About this Issue

This issue of Interface is a widely varied one, reflecting the diversity of the Internet itself.

Our feature is by Gaming Editor Chris Pruett who has one of our largest audiences both because of his expertise in his field, game development, and because he relates subjects in that industry to other social or economic issues. Any business rushing to finish large projects--- 'Snap, Crackle, Crunch Time'--- as Chris calls it, will find this article insightful and useful, as will gamers and aspirant game developers. http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/crunch.php

Our Digital Hygiene Editor. Charles Boulet's 'Digital Hygiene: Email Techniques' is found at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/cboulet.php. Charles' work has been well received by those wanting useful introductions to solving problems which inevitably face any user of computers upon the Internet.

Our legal editor, Leonard D. Duboff, often arm our readers with the information needed to avoid the prolonged litigation that makes for the stuff of Gothic Legal Tales. Here Leonard examines a useful alternative to such outcomes, mediation. 'What is Mediation?' is found at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/duboff.php

Education editor Mark Szymanski NASA: A Full Spectrum of Web-Based Support for Educators at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/marks.php takes us through the enormous site of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Teachers in a variety of disciplines as well as readers wanting material bearing on a wide variety of scientific topics will feel that their taxes are well spent after seeing this very useful site.

Readers wanting a jump on the holiday gift-buying ordeal might well consider the work edited by Raessens and Goldstein The Handbook of Computer Game Studies. This massive compilation would be welcomed by any serious student or player of video games. However, we underline serious for good reason, See the review at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/raessens.php

Our second review is also of an edited volume, by Françoise Mengin. Cyber China. Reshaping National Identities in the Age of Information. The work reflects the perspectives of a wide variety of scholars who study the Chinese Internet and associated industries, and touches upon a number of fields and upon many important questions. See the review at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/mengin.php

Our editorial, 'Negotiating Culturally Appropriate Data Transfers: Part II: Creating Culturally Sensitive Value Sets,' is found at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2006/05/edit.php It deals with the how best to define potentially objectionable materials in such a way that end-users and content providers may negotiate data transfers. The status quo requires that the two parties engage in a potential conflict in which one tries to push all materials at all users while segments of users try to defend themselves again content they personally find objectionable.

During December 2006, and January 2007, several of us will be blogging from China on Internet Issues. See the blogs at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/blogs/index.php. Don't expect updated content until after December 10.

As always, we hope that this issue of Interface finds our readers well and happy, and that they find it both interesting and informative.

Jeffrey Barlow
Director, the Berglund Institute for Internet Studies
Pacific University