EVENTS

Cable Networking: The cable industry is in the midst of its biggest transformation in years, as operators race to offer high-speed Net access and digital programming services, and those issues will dominate the agenda this week at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim.

Wednesday’s opening panel will feature media moguls Barry Diller, Ted Turner and Leo Hindery, head of Tele-Communications Inc. Other panels and seminars will address technology issues from cable modems to phone services, with the latest equipment on display.

Behind the scenes, computer companies, notably Microsoft, Oracle and Sun Microsystems, will be jockeying for position in the battle to provide technology for the digital set-top boxes that will make a range of new services possible.

For more information, call (510) 428-2225 or check out the Web site, https://www.cct-assn.org

Holiday Help Online

* Stress Busters: There’s nothing like crowded malls, nagging relatives and post office lines to bring on a little holiday stress. At the Coping With Holiday Stress site (https://helping.apa.org/holiday.html), you’ll find tips for dealing with families, finances and tragedy during the holidays. Parents who have had it up to here with their kids might want to check out https://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/ocm/packages/holiday/stress.htm.

The Mayo Clinic has a Stress in Excess section about holiday stressors, the winter blues and ideas for getting back on track at https://www.mayo.ivi.com/mayo/common/htm/index.htm. And if you just want to know you’re not alone, check out the holiday stress survey at https://www.msnbc.com/onair/nbc/dateline/holiday.asp

* Web Feasts: Planning your holiday feasts now will probably help cut down on some stress later, and there are plenty of Web sites with recipes for all the upcoming holidays. Christmas Recipes, at https://holiday.ritech.com/christmas/recipe.html, has, um . . . Christmas recipes. From sweet potato pie to Southern fried okra and African vegetarian stew, Kwanzaa Recipes (https://members.tripod.com/~Nancy_J/kwanzaa.htm) has it covered. Hanukkah recipes are at https://www.chanukah.com/Docs/recipe.html, with recipes for latkes and kugel, and https://www.eskimo.com/~jefffree/recipes/gefindex.htm has gefilte fish ideas.

* Holiday Helper: Another way to alleviate some pressure, the Perfect Present Picker (https://presentpicker.com)asks you to provide information on the occasion and the recipient--profession, interests, age, gender and personality. In return, you get a list of gift ideas, complete with prices and contact phone numbers.

Not to add any fuel to the New York-Los Angeles coast feud, but the New York CitySearch site has an entire section on gift-giving, and it’s not just for Easterners. The site has a gift calculator (similar to the Perfect Present Picker) as well as lists of ideas for friends, families, colleagues and party hosts. Point your browser to https://citysearch-nyc.iconnet.net/features/giftguide/

You’ll find some last-minute gift ideas at https://www.family.com/Categories/Activities

/Features/family_1997_12/famf/famf127 lastmin/

* Browser Shopping: Yahoo has a shopping guide (https://shopguide.yahoo.com), with promotions, resources and links to sites from which you can purchase everything from books and cigars to computers and toys. Cybermall.com evaluates online malls and has a directory of the best the Web has to offer at https://www.cybermall.com

* Safety First: To help keep your kids out of the emergency room see the Mayo Clinic site at https://www.mayo.ivi.com/ivi/mayo/9511/htm/wk9toysa.htm or Trouble in Toyland (https://www.igc.apc.org/pirg/consumer/products/toy/97/index.htm)

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