Science News: Bits and Bytes

Bats are better

Researchers at Brown University have found that bat sonar is up to three times keener than man-made equipment. The findings, published in the current issue of the journal "Proceedings" of the National Academy of Science, are of particular importance to the Navy, which relies on both man-made sonar and the sonar of trained dolphins to detect distant or obscure objects, particularly mines.

"The idea is to use the results to build a sonar system that would find these mines without the need for dolphins or divers," says study leader James Simmons, a Brown professor of neuroscience.

Iternet, Intranet, Extranet

The widespread adoption of Extensible Markup Language (XML) will bring about a new stage of evolution for the Internet, says Winston Chung, director of the Internet and Web Technologies lab at the AMS Center for Advanced Technologies. XML is a document-description language that provides more flexibility for designing Web pages than previous languages. "Under this common technology framework, application vendors and solution providers can compete to standardize electronic commerce solutions for the industry segments they serve," Chung said.

Web salaries up

Most corporate Web site employees took home double-digit pay raises this year - some as much as 20 percent, according to a recent survey conducted by Buck Consultants, a New York-based human resources consulting firm. Presidents of corporate online departments earned an average of $182,000 as base pay, while vice presidents took home an average $127,000. "Companies continued to launch and enhance online activities, creating high demand for virtually any position related to the Internet," said Paul Gavejian, a principal and compensation consultant with Buck.

High-touch high-tech

Though more than 4.4 million consumers have purchased hardware on the Internet, many in the sub-$1,000 market want one-on-one personal attention during the purchase process, says Bart Brannon, president of Stupid PC, an Atlanta-based company that customizes and sells PCs directly to consumers. "Many of the buyers are first-time PC owners, and they want unintimidating, friendly and affordable customer service. Showing them the basics of the system and offering tips at the Web site virtually guarantees a happy customer," Brannon said.

Y2K worries

Though much has been reported about how small and large companies should be protecting themselves against the millennium bug, consumers also have a lot to be worried about, says Matt Schwartz, an attorney at Dyer Ellis & Joseph in Washington, D.C. "To minimize risks, consumers need to keep scrupulous records of electronic products or computers that they purchase now or in the near future," says Schwartz. "In regards to stock, bank and insurance transactions, make sure you download records or ask the banks to send them to you."

Mom & Pop stores need to be better informed about Y2K compliance, said Patric Cavanaugh, another attorney with the firm. "The federal government now has in place legislation that will protect big business from Y2K, but the focus needs to be on smaller and independent businesses that don't necessarily have the same money, manpower, or technical resources."