Does Intel Own 'Inside'?

INTEL IS LEANING on the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to deny the non-profit Yoga Inside Foundation a trademark because it uses the word "Inside," just like the company's "Intel Inside" slogan. 

Based in Venice, Calif., the Yoga Inside Foundation exists to give free yoga instruction to troubled teens in schools, treatment centers, children's shelters, pregnant-teen programs, juvenile detention facilities, prisons, inner city communities and elsewhere. Studies show yoga helps kids stay off drugs, get better grades and develop a more positive outlook. 

You'd think Intel, with its history of public relations blunders, would bend over backwards to help an organization like Yoga Inside -- or at least show a little flexibility. In fairness, Intel has promised to contribute to the organization if it changes its name. 

But in the world of non-profit organizations and within the yoga community, Yoga Inside is a huge "brand." Why should they have to change it on a corporate whim? Besides, it's outrageous that Intel aspires to own outright the English word "Inside." It's doubly outrageous that a multibillion dollar global giant would use its deep pockets and army of lawyers to oppose the trademark efforts of a small, clearly beneficial non-profit organization like Yoga Inside. 

They're not competitors. Obviously, there's no chance of people stumbling across Yoga Inside and somehow confusing them with the chip giant. 

The only motive I can imagine for this is pure, shameless greed coupled with total disregard for the good work at Yoga Inside.  

I know it's a stretch, but in addition to troubled teens I think the Yoga Inside Foundation should expand its program to include morally inflexible Intel executives here in Silicon Valley. 

If you'd like to tell Intel what you think of their opposition to Yoga Inside's trademark, please write to them here. 

If you'd like to contribute to the Yoga Inside Foundation, please click here. 

And please pass this newsletter to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to help save the Yoga Inside trademark. 

Invisible Graffiti

Hewlett-Packard is working on technology which creates the illusion that invisible electronic messages are posted in mid-air. Using GPS and other existing technologies, you can post messages and associated them with a specific spot on the globe -- in front of your office door, in the middle of the ocean or at a busy intersection -- and anyone with a cell phone can get your message at that location. HP plans to roll out the technology first in Bristol, England. 

Don't Try This At Home

Professional bowlers know the importance of those fans installed in bowling alleys to keep hands cool and dry. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to add a fan to the inside of your mouse to keep your mouse hand bowling-alley fresh! 

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Proof You Can Buy Anything on the Web

Now you can buy fake Silly Putty by the pound!

Shameless Self-Promotion

Check out the Computer Chronicles TV show this week, where I'll blather on about how you Microsoft Outlook users can protect yourselves from Spam. Click here for show times.

 Craig Crossman's Computer America features Mike's List content on every show (and I join Craig live on the first broadcast Sunday of every month). You can hear Computer America on your local Business TalkRadio station or over the Internet each Sunday from 1pm to 3pm Silicon Valley Time. Don't miss Mike's List on Computer America!

Reader Web Site o' the Week

My friend and Mike's List reader Jason Levine built and runs the URateIt site, which features more than 625 reviews of over 60 products. I worked with Jason at Windows Magazine in the 90's -- the guy really knows his stuff. URateIt reviews are written by knowledgeable users. It's a great way to get relevant, unbiased product reviews before you shell out good money. Check it out!

Get YOUR web site on the high-traffic Mike's List Reader Links page. HERE'S HOW! 

Gotta-Get-It Gadgets

OK, this isn't a gadget, but you've still gotta get it. Ontrack just came out with PowerDesk Pro version 5. PowerDesk is a $30 Windows interface enhancement product that builds in dozens of cool features Microsoft should have included with Windows. The new version adds the ability to attach notes to any file, organize MP3s, color your folders and search your PC better than Windows' Find. I've been able to uninstall three other programs that I use heavily -- LapLink, WinZip and a desktop version of AltaVista's desktop search tool, because PowerDesk tools supply all the functionality I needed from those programs. Check it out!

Have you seen an amazing new toy? Let me know! 

Wacky Web Sites

Called Lego Death, this dark and wacky Lego site details all the many ways to die, lovingly demonstrated in brightly colored plastic.

It's not easy being an egg. Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a wild ride! 

If you're having trouble not sleeping at night, check out NASA's Current Impact Risk web site, which keeps track of all the known asteroids that may smash into the earth and destroy all life. Of course, the site doesn't include the scary asteroids we don't know about.  

A long time ago, in a Telnet server far, far away.... Star Wars!

Think of it as pornography for Mensa types: It's the Chess Goddesses web site! 

Here's your chance to nominate what you believe to be the best public restroom in America!

Think you're a fast mouse clicker? OK, let's see what you're made of!

If your favorite kind of rock band is the kind that doesn't exist, then you'll love the Rocklopedia Fakebandica, a comprehensive encyclopedia of fictional music groups. The site gives details about Spinal Tap, The Monkees and hundreds of other bands that never were. 

Etiquette is important even nowadays -- especially in the bathroom. This site can help.

Who needs a police sketch artist when you can re-create that criminal's face on the Internet? 

 If you see a really crazy web site: Let me know! 

Reader Comment

"Mike, I just wanted to let you know that I agree with everything you said about Google. I am hopeful that their paradigm becomes the future of the web. As for their sense of humor, I would like to point out that, in addition to being able to set your language preferences to Pig Latin and Klingon, you can also select Elmer Fudd, Hacker, and my personal favorite, Swedish Chef. Thanks for the good work."
Sean McCord a.k.a. “Semi”

I get hundreds of reader e-mail messages per week, so I can publish only a tiny fraction of them. I reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Send comments to: mike@mikeslist.com

Last Week's Mystery Pic

No, it's not the right eye of Jodie Foster, Britney Spears, Tatum O'Neil, Drew Barrymore, Ashley Judd, Madonna, Laura Palmer, Peta Wilson, Farrah Fawcet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Haley Mills, Tanya Harding or even Bill Gates in disguise, as suggested by some readers. It's the eye of Simone, the computer-generated star of this summer's Al Pacino satire on Hollywood. Nobody got this one, and it's no wonder. A full, clear picture of Simone has not been released to the public. I created the image for last week's Mystery Pic by reversing the colors on the artsy Simone web site, which by the time I got around to writing this follow-up was not operational: http://www.s1m0ne.com/ In the movie, Al Pacino plays a producer who can't find the perfect actress for his movie, so he has one created with computer animation. When the movie and star become famous, he tries to hide the fact that she's computer-generated and not a real person. The movie is scheduled for a August 16th, 2002 release. 

 Have you seen an amazing, hard-to-identify picture? Let me know!

Mystery Pic o' the Week

What is it? Send YOUR guess to mysterypic@mikeslist.com. If you're first with the right answer, I'll print your name in the next issue of Mike's List!

Mike's List User Manual

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