Balliot maintains that the real secret to effectively searching the Web is found in critical thinking. Their guide was developed for beginners but can also provide helpful reminders to those who are already familiar with the basics. Bell Atlantic will ask Maryland phone regulators for permission to offer a new service that will allow people to learn the name and address of any owner of a listed phone number in the state. People could dial 555-5454, enter a phone number, and receive the name and address of the person assigned to the number from an automated voice. Bell Atlantic claims that the information the service gives is already available in phone directories.
Critics see is as another erosion of privacy.
An example of this can be seen with Artemedia, a German company specializing in virtual reality and three-dimensional animation. This model, which will encompass the entire city by the end of 1998, enables the visualization of objects for urban and transportation planning, property marketing, and environmental management. Artemedia's virtual environment is different from computer games or existing military simulations in that it allows the user to manage the entire model at once. Other cities around the world, like Rome, Vienna and San Paolo, are also looking to use Artemedia's technology. The State of Georgia will most likely become their first United States client.