PLUGGED IN: Why get stuck in a...

PLUGGED IN: Why get stuck in a Ventura Freeway traffic jam when you can cruise the information superhighway with ease? The number of San Fernando Valley computer users and businesses tapping into the global network known as the Internet continues to grow, but challenges remain. . . . “We have to make it easier for the average computer user to get on,” says Kris Nolan, systems administrator for Westlake Village-based Central Connection (info@centcon.com) .

CSUN ONLINE: For the past 18 months, Cal State Northridge’s “home page” on the World Wide Web has offered everything from a campus tour to information about academic departments. . . . According to Ron Heeb, CSUN’s Web administrator, the site at https://www.csun.edu was established “for people to see that we’re a part of this whole technological boom that’s happening.”

MYTH BUSTER: Meet David Mikkelson, above. Known in cyberspace as “snopes,” the Agoura Hills resident spends much of his time debunking urban legends via the Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban . . . . The Valley has produced many myths, he says, like the one about Walt Disney’s body being frozen after he died. (He was actually cremated and buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale.)

NET ROCK: For years, radio station KROQ 106.7 FM has had a loyal fan following. Now it’s even got a Usenet newsgroup, alt.fan.kroq . Although not maintained by the Burbank-based station, KROQ disc jockeys and crew members occasionally visit to read and write messages. . . . “It’s strictly run by the fans,” says KROQ’s morning show producer, Frank Murphy. “I think it’s pretty cool.”

CYBER CINEMA: Tour Tinseltown without ever leaving home! Via the World Wide Web, film fans can now explore two Valley-based companies through their computers. . . . Visitors to MCA’s site at https://www.mca.com can take a virtual tour of Universal Studios’ “Back to the Future” ride. . . . Disney fans can download clips from summer films such as “Pocahontas” and “Judge Dredd” at https://www.wdp.com .