High Stakes in Cyberspace; Talking With David Frost: Bill Gates

"Stargazer knows what you're doing." Nope, that's not an advert for a new fortune teller, it's a sobering observation on Atlantic Bell CEO Ray Smith's interactive TV system. Being tested in 30,000 households, the Stargazer prototype allows consumers to watch movies when they want, and holds out the promise of some serious armchair shopping. But there's a catch: Mr. Smith knows what you're watching, which will, among other things, come in handy when selling advertising time to marketers who will be able to tailor their ads to fit your tastes. High Stakes in Cyberspace examines the double-edged technological sword that "cyberspace" presents. On one hand, Internet surfers are mining untold riches in access to ready reference, entertainment, and in-depth research; on the other, the capitalist beast is slouching toward this new consumerland with increasing speed. In 1994, computers outsold TV sets for the first time in history; by the year 2,000 it's estimated (optimistically, perhaps) that over 50% of the American populace will be using the World Wide Web. With our trail of credit card debt, medical insurance claims, and willingness to answer telephone surveys, we have already--of course--provided enough information for a dogged salesperson to make a reasonable guesstimate of what we had for breakfast. The widespread use of the Internet and interactive TV will compound that situation a hundredfold. A glitzy entry--for a Frontline episode--with too much consciously jeez-aren't-we-like-MTV jerky camera movement for my tastes, this program nevertheless offers a reasonable introduction to the lay of the cyber land, and, more importantly, should get people thinking about the privacy trade-offs inherent in embracing this brave new world. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P.In the best of the David Frost interviews, viewers are treated to a meeting of the minds; in Talking With David Frost: Bill Gates, minds are there...but not necessarily on the same wavelength. The perennially youthful cyberpup (and richest man in the known universe, with $18 billion in his personal, extra large, piggy bank), Mr. Bill offers a verbal shorthand version of his bestselling book The Road Ahead to a not quite scowling, but certainly not altogether delighted, David Frost. Filmed pre-parenthood, Gates talks a bit about his new house, new wife, and dreams of a happy family, but most of the conversation consists of Gates easily fielding Frost's questions and presenting the happy face version of the future: the Wallet PC, which will make money--not to mention encyclopedias--obsolete; the incredible leaps in telecommunications (personalized news shows, true on-demand programming, and so on); and one possible resolution of the haves vs. have-nots issue--putting PC's in all schools and libraries. To the charge that Bill Gates might be the closest thing we've seen to a world ruler since Napoleon, Gates points out that Microsoft only makes tools ("We don't control the content.") Although the issues are much more complex than what's broached here, it's still a stimulating hour (unless you've already read The Road Ahead). Plus, there's the high interest factor: forget E. F. Hutton; when the world's richest person speaks, people listen. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)