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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Video Guides Computer Novices Around Internet

Philadelphia Inquirer

Hey buddy, wanna get wired?

That’s no invitation to illicit behavior. Rather, it’s the question more computer users are facing every day with the growth of the global bulletin board known as the Internet.

This global network of computers allows almost anyone with a personal computer and phone line to gain access to vast storehouses of information, as well as vast storehouses of idle chatter.

If you’re confused about cyber-anything or wonder if it’s a world you ought to explore, a new video release from PBS Home Video can help. “The Internet Show” (66 minutes, $14.98) is a breezy overview of a daunting subject, directed at people who have some familiarity with, but not an all-consuming passion for, computers.

The truly computer literate will find it a bit too breezy. Hosts Gina Smith, a computer columnist, and John Levine, author of the book “Internet for Dummies,” sit at a computer-equipped desk (in the style of news anchors) and trade some rather silly patter as they gently lead the viewer into the realm of e-mail, news groups and chat rooms.

Yet behind the gee-whiz attitude, the tape imparts solid information about the Internet.