Events

* Technically Speaking: Imagination, innovation and communication are the focus of the 45th annual Intercom conference, through Thursday at the Anaheim Convention Center. The gathering, sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication, will draw writers, editors, managers, illustrators, educators and students interested in all aspects of technical communication.

On tap for the conference are demonstrations, panel discussions, presentations, small group exchanges and workshops. Topics will include publishing, technology and support.

For more information about the conference or the society, check out its Web site at https://www.stc-va.org.

* Into the Vortex: Internet, cable and telephone executives are gathering this week in Dana Point for Vortex98, an invitation-only conference looking at the convergence of those three industries. Attendees at Vortex98, taking place Wednesday through Friday at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, will examine issues in the areas of regulatory and public policy, the effects of evolving technology, strategic alliances and business perspectives.

* Speed Dialing: Baltimore is the place to be this week if you’re interested in computer, Internet and network telephony.

CTI Expo Spring 98 will examine solutions and applications for Internet telephony, video and fax, and the promise these technologies offer for reducing telecom costs and increasing productivity in homes and offices around the world.

For more information about the event, Tuesday through Friday at the Baltimore Convention Center, call (800) 243-6002 or go to https://www.ctiexpo.com.

Cyberspace

* Book Mark: “All you need is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” You know who said that? Here’s a hint: He’s a famous American writer who was born and died on May 18. The answer: Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known to most by his pen name, Mark Twain. Ever the Twain Shall Meet: Mark Twain on the Web (https://www.lm.com/~joseph/mtwain.html) has HTML versions of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson” and selected essays so you can read the classics online. There are links to an HTML “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and downloads of other Twain books that you can print out and read when you like. The Mark Twain Assn. of New York is online at https://salwen.com/mtahome.html, so you don’t have to live in the Big Apple to participate.

* Civil Rights: This week in 1896, the Supreme Court decided the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, allowing “separate but equal” segregation. The ruling remained in effect 58 years, until Brown vs. the Board of Education. At https://dcsf.webpoint.com/bhm/plessy.htm, you can read about the case, the decision and its ramifications.

* Happy Birthday, John Paul: Pope John Paul II is celebrating his 78th birthday today. For all sorts of information on the Polish-born pope who in 1978 became the first non-Italian pontiff elected in 456 years, check out the detailed biography at the official Vatican site, https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/biography/sopra_en.htm. The Unofficial Pope John Paul II site has links to his writings online at https://www.zpub.com/un/pope/.

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