inteiir3@gmail.com Subject: Backgammon is now here too And is a system that provides "WORM archival functionality" really trustworthy? Aren't computer worms bad? The problem is hardly new. A standard for extension cards for laptops, commonly called PCMCIA, was derided as "People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms" when it launched. It actually stands for "Personal Computer Memory Card International Association." It is a real problem for consumers, however, who have to make sure that their new DVD player -- next to plain-vanilla DVDs -- supports DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD, MP3 and JPEG. If a player is missing one of those, a disc might simply not play. To top if off, one of two new, mutually incompatible formats will be built into players within the next year -- Blu-ray and HD-DVD. It could be argued that some of the energy ("powered by vision," of course) poured into prototypes of cutting-edge technology could be used to perfect English translations of German descriptions. "If the reduction of vibrations, undesired deformations and noise is desired at maximum economy, safety and comfort, Adaptronics is a key technology for the future and becomes a factor for success in many branches," informs a helpful leaflet distributed by CeBIT's so-called "future market."