Overwhelmed by the Net? Don’t Read This

The fourth annual Spring Internet World Conference and Exposition, which is billed as the largest Internet event ever, begins a week from today in Los Angeles. The event opens with more than 150 conference sessions at downtown’s Biltmore Hotel on March 10-11. After that it moves to the Los Angeles Convention Center, where an exhibit hall will feature more than 600 Internet companies, ranging from industry giants to start-ups. The event will include new product announcements, demos of the latest Internet tools and workshops on everything from Java to ActiveX to Web site design. For more information and to register, check out https://events.iworld.com

THIS WEEK * Today-Friday, 7 p.m.: It’s Howard Stern week, and every night there will be a different chat with one of his associates who will undoubtedly plug the movie “Private Parts.” To see who’s on each night, go to https://spotlight.prodigy.com. Prodigy. Jump: Chat.

* Today, 7 p.m.: The American Film Institute will unveil its second online movie, the 1921 Buster Keaton classic “The Boat.” Internet: https://www.afionline.org/cinema

* Today, 8 p.m.: Former LAPD Det. Mark Fuhrman will talk about his new book, “Murder in Brentwood.” America Online. Keyword: Oprah.

* Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Michael Phillips and Douglas Smith, authors of “The Wolves of Yellowstone,” discuss their landmark project to reintroduce gray wolves into the nation’s oldest National Park. Internet: https://www.discovery.com

* Friday, 6 p.m.: Leon Gast will talk about the 22 years he spent making the movie “When We Were Kings,” about the legendary 1974 bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Internet: https://pathfinder.com/people/interactive/chat.html

CYBERSPACE

* Coffee at the White House? How about a sleepover in the Lincoln Bedroom? Find out who were the lucky and not-so-few at https://www.politicsnow.com. For your convenience, the list is organized by categories: Arkansas friends, longtime friends, supporters, dignitaries and public officials. You can also follow the latest developments on the Democratic National Committee fund-raising controversy.

* Even if you can’t make it to Las Vegas, you can follow ShoWest ‘97, the annual convention of the motion picture industry, today through Thursday at https://showest.hollywood.com. The site offers live audio, video and text coverage of the daily studio events, as well as a wrap-up of the ShoWest Awards on Thursday.

* Where do the candidates for the Los Angeles 1997 elections stand on a litany of issues? How much have they received in campaign contributions? Find out at the Center for Government Studies Democracy Network (https://www.democracynet.org). The bipartisan, nonprofit group also lets you e-mail candidates and discuss politics with others.

* If you’re concerned about safe computing, Symantec’s Antivirus Research Center (https://www.symantec.com/avcenter) has a complete database of known computer viruses and instructions on how to protect yourself from them. You can submit virus samples to have them checked out and learn about the world’s top 10 threats to your hard drive.

* Most area codes in Southern California will change sometime soon. Find out the latest on yours and see how long you’ll be able to get calls on the old number, at Bellcore’s North American Numbering Plan (https://www.bellcore.com/NANP). The site is a clearinghouse of information on the nation’s phone system.

* Want to mix travel and science? Earthwatch (https://www.earthwatch.org) organizes scientist-led field-research projects around the world. Find out about the group’s latest expeditions aimed at sustaining the environment and conserving habitats and species in areas ranging from Argentina to Florida.

* Ski season isn’t over, but is it worth heading to Mammoth Mountain next weekend? Find out at https://www.iski.com, a digizine that lists snow and weather conditions at more than 100 ski areas in North America.

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