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A L S O__T O D A Y Shoot to thrill By Greg Lindsay "Unreal" takes the first-person shooter game to the next graphic level. But is that enough? - - - - - - - - - - T A B L E__T A L K Are you mad for consumer electronics? Discuss your favorite gadgets and brands in the Digital Culture area of Table Talk - - - - - - - - - - R E C E N T L Y Rags for Net richies By Janelle Brown A passel of new magazines tries to snag the tech-business elite -- but only the fittest will survive (07/09/98) Let's Get This Straight By Scott Rosenberg "Groupthink-ware" lets you follow the crowds on the Web -- instead of going your own way (07/08/98) Consciousness dethroned By Matthew DeBord The mind's "I" only thinks it's in charge, argues "The User Illusion" (07/08/98) Hands off that data -- I'm European! By Karlin Lillington A transatlantic trade war brews over data privacy rules (07/07/98) Baring your soul to the Web By Simon Firth Online diarists have invented a new art form and gathered a devoted following. But now some pioneers are questioning what they've created (07/03/98) - - - - - - - - - - BROWSE THE 21ST CHALLENGE ARCHIVES - - - - - - - - - - _______

BY CHARLIE VARON AND JIM ROSENAU | We invite readers to envision corporate mergers that marry a high-tech firm with a non-high-tech firm, and tell us what the resulting behemoth or its product will be called. Send us up to 3 entries, in the form of the mathematical equation x + y = z. - - - - - - - - - - - - E X A M P L E S Cargill + Intel = Cartel Office Depot + Sybase = Offbase - - - - - - - - - - - - R U L E S Send your submissions via e-mail only to salon21st@salonmagazine.com. Please include your full name and an accurate e-mail address so we can contact you if you're a winner. By submitting your entry you give Salon permission to publish it. Deadline for entries is July 17, 1998. The winning response this round will receive a copy of Ellen Ullman's book, "Close to the Machine," winner of a Salon Book Award for 1997. In two weeks we'll publish a winner and some selected entries -- then start over a couple weeks after that with a whole new challenge. SALON | July 10, 1998 Charlie Varon is a humorist and playwright. His works include "Ralph Nader Is Missing" and "Rush Limbaugh in Night School." Jim Rosenau is a writer, editor and software designer in Berkeley, Calif. Jim and Charlie are also co-founders of the citizen group Californians for Earthquake Prevention and partners in Mockingbird Productions, which offers a full line of comic services.