New Yorkers and Bostoni ans saw Parisians pop their corks at three frames per second through CU-SeeMe, an interactive video platform. And later, Tokyo residents, already in their offices, and Angelenos, anticipating their own midnight hour, watched a pixilated ball drop jerkily in Times Square. Well, here's to virtual toasts and digital Auld Lang Syne. Fewer than a dozen cybercafes existed last year, but today there are 250, according to Mark Dziecielewski, keeper of the Cyber Cafe Guide and technical director at Intervid, an Internet provider in London. A quarter buys you five minutes.
People use electronic mail, play videogames, demo the latest CD-ROMs, and surf.
Many Western cafes offer T1s, fast phone lines too expensive for most individuals. Some cybercafes are themselves Internet providers, although regulations in East Asia force the cafes to form strategic alliances with Internet providers instead. All cybercafes boast the latest desktop technology. Many also offer classes on computer and Internet basics. Their computer-literate staffs answer basic queries.