The Best and Worst of 1994 and Predictions for '95 for the Internet

v6n1 January 1995 Best and Worst:

The Best and Worst of 1994 and Predictions for '95
by Eric Berlin

Here are the views of Internet World's regular contributors on the year's best and worst trends, events, resources, and sites, plus prognostications.

Best in Net Entertainment:

* Nethack. A dungeon-exploration game to which even non-Dungeons and Dragons fanatics can become addicted. Every adventure game has monsters and magic items, but Nethack has so many monsters, magic items, puzzling situations, and amazing secrets that you'll completely forget about the ASCII graphics. It's the most complex and thought-intensive adventure you'll experience on the Net (to access Nethack, FTP to linc.cis.upenn.edu /pub/NH3.1/binaries; also read rec.games.roguelike.nethack).
* Diplomacy. Avalon Hill's board game Diplomacy is a classic that fits the Internet like a hand in a glove, and that's why there are zillions of e-mail games going on as we speak; not to mention discussion groups, Gopher sites, Web pages, and quite a few utilities. Modern-day Machiavellis will find their electronic home right here (in rec.games.diplomacy).
* The Internet Chess Server. Always near to bursting with activity, you're guaranteed to find a chess mate of your skill level. Brush the cobwebs off your game or challenge a grandmaster. I personally keep a physical chess board handy so I can better visualize the game (to access, telnet to ics.onenet.net 5000).
* This Just In. Every week, Randy Cassingham rounds up the strangest news events he can find; from bumbled bank robberies around the world to humorously bad decisions on the part of the world's leaders, politicians, and CEOs. He then throws in a line or two of hysterically funny, ironic commentary and mails the whole thing to thousands of his closest friends around the world. The arrival of This Just In in my mailbox always brightens my day. To subscribe, send a message to listserv@netcom.com with "subscribe this-just-in" in the message body.
* alt.fan.cecil-adams. Cecil Adams is an acerbic and funny know-it-all, and author of The Straight Dope, a syndicated column in which he spreads his wisdom, answering amazingly varied questions from readers. The alt.fan.cecil-adams group is where Cecil (through his assistant Ed Zotti) posts his weekly column, and where would-be Cecils ponder the mysteries of the universe. Less chaotic than alt.folklore.urban, and just as entertaining.
* LambdaMOO. You're probably sick of hearing how great LambdaMOO is, particularly if you haven't been able to log on because of overcrowding. Sorry. Fact is, there's so much going on here, and Lambda is so darned addictive, how could I leave it off a "best of" list? If you can squeeze through the door, check it out by telnetting to lambda.parc.xerox.com 8888. (more)

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