes personal media work, Tripod's own Randy Williams looks at some failed examples of Web rants -- those fountains of vitriol spewed by so many homepage builders -- in preparation for a look at rants that really fly, in Perspective.

Are you a Soul Coughing fan? Well, font-man Chank Diesel is back with his monthly installment of Rockstar Fonts. Write like M. Doughty, this week only, in Eye Site.

Does Microsoft's recent grabasstic acquisition of WebTV portend the end of the Net as we know it? Will industry lemmings follow the software giant off the cliff of convergence? Find out in the Lemming Report.

So, we've told you what makes a zine a zine... Now we give you the tools to make one. In Part One of a series on Perfecting Personal Publishing, Ware/Howz says when it comes to the e-zine, you've got to love it or leave it.

Tripod's own ChitChat is featured once again in the last of a 3-part series of Page Slaves on making the most of your own Tripod chat room:

Michelle Chihara, Editor

LIVING & TRAVEL

Part 3 of our Victuals series coming at you this week, but you'll find nothing so cheery as a recipe. Welcome to the dark side of the kitchen, where Twinkies come to life, teenagers fry food in angst, and Pop Rocks may well kill you after all. It's all in the Junk Food Journals.

In the survey, submit your own urban food myths and fry-cook glory tales to the Junk Food Journals.

The Women's Room heads down South, to chat with author Rosemary Daniell, a southern lady with, well, balls (though she does have a penchant for pink cowboy hats). Y'all are welcome to come on over.

And indie record producer Daron Walker gets all excited about recent CDs from Cibo Matto, Buffalo Daughter, Butter08, and Luscious Jackson. You can read all about it, and hear samples, too.

Finally, Doctor Bob explains how antibiotics may affect the Pill, and why your eyeballs glow in the dark:

Emma Taylor, Editor

Tripod Insider

---

Things were pretty slow at the 'Pod last week, and I was getting worried that there'd be no gossip for the Insider. So I threw a housewarming party for myself. You see, it's a known fact by now that Tripodians are guaranteed to do something newsworthy at a party.

Jesse and Little Matty Quann provided the music, complete with two turntables and vinyl galore. (Unfortunately we had to borrow some furniture from the office to set up their equipment, leaving Mac without a desk on Monday... He got over it.) Oliver, our jaded house music fan from Germany, was sufficiently impressed by our DJs that at one point late in the evening he was seen leaping to his feet in amazement at a particularly phat effort of Jesse's to "scratch the cut." C.E.Bo tried to work the magic on the wheels of steel, too; let's just say there was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears involved, and leave it at that.

Other party highlights (which we can publish here) include Randy singing Neil Diamond songs in the kitchen (ALL of them, it seemed like at the time); editorial intern Alyssa's North Adams posse showing up to kick things into high gear; and the amazing Janet managing to dance and whip up some homemade salsa while wearing what she calls her "devil pants." And kudos to Mike "Membership" Merrill and his wife, for demonstrating that 4 hours of a sleep a night (new baby...) can actually make you MORE fun-loving than you already were.

A good time was had by all in attendance. No party, however, would be complete with a visit from local police, who showed up around 2:30. As everybody left, Bo was heard muttering darkly to Matt Quann about throwing a rave at his house this spring... So stay tuned.

Thanks for becoming a member of Tripod.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.
My mailbox is always open.

Tung T. Pham
Membership Director
[email protected]

This has been another issue of the Tripod Insider, the weekly newsletter on what's happening at Tripod.. Past issues of the Tripod Insider are also available.

---

If you do not remember your Tripod password, or if you would like to update your member information, go to the help page.

If you do not wish to receive future issues of Tripod Insider, you can remove yourself from the mailing list . You may also send mail to "[email protected]" with only your member name exactly as typed above in the subject line.

Tripod, Inc.
160 Water Street
Williamstown, MA 01267
http://www.tripod.com
[email protected]

A Lycos Network Site