Xerox PARC is making available alpha-level software for free downloading.

Among the items being made available is Sparrow Web, a shared web writing environment.   10:18:59 AM     

I'd forgotten about Lee Foster and his travel writings. I was reminded of him while listening to a show on KGO Radio Saturday morning.

Lee was one of the earliest online publishers -- posting his travel writings on CompuServe in the 1980's. It's good to know that he's continued his work and nice to see he's making so much of it available online.

His new book, Northern California History Weekends, looks good. I've also enjoyed his article on Planning Family Reunions.   9:16:59 AM     

The Compromise Effect. New economic theories are emerging to show how predictably irrational people are about issues of money and prices. [The Washington Post : Business]

"Professor Itamar Simonson of the Stanford Business School notes that retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc. was able to increase sales of its $275 bread machine a decade ago by adding a second, slightly larger model to its catalogue at a price of just over $400."

Understanding the Value of Web Services. eWeek has a good (but rather brief) interview with Christopher Thomas, Intel's Chief e-Strategist. He brings the realities of Web Services into perspectives. [Blogarithms]

SILC, a new generation secure chat protocol. Have you been looking for a secure place to talk? A place where you can be sure that the message you send to a person really goes to that person, no one else is able to see the message, and no one is able to alter the message? More and more people answer yes to the question, but where to find such a place? The answer comes in the form of new generation chat protocol called Secure Internet Live Conferencing, or just SILC (casually pronounced as silk). [Privacy Digest]

Hiawatha Bray reports in the Boston Globe on the AOL anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft.

"Instant messaging is about more than sending messages. It's a technology that lets the user identify himself to a global network, revealing his identity and location to others on the system. That means it can be used as a single sign-on point for all manner of Internet services. Microsoft hopes to use it as part of its crucial .NET initiative to embed Internet features into the fabric of every Microsoft product."

Speaking of Microsoft...here's a whole neighborhood about to be transformed by the company:

Issaquah's Highlands fling: So far, giant development has home buyers pleased, Microsoft waiting in wings. ISSAQUAH -- Erick Zimmerman and his wife, Renee, wanted to live in a close-knit, neighborly community -- a place where their infant son, Alec, could grow and play with lots of other kids. [Eastside Journal]

6:40:17 AM