Ally agrees to become a mediator for Fish’s minister friend, who has been in deep water since breaking up with a woman in his congregation. Every Sunday, his jilted lover belts her angry heart out with the choir, leaving the minister deeply disturbed. Ally encourages the woman to seek a definitive reason for the breakup. After much prodding, the minister finally admits, “I had no passion for you.” Ouch.

This gets Ally thinking about her own breakup with Billy (surprise). Suddenly, she gets hit with a proverbial ton of bricks. Lightbulb! They didn’t break up because he transferred to Michigan; he transferred to Michigan to flee from their relationship — and into the arms of Georgia. A much-troubled Billy (what’s with the geek hair?) finally admits to Ally, “I knew within 10 minutes that Georgia was the woman I was going to marry.” Double ouch.

The moral of this little tale is that if you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. That is, if you don’t want a kick in the heart, don’t lay it on the ground in front of an ex.

Have you ever lied, or given half-truths, to let someone down easy? Are there things you’d rather not hear — or do you always seek the truth, no matter how painful? Does this episode seal the grave on the Ally/Billy relationship?

Work falls into three main categories: News in the Future, a research consortium that helps to improve the dissemination of news; Things That Think, which strives to add intelligence to formerly dumb objects such as doorknobs and shoes (Wouldn’t it be great if your toaster could feel how dark you want the toast?); and Digital Life, which seeks to define and strengthen the interconnection between people and the online world.

The projects in the Digital Life consortia are wide-ranging, future-thinking, and commonly elicit reactions of “This sounds so crazy, it might just work.” Some of the schemes currently under way include LiveWeb, which allows users to see in real time where in the site other users are congregated, and the creation of Sydney the Cyber Terrier, the ultimate in housebroken pets.

Smaller research groups at the lab are exploring how to build a Bradbury-esque self-aware kitchen, create the toys of tomorrow, and reshape broadcast media. Future special interest labs are planned for health and ecommerce.

3Com today is best known for its ubiquitous PalmPilot and for its eponymous San Francisco Giants baseball park. But the company, with more than 200 million customers worldwide, is making its greatest strides in business-to-business commerce….BtoB transactions make up 30 percent of total revenue, or $2 billion, and 3Com projects that 80 percent of total revenue will be derived from BtoB transactions by the end of 1999…

Averages 500,000 unique visits per week, and 3Com foresees a cost-savings of $100 million in 1999 by reducing inventory and streamlining services via the Web…. Com also says customer service costs have dropped from $10 per call to 50 cents by moving customer service online… As part of its push to extend market share on handheld electronic devices into the mobile market, the global networker recently acquired Smartcode Technologie, a French developer of wireless data communications, and plans to deliver wireless Web access in its upcoming Com Palm VII.

9. Ingram Micro

Led by CEO Jerre L. Stead, Ingram Micro has quietly moved into a front-running position in business-to-business ecommerce….Claims distinction as the world’s largest wholesale distributor of tech products and services….Based in Santa Ana, Calif., it carries more than 200,000 products from 1,400 manufacturers and claims more than 130,000 customers in 130 countries….Since its 1996 IPO, Ingram has shown brisk growth, bringing in $22 billion in revenue in 1998, up 33 percent over 1997′s $16.6 billion….About $3 billion of 1998′s revenue came from ecommerce….Transaction volume on  grew 248 percent from 1997 to 1998….The company is not without problems–despite Ingram’s bang-up revenue statements for 1998, revenue for the first quarter of this year missed expectations, even though they represented a 26 percent increase over the same period last year….Accordingly, the company’s stock has taken a nose dive, from the mid$ 40 range in December to less than $20 per share in mid-March….In response, Ingram laid off 1,400 workers.

10. MCI World

75,000 employees, a 45,000-mile fiber-optic network in the United States and a 2,000-mile network in Europe….Second-largest domestic long-distance carrier in the United States….$30 billion-plus in annual revenue….Under hyperactive deal-maker and resident telco-industry phenom John Sidgmore, MCI WorldCom is a fair bet to dominate global communications in the next decade….

Sidgmore announced in March the company would spend $6.5 billion this year for foreign expansion, particularly in South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asian countries increasingly cozy to foreign investment. (MCI World is already the chief ISP in Japan.) Meanwhile, TCP/IP co-designer and MCI WorldCom Senior VP of Internet Architecture and Technology Vinton Cerf has been working on a plan to extend the Internet into outer space.

Intel’s accomplishments in ebusiness read like a fairy tale in return on investment….Fifteen days after its 1998 launch, Intel’s Web ebusiness had already booked $1 billion in orders….Unlike other rollouts that start small and initially target a specific customer or geography segment, Intel took a broad approach reaching small, medium, and large U.S. and international customers from day one….Intel made a special effort to wire previously unwired emerging market customers to give them a better chance to compete globally….Wiring the unwired enables the $26 billion chip giant to replace phone and fax with the Internet, increasing efficiency for both Intel and its customers….Says Sean Maloney, senior vice president and director of worldwide sales and marketing, “I don’t see any reason why we can’t do 100 percent of our business this way in two years.”

5. America Online

Predictions about America Online’s demise have been endless: Tech glitches will kill it. Customer churn is too high. Microsoft’s MSN will make it obsolete….Fourteen years after its founding, the $90 billion giant has the last laugh….Sixteen million subscribers make it the world’s largest online service provider….AOL grew rapidly in the early 1990s through CEO Steve Case’s ubiquitous marketing strategy…. Millions of sign-up disks were distributed–handed out on American Airlines flights and packaged with flash-frozen Omaha Steaks….An early reputation for persistent outages, busy signals, and slow connections gave it the nickname America On Hold, but those problems have lessened through huge tech investments….The company operates the world’s largest Web caching complex, which recently handled more than 2.3 billion requests in a 24-hour period….Peak utilization has exceeded 40,000 URLs per second over a five-minute period….Its audience is largely the home-based consumer, but it gained millions of business users through its reported $10 billion acquisition of Netscape Communications and its Netcenter service….Says Case: “I never did mind the focus on my imminent demise….The dust has settled and I am still standing and that pretty much says it all.”

6. Amazon.com

This river’s floodgates opened in July 1995, and every retail isthmus it has washed overbooks, music, videos–has never been the same….Aside from the controversy of selling product placement, Amazon.com has enjoyed nothing but a publicist’s dream from the press since its launch….Going global: 20 percent of Amazon’s Q3 1998 sales were from outside the United States….In August 1998, Amazon acquired Junglee and PlanetAll, a purchase-comparison technology and calendar/schedule service, to start its march toward becoming the place on the Internet for shopping….Since going public in May 1997, Amazon’s stock has split twice, the first time two-for-one, the second, three-for-one…Last February, Amazon announced a 46 percent ownership in drugstore.com….Its OneClick ordering technology has yet to be replicated….Q4 1998 saw sales of $252.9 million, an increase of 283 percent over net sales of $66 million for the fourth quarter of 1997.

7. Marshall Industries

In 1994, the Internet’s openness and reach gave Robert Rodin, CEO of Marshall Industries–one of the largest publicly held domestic distributors of industrial electronic components and supplies–a precise vision for his company’s future….Fearing the death of physical distribution as a sustainable business, he turned his attention to metamorphosing the company from an electronic parts distributor to provider of critical supply chain information….

Today the $1.7 billion company connects its customers and suppliers in the electronic manufacturing areas of the United States and Canada with a 24-hour-a-day service center….Marshall operates like a virtual junction box bringing buyers and sellers together….For suppliers, Marshall creates demand and opportunities for their products….For buyers, Marshall helps manage their supply chain more efficiently….WebTV has turned to Marshall to manage the coordination of tasks among the 150 entities that make up WebTV’s supply chain, all in a virtual environment.

Cisco says all this Internet usage saved the company $550 million in operating costs in 1998. Savings were realized in the areas of ecommerce, customer self-service, supply chain integration, and employee service.

Cisco customers, who have witnessed the company’s Internet strategies up close, also want a piece of the action. Two years ago, some key customers began asking Cisco for strategic advice on how to incorporate ecommerce and Internet business solutions at their own firms. Out of that grew the Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), a free service Cisco offers its customers.

Amy Hawman, vice president of Internet Channel and Marketing Group at Xerox, says her company completely overhauled its corporate external site with advice from IBSG. “We tailored [Cisco's] experience into what makes sense for us,” says Hawman.

On the sell side, Cisco is growing by leaps. In 1997, Cisco sold $2 billion worth of goods over the Net. In calendar 1998, that number tripled, accounting for more than half of Cisco’s total sales of $8.5 billion. In the first six months of fiscal 1999, total sales were $5.42 billion, with $4 billion of that representing online sales.

Behind Cisco’s sales numbers are customers like Danny Chelston, a senior buyer for Bell Atlantic Data Solutions Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bell Atlantic. For the past two years, he has been placing all Cisco orders online$20 million worth of goods in 1998.

What’s the draw of ordering online? “It’s priceless to have information on hand any time of day,”.

2. Dell Computer

Revenue of $18.2 billion and shipments of more than 10 million computer systems make Dell the number-two computer company in the United States, behind Compaq….Often perceived as a consumer PC company, about 70 percent of Dell’s Web revenue is derived from business customers from industry, government, and education….Dell says its ecommerce site is host to 2 million visits per week and sells $14 million worth of goods each day….Among Dell’s business-to-business ecommerce customers, some 12,500 companies have customized Website privileges….With Gigabuys.com, launched in March, Dell hopes to leverage its online direct-to-customer expertise into the consumer electronics and services markets, selling everything from computer books to Zip drives….By the end of 1999, Dell projects its online overall revenue will swell to $7 billion, or 35 percent of projected revenue….Dell’s success has paid off for shareholders; a single share of Dell’s stock, bought at its $8.50 IPO price in June 1998, would have a pre-split value of $4,131 as of March this year.

3. IBM

Launched in 1994, IBM’s site is now in its ninth generation, making Big Blue a Web veteran….Customized for users in 70 countries, ibm.com now boasts 7.8 million page views per week….Having dropped the ball once–in PCs and operating systems–IBM has determined it is not going lose another opportunity….So the company has aggressively embraced the Web and has evolved with it, shifting focus from content to electronic transactions….

IBM has responded to Dell Computer’s lead with ShopIBM, which carries 14,000 products, from ThinkPads to AS/400 servers….Still just scratching the surface of its full potential, ibm.com nevertheless managed to process 3,000 transactions with business partners in the last four months of 1998, shipping more than 70,000 units….For 1999, IBM has set the bar high, hoping to handle 2,500 Web transactions each month to bring in $4 billion in sales, via PartnerCommerce applications, for the year.
Contents
B2 Top 10
B2 Top 100
What’s Next
Sleeping Giants
Jumping Into the Net
B2 Awards

Cisco not only creates the network tools that others use to excel, but has built the most intelligently Net-savvy company going.

Cisco Systems’ CEO John Chambers may be a soft-spoken Southern gent, but he’s firm when he asserts, “The Internet is changing the way people work, live, play, and learn.” When he champions the Net, is he guilty of simplistic hyperbole? Hardly. Those familiar with how the 49-year-old runs his $10 billion plus data networking empire know he practices what he preaches. Cisco- leading maker of routers, switches, software, and other gear that keeps the Internet running is using the Net to change the way it works. Says Dataquest analyst Ellen Carney: “Cisco is a company that eats its own dog food.”

Cisco’s success story is an Information-Age twist on an ancient tale. A Goliath in size more than 17,000 employees in more than 50 countries, $10 billion in sales-the company not only leads the Internet high-end router market (it has captured 80 percent of the business), but it also claims to have the world’s largest Internet commerce site (with sales exceeding $20 million in products every day). And Cisco is hot on acquisitions: 9 companies in the past year and 30 since 1993.

Yet San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco is a David at its core: agile, aware, and even a little fearful. “We can’t rest on our laurels,” says Peter Solvik, senior vice president and chief information officer at Cisco. “We use the Internet in virtually every business function.” Networking is at the heart of everything Cisco does–sales, customer care, marketing, recruiting, and fulfilling supply chain needs.
Contents
B2 Top 10
B2 Top 100
What’s Next
Sleeping Giants
Jumping Into the Net
B2 Awards

Naturally, Chambers sees the Net as an imperative tool. “Today, we are witnessing the emergence of an Internet economy in which the game is no longer about the big companies or countries beating the smaller ones,” he says, “but the fast versus the slow.”

Wall Street apparently approves of the networking giant’s nimble footwork. Since its 1990 IPO, the company’s valuation has skyrocketed from $225 million to more than $166 billion. During the same period, revenues have grown from $69 million to $10 billion in 1998. In February, when its latest quarterly earnings were released, Cisco reported overall sales of $2.83 billion, up 40 percent from the same period last year.
Larry Chambers, CEO
[ Larry Chambers, CEO
Who: John T. Chambers
What: CEO, Cisco Systems
Where: San Jose, Calif.
When: January 1995-present

How: During his eight-year tenure at Wang, the company had to lay off 4,000 workers; Chambers, 49, never got over it.…Prior to that, he spent six years in IBM’s marketing and sales departments.…Since being named Cisco’s CEO, sales have been lively, growing from $1.2 billion to $10 billion in the last four quarters.…

While Chambers is known for his generosity, he’s no pushover: Show poor business results, fail to recruit the right people, or refuse to act as a team player, and you risk losing your job.…He’s said to be driven both by competitiveness and ambition, as well as by a healthy dose of the Valley’s strongest medicine: paranoia.

At the museum:
-Choose an exhibit with built-in kid appeal. Dinosaurs, insects and mummies are perennial favorites.
-Call ahead to find out when the museum is least likely to be crowded and plan your trip accordingly.
-Keep your children amused by joining them in a game of museum bingo.

At the art gallery:
- Look for an art gallery that caters to kids by offering kid-friendly programming. Some galleries encourage their young visitors to create their own art on the premises, offering workshops in kite making, mask making and so on.
- Bring a second adult along so that you can divide and conquer, if necessary: One adult can take a group of restless children for a drink break while the other checks out the exhibits.
- Encourage your children to think about what’s involved in creating a work of art by giving them the chance to play art critic.

At the beach:
- Comfort is the name of the game when you’re going to be spending a day in the sun. Be sure to bring along sunscreen, sun hats and enough cold drinks for everyone.

- If you’ve got a baby or toddler in tow, bring along an empty baby bathtub and set it up under the beach umbrella. You can either fill it with sand or an inch or two of water.

- Keep the young Einsteins in your family amused with some beach science. The mixture of sand, water and sun is guaranteed to produce fun memories.

The benefits of working with a travel agent to plan your honeymoon are manifold. An agent can offer you the benefit of his or her knowledge and experience, as well as access to such things as computerized reservation systems — all for free.

Travel agents make their money by commissions from hotels, airlines, resorts, etc. All you have to do is choose one who understands what you want and need and who has expertise in the areas of the world you want to visit. Here are eight tips, questions to ask and things to keep in mind when looking for or dealing with a travel agent:

1. Be up front and honest about your budget.

2. Look for an agency that is part of The American Society of Travel Agents (703-739-2782), an organization that requires ethical practices of its members. Membership in The Association of Retail Travel Agents is also a plus. Cruise specialists will often have Cruise Lines International Association membership, as well.

3. An agent who has Certified Travel Counselor as part of her title has completed an 18-month course and has been in business for at least five years. Agents can also earn Destination Specialist credentials in the Caribbean and other areas.

4. Be as flexible as possible with the time frame you give the agent — you’ll have greater access to discount fares or other promotions. Travel agents can scan all airlines and car rental companies to find the lowest prices.

5. Tell your agent about frequent flyer/travel award programs.

6. Tell your agent about any medical, diet or exercise needs, including nonsmoking or smoking accommodations.

7. Ask for information about your destination, including airport connections, bus and taxi services, banks, tipping and foreign currency conversion.

8. Ask your agent for a 24-hour phone number so you can call for assistance with any problems.

Games promote development of a variety of skills, so pick good fits with your children’s abilities. Traditional, singing, and silly made-up games are just as important as commercial types, so play lots of both kinds. Babies love simple play such as peek-a-boo and This Little Piggy.

Toddlers enjoy picture dominoes (traffic signs, animals) and work up during the preschool years to six or more dots. Look for child-challenging board games, such as Candyland, and matching games like picture Tri-Ominos. Card games, such as Go Fish or Uno, are always popular. Competitive games such as Aggravation, and word games like Scrabble or finding alphabet letters appeal to older children. Marble games, action games (Duck, Duck, Goose) and maybe a few video games and (again when children are older) round out the selection.

Seek out games that convey positive messages and that keep children mentally and physically active, such as beanbag toss, hopscotch, Cootie, bowling or Twister. Play outdoors when possible. Children love to hide and chase. Math concepts are nearly always embedded in games: adding dice, planning strategies (checkers), and keeping score. Manipulative skills — picking up cherries in HiHo! Cherry-O abound. Pictionary is great for children who want to represent words with drawings.

Vary game rules to match children’s interests and capabilities. You might explain, “We’re just learning this game, so let’s make it easy for us at first.” Gradually make the game more complicated. As children get older, they like to make up their own rules. Make sure playmates agree upon the rules beforehand.

Whatever the game, play down competition and focus on the fun! Encourage cooperation — we want young children to work together, and they do not yet see helping each other out as cheating. Enjoy!

I thought you meant to ask, “Why would I ever want to wear a bridesmaid dress again?” If you like florals or sickly pink or even teal taffeta, then by all means, feel free to show up at the office Christmas party looking like a country tablecloth. You’ll have to forgive my cynicism. You see, I’m in a wedding in October and I’m still reeling from what happens to a woman with seemingly good taste (the bride) when it comes to picking out the bridesmaids’ dresses. (She’s wearing Vera Wang. We’re not.) And although there are lots of designers currently promoting their “unbridesmaidsy” bridesmaid dresses (Nicole Miller has a line of cocktail-cum-bridesmaid dresses that you wouldn’t die if you had to wear), it seems that brides still like the thought of getting back at their friends by making them wear things they look bad in.

Of course, if you are blessed with the good fortune of having a friend who insists all her bridesmaids must wear Prada, then you’ve got absolutely no problem and you’ll be able to wear the dress over and over, and you’ll live happily ever after.

But those kind of brides only exist in fairy tales, don’t they?

The greatest use of old bridesmaid dresses I’ve ever heard of was a woman who saved the dresses from all the weddings she’d been in. Then when it came time to select her bridesmaids and what they’d wear, she just asked everyone whose wedding she’d been in to be in hers, and she forced them to wear the dress they’d made her wear.