Travel vicariously as the team starts off on the Silk Road, the passageway that linked China to the West. Silk traveled westward, and wool, gold and silver went east. They will take camels to get to base camp, then they’ll begin a treacherous climb, braving floods, glaciers and ice towers, not to mention thin air and frigid temperatures. If they succeed, they’ll join the 100 others who’ve managed to scale the range’s unforgiving 8,000-meter peaks.
SITE SPECIFICThree Top Gay Online Communities Get Together
Touted as the gay “equivalent of the AOL/Netscape merger,” gay.com and gay.net are joining to become the Gay.com Network, which will also be affiliated with AOL’s onQ. They hope to reach 5 million readers a month–more than any gay glossy could ever hope for.
Gay.com AUDIENCE: Over 4 million visits a month
WHAT IT IS: With 2,000 affiliate sites, largest online gay and lesbian community and chat network
BEST FEATURE: Gay.com is the most-recognized gay and lesbian URL
Gay.net; AUDIENCE: 10,000 subscribers at $9.95
WHAT IT IS: Gay and lesbian content provider, with news, info and matchmaking
BEST FEATURE: Superior news-gathering, massive content
onQ on AOL AUDIENCE: 300,000 visitors a month
WHAT IT IS: Gay and lesbian community has won awards, provides content and chat
BEST FEATURE: Dedicated users and volunteer staff, the AOL brand
ONLINEBook Sense
There’s been a lot of hype about electronic books, but until the handheld displays get better and cheaper, who wants to read a novel on screen? netLibrary (www.netlibrary.com) is taking a different approach by focusing on the university and online education market with reference, scholarly and professional books instead of popular fiction. You can view books online or download them for offline viewing using netLibrary’s free Knowledge Station software, which also allows you to search, highlight, bookmark or annotate the text. Best side benefit: procrastinators won’t rack up any more late fees.
