INTERNET
Lose Wait on the Web
Without a fast "T-1" connection, you may often find Web pages loading very slowly on your computer. As Internet usage soars, so does congestion on the telecommunications byways. The US Federal Communications Commission plans to give telephone companies incentives to provide higher speed connections into homes. More bandwidth could be achieved by making high-speed digital telephone lines called ISDN more available and less expensive. The alternative "ADSL" technology has the potential to provide lightening-quick connections over regular phone lines.
CD–ROM
Ethnic USA Today
How do you find hundreds of us minority and ethnic publications under one roof, and automatically searchable? Look up "Ethnic Newswatch" CD-Rom collection, a unique database of 300,000-plus articles from back issues of the press, with 21,000 added yearly. You'll find at least six Indian publications, including India Abroad. It's a valuable resource, especially for reference librarians. The US$1,495 CD, updated five times a year, is pricey but cheaper than subscribing to each journal. Contact: SoftLine Information, Inc., 20 Summer ST, Stamford, CT 06901 USA. E-mail: custsupp@slinfo.com
FORUMS
Huddling Online
Today's happening place for debating Hinduism is not the conference hall, but on the Internet at America Online's Religion and Ethics Forum. It's a bulletin board with 5,000 postings by both Hindus and non-Hindus, split into hundreds of subjects like "Who is Ganesha?" or "Why do Hindus have so many Gods?" One section focuses on vegetarianism. In another, AOL members post sacred writings. There are links to top Hindu websites and downloadable files like Rig Veda verses and Deity pictures. To subscribe to AOL, visit www.aol.com. Compuserve has a similar Hindu forum, but with fewer postings.
E-MAIL
Just Ask
Axel sylvan, 11, in Sweden, had a difficult homework assignment: research Hinduism's founder (that is difficult, since there is no human founder). And he needed the answer within hours. Send a postal letter? No time! So he popped an e-mail halfway 'round the world to Hinduism Today in Hawaii: "Please help! I've been to libraries and stuck my nose in books for a week now. I'm desperate!!" HT gets a wide range of e-mail queries from school students, teachers and others. We're happy to help, but not prepared to write your term paper!
FIRE IS HIS HEAD, THE SUN AND MOON HIS EYES, SPACE HIS EARS, THE VEDAS HIS SPEECH, THE WIND HIS BREATH, THE UNIVERSE HIS HEART. FROM HIS FEET THE EARTH HAS ORIGINATED. VERILY, HE IS THE INNER SELF OF ALL BEINGS.
Atharva Veda, Mundaka Upanishad 2.1.4