THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 9, 1995 TAG: 9501070053
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: The Gateway
SOURCE: BY LISE OLSEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA has long been known for its surfing, the kind you do in the ocean. But a new kind of surfing - net surfing - is beginning to catch on.
There's a whole new world out there for those brave enough to explore it. Call it the Old Dominion Online. Here are some of the things virtual voyagers can find when they set out to explore the state:
Catch up with old friends at your alma mater: Universities across Virginia are giving free accounts to their staff and teachers. Chances are, if you've got a buddy in school or teaching at one, you can find him or her on-line. Practically all state colleges and universities have directories available over the Internet.
University gophers - simple, menu-based Internet exploration programs - are fun to explore because you never know what weird thing you'll find. The University of Virginia even offers a demonstration on how to dissect a frog. What would Jefferson say?
Here are two good spots to start exploring:
University of Virginia. Point your gopher to: minerva.acc.virginia.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University Central Virginia Free-Net. Telnet to freenet.vcu.edu, then log on as ``guest'' and use the password ``visitor.''
Here's how to reach some local schools direct:
Medical College of Hampton Roads: Gopher to picard.evms.edu
Old Dominion University: Point your World Wide Web browser to http://www.odu.edu
Regent University: gopher to beacon.regent.edu
Check up on your congressman: Unlike many places across the country, Virginians held on to their senators and congressman. If you want to review just what you signed up for, their voting records are online. Check Project Vote Smart via gopher: chaos.dac.neu.edu
If you'd rather read what's on Newt's mind, check this site for the Contract With America: gopher to psulias.psu.edu, then select Electronic Bookshelf/Government,politics and Law/current topics.
Peek at the governor's plans: To see what the governor's folks on those Blue Ribbon commissions have in store for the state, you can check by gophering to gemini.vsla.edu, then select Blue Ribbon Strike Force.
Or check out the Virginia Beach City Council: The Resort City offers its Cityline bulletin board service as one of the ways citizens can keep up with city business. Use your modem to dial it up at 427-2470; N-8-1 system settings, up to 2400 baud.
Talk to your fellow Virginians about whatever is on your mind: A newsgroup called va.general is a computerized version of the old country store chats folks used to have. You can advertise something you want to sell, jaw about the latest Nor'easter or complain about politics.
Explore the future of computerized communication: Blacksburg's Electronic Village shows how a whole town could use the Internet if everyone had access to a computer. Check out the electronic village for information about Blacksburg's history, its hotels - there's just about anything you want to know about the home of the Hokies. Explore it via the World Wide Web: http//www.bev.net
Read the paper: Finally, if you're getting tired of the old newsprint version, you can use the Internet to read The Virginian-Pilot. There's weather reports, movie reviews, and some of the top news stories. You can also find this Gateway column there. It's available through InfiNet at http://www.infi.net.
You can also explore back articles from The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star through the World Wide Web at: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu. It's under the Virginia News Archive, along with information from the Roanoke Times and World News. In Hampton Roads, computer users can explore the Internet through the Pilot Online. The best of the Gateway columns are available on the Computer Page of the Pilot Online. See page A2 for details. by CNB