Word: instantness
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...focused the world's attention on the strange tales seeping from the Burmese jungle. Although the rifle-toting, 12-year-old leaders had never ventured more than a few miles from their base on Kersay Doh, or God's Mountain, their photos flashed around the world. The two became instant objects of fascination and fear. Johnny and Luther had long been legends, however, in the hills of Burma and the refugee camps in Thailand...
This is Lopez's whitest movie yet--white gowns, white-tie, white-collar, white bread. And darned if she can't play perkily yuppyish. Her Mary is smart, nice and sexy; if boys dreamed of future brides and not of instant hookers, she would star in a million fervid fantasies. The film is unlikely to win critical raves, but we'll give Lopez a pass on this one. The game gal can't win every game...
Earlier this month, instant messaging (or IM for short) made headlines when it became the final sticking point in the biggest merger in history, the deal that joined AOL and Time Warner (proud owner of this magazine) in corporate matrimony. The Federal Communications Commission wouldn't approve the union without special conditions regarding AOL's IM policy. Why the fuss? After all, some nonsophisticates argue, IM is just a kid's toy--e-mail for the Dawson's Creek crowd...
Hardly. IM is one of the Internet's true killer apps. It's free, and it's instant (duh), but what the RCC recognized is that IM isn't just about passing notes; it's a powerful communications tool. You can call instant meetings. You can keep tabs on your friends (and enemies) with a "buddy list." You can swap data files, such as MP3s and digital photos. Most IM services can even carry voice communications, and some are available on PDAs and pagers...
This is all assuming the person on the other end is using the same IM program you are--and therein lies the rub. AOL, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo all have IM programs, but most don't talk to one another; if I use AOL Instant Messenger, and you use MSN Messenger, for example, we're out of luck. Imagine if two people using different phone companies couldn't call each other. That's the current state of instant messaging...