Feb 1, 1999 12:00 PM

Hype List

| Ranking| Tendency| Life Expectancy

| 1| | Dreamcast| Warning: Uninitialized variable or array index or property (lifespan) in functions.phtml on line 2186

Sega's new console-on-steroids comes with some pretty kick-ass features, including 64 audio channels, Virtual Memory System controllers, and support for networked gaming – not to mention 128-bit performance. But in an attempt to help Dreamcast survive the test of time, Sega also packed in some costly and less-than-absolutely-necessary hardware: an encoder for DTV sets, an upgradable modem setup for high-speed cable connections, and serial ports for future (but as yet unknown) add-ons. Meanwhile, the price of a standard game console has fallen well below $150. With Dreamcast now retailing for the equivalent of $240 in Japan, US consumers might opt for Sony's cheaper PlayStation, with its fuller library of titles – meaning Sega's dream will take on a decidedly Freddie Kruegerish cast.

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Netscape abandoned its all-Java browser, Javagator, a group of independent developers called the Jazilla group used the company's open-source code to develop one themselves. And late last year, Sun indicated it plans to commercialize its own Java browser in much the same way Netscape intends to shrink-wrap Mozilla. Sun plans to aim the product at devices in our distributed-computing future. Sounds great, but Java is numbingly slow on today's PCs, and tomorrow's cell phones and other smart devices will be processor challenged. Think Web applets load slowly? Wait till you see how long it takes Jazilla to warm up your smart toaster.

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ented an offline ad-delivery process, and Netcentives did the same with its ClickRewards scheme. Cybergold, Priceline, and Open Market have also rushed to patent biz models. Business-model patenting appears to be the latest, greatest way to gain cred. Why? Aside from setting up the possibility for infringement suits (a lucrative revenue stream – for lawyers), a patent is often viewed as a mark of technological legitimacy. But patenting an ecommerce business model, as opposed to a technology, is the equivalent of buying a Fry Daddy and claiming you're McDonald's. <p

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d MUDs to Ultima Oe and thace, fantasy and the Net share a long history. But the latest example is a lot less medieval and anthropocentric – and a bit hairier – than its predecessors. Furries, groups of people (sort of) found on the Web at FurNation or on Usenet at sites like alt.lifestyle.furry, idolize animals to such a degree that they choose to adopt feral identities. And not just the personas of real animals, but also those of stuffed Pooh Bears and such. But as with Ultima Oe and it (player killers), this fur nation has spawned a darker subculture: Plushophiles are furries who get off on plush toys – literally. This is one fantasy where shaved body parts are a real turn-off. <em

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