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Vol. 3, No. 25

June 20, 1997

Welcome to the Tripod Insider — your source for all things Tripod. This week, the offices cool off just as the ping pong competition heats up. Also, our race fans lay some bread on a namesake. Find out more after we tell you what's new on Tripod.

Content And Services

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We're looking for a few good members for the Tripod Panel. The Panel is a chance for people to participate in research that will help Tripod develop our site. If you're interested in helping shape the future of Tripod, please join the Panel today.

WORK & MONEY

Credit cards offer the lure of easy access to purchasing power and are advertised with sparkling images of the good life. Advertising hype aside, credit cards can be a valuable, practical tool when used wisely. The bad news is that misuse of credit is the primary cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States. That's why you need to read Tripod's Credit Smarts, a new three-part series by financial writer Wendy J. Cholbi, and discover what it means to be a smart credit consumer. In part one, learn how to understand the fine print in credit card applications and choose the card that makes sense for your personal spending patterns.

In part two, delve into credit card billing cycles and learn how to wisely manage payments to maintain a good credit rating.

And just in case you do get in over your head, part three offers real world solutions for surviving credit problems and rebuilding your finances.

Finally, be sure to take our interactive credit card poll to see how your credit spending patters — whether good or bad — stack up against those of other Tripod members. It's fast and fun, the pie charts are real purty, and you might just learn something.

Randy Williams, Editor

LIVING & TRAVEL

"Where the Girls Are: Making Movies" continues this week with Tula Asselanis, director of the hard-hitting Barbie documentary "I, Doll" (like idol, get it?). Sarah Jacobson asks Tula about Barbie's origin, Ken's bulge, and whether she'll let her son play with Barbies when he grows up.

In the Barbie Quiz, find out if you're a Barbie-phile: Do you know her birthday? Her eye color? Her first career? Five high scorers will get a free copy of Tula's film, and anyone who takes the quiz gets a $5 discount.

Then join the Flick Chicks Conference — this week's topic is All Things Barbie. Share your tales of obsession and mutilation; discuss Barbie's impossible figure and eating disorders; or spill the latest Barbie tidbit. (Did you know that Wheelchair Barbie is suing Mattel because she can't access the Town House?)

And Doctor Bob is in, though he swears he never played doctor with his sister's Barbie. This week he talks about treating burns, a low white blood cell count, and thyroid supplements.

Emma Taylor, Editor

TRITECA

"I fell in love with it." "It's changed my life." "It's so important to me." Infomercial for the latest fad diet and treadmill? Nope. Actual testimonials from PDA owners. And no, PDA does not stand for Public Display of Affection. It stands for Personal Digital Assistant — which are now starting to pick up in sales. Norman C. Berns heard from hundreds of owners of these little electronic organizers, then tallied the results to give you the bottom line on the latest, late-blooming gizmo craze.

Michelle Chihara, Editor

PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP

Tripod's Premium Membership just keeps getting better. Check it out:

More, more, more. Check it out:

* 12 megs of disk space. We want you to build the greatest page ever!
* A Guestbook on your homepage for visitors to sign
* Your online Answering Machine. Who needs the phone?
* A permanent Tripod E-Mail Forwarding address — [email protected]
* Your own Personal Chat room, all the time
* 20% discount on Tripod apparel
* The Premium Membership Preview newsletter

All of this is available at the low rate of $18 for six months, with new services are being added regularly at no additional cost. Sign up now!

Tripod Insider

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The heat wave finally broke this week in Williamstown, and now that we're no longer sweating all over the computers, our attention has shifted to a new way of keeping trim: High-intensity ping pong. The (largely nocturnal) tech staff began holding late-night tournaments soon after we moved into the new digs, and the fever has since spread, giving rise to a few heated rivalries. In particular, new design intern Negeen "Hustler" Pegahi is locked in an ongoing battle with David "Margaret's Husband" Stewart. Negeen's taken three of their first four games — pretty impressive when you consider that Dave was All-Quebec as a young Canadian "pongiste."

Meanwhile, happy handicappers Bruce and Mike are still playing the ponies, and last weekend they made a fantastic discovery: a horse named Tripod. Not about to scoff at fate, the two slapped down some hard-earned cash on the 99-1 longshot, only to see it break their hearts with a fourth-place finish. Now, I know it seemed like a good idea at the time, but here's the thing, fellas: It's a race horse. Named Tripod. Think about it.

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.

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

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