.

A L S O_ T O D A Y Chapter 1 Adrift among the cubicles About Silicon Follies The story, the characters, the author, the chapters - - - - - 21st Log New Gates book: Buzzword bonanza   T A B L E__T A L K What's the dream operating system for cruising the Internet? It's another Mac vs. Windows go-round in the 21st area of Table Talk   Search and ye shall find -- personal health, family wealth and bibliophilic happiness at barnesandnoble.com Search by:  Keyword Title Author     ____________________ Technology news from FTC approves Intel settlement ____________________   R E C E N T L Y Tipping the antitrust scales By Andrew Leonard How the right helped make the federal courts safe for Microsoft (03/17/99) Repurposing Ada By Michael Mattis A Victorian countess is widely credited today as the first programmer -- but historians say that doesn't compute (03/16/99) "E-mail is a real revolution" By Kyra DuPont and Eric Pape For a Cambodian opposition leader, the Net is a lifeline (03/15/99) "Wing Commander" creator takes the director's chair By Howard Wen Chris Roberts talks about his passage from the little screen to the big screen (03/12/99) Beauty and the geeks By Janelle Brown Female technology execs face cruel choices about selling their own sex appeal (03/11/99) - - - - - - - - - - BROWSE THE 21ST FEATURES ARCHIVES - - - - - - - - - -

[ S I L I C O N__F O L L I E S ] Chapter 2 The disinhibition of market leaders BY THOMAS SCOVILLE | Barry Dominic looked out across the bay from his office on the 21st floor of TeraMemory headquarters. He frowned. From the eastern shore, Fremont frowned back. Reclining his leather throne, he slung his feet up on an exotic hardwood desk big enough for a tennis match. He continued scolding a sleek speakerphone module perched at mid-court. "You tell those guys at MicroMillennium that if they don't like the deal they can go out and find their own VARs. They don't like our terms, then we don't have to hook 'em up with our market." ... and if they try, he added to himself, we'll just tighten our margins for a few months -- just long enough to pull the rug out and send 'em packing back down El Camino Real. Without a goodbye he mashed the orange button on the module, hanging up. "Nobody fucks with Barry Dominic," he muttered to himself. He swung his chair back around to his workstation console, where he had been drafting a company-wide e-mail flogging the troops. ... establishing TeraForms as the premier product line for medium-to high-end RDBMS proprietary solutions. It's impearitive to aquire foriegn market's and establish a dominent position in Asia as well in advance of what the compitition is. When the other guys arrive in the Asian marketplace, there going to see a sign saying 'Property of TeraMemory - keep out.' For that reason, it was decided to accelarate the WHIP initiative by three months. I know this means some extended hours and indeed a few all-nighters during the holidays, but for all intensive purposes it will all most certainly be reflected in employee equity participation - your's and mine. This is a criticle time in the development of our business flow, and I know your all going to pull together to get Tera where we need to get to. He forwarded the message to his assistant. She'd polish it up. "When there is no food, an army must march on hope," he grunted, quoting an aphorism he was sure was from Sun Tzu's "The Art of War." And if it wasn't, well, it should be. The module spoke again, this time with the receptionist's voice. "Line one, Mr. Dominic." "Busy," he snapped. "It's Mr. Lowell." Miles Lowell (of Lowell, Kraft & Khougat) was the lead attorney handling his divorce with his wife, Kiki. "Go ahead," Barry conceded. "Miles, what's the good news?" "No go on our last settlement package, Barry. She still wants the house in Woodside, plus 20K a month." "Tell that bitch vampire she'll have to kill me herself if she wants another drop of blood. I'm through playing games, Miles. I can tie this thing up in court forever if I have to. I'll make you and LKK as rich as me before I cough another dime." "It's your call, Barry." "I want the estate and I want her gone. As in Idaho. Make that Siberia. Make it happen. Hardball. Execute, buddy." He pummeled the orange button. Damn that woman, he thought. He should never have married so young. If only he could have seen his future, he would have moved forward as a free agent. He scanned a framed cover of a recent San Jose Magazine mounted on the wall behind his desk. "Most Eligible Bachelor in Cyberspace," read the headline over his picture. The teaser copy underneath: "He made a billion dollars. He commutes in a MIG-21. Who will he take to the company barbecue?" He'd sent the editor to Maui for overlooking his status as a technically married man. And why not? The divorce was supposed to be a done deal by now. How was he supposed to know, when he was 20 years old selling circuit boards in Redondo Beach, that it'd turn out this way? And now Kiki was raining on his parade. His parade. How was he going to get any real action while Kiki was spreading those stories to every XX chromosome in the valley about his "maturity issues with partnering"? The console signaled incoming e-mail. From: csawyer@teramemory.com To: barry@teramemory.com Subject: Staffing requirements Candi Sawyer. Now there was a woman he could respect. 5-foot-11, 28 years old, blonde, great shape, college volleyball captain at Pepperdine. Hardbody. Killer market instinct. "From volleyball to valley-ball," she had joked during a marketing strategy meeting. He could bet she didn't have any problems with "partnering issues." He continued reading: Barry, I've been hoping for some additional manpower to help with penetration of my prime territory. Staffing off the org chart, of course. Is there a space in your busy schedule for me? He could feel his interest in human resources rising. He clicked the "Reply to:" button. From: barry@teramemory.com To: csawyer@teramemory.com Subject: Re: Staffing requirements I'm well aware of your staffing needs. You have my attention. Let's schedule a meeting. How about Farallon at eight? I'll send a car. Barry observed with satisfaction that he didn't pick up women anymore. He hired them. SALON | March 18, 1999 C O M I N G_M O N D A Y .|. Chapter 3: Hacked in Seattle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here.