PLUGGED IN : BROWSER.

SAYING GOODBYE: Not many people seem to get fired anymore. It's chic these days to offer errant employees the chance to resign, so they never have to breathe the career-killing words ``fired'' or ``terminated'' in job interviews. Page 3

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: These technology entrepreneurs keep getting younger. Take Jeremy Wechsler of Langhorne, Pa., near Philadelphia, the 16-year-old founder and publisher of Youth Tech, a new area on America Online. He is working on ``content'' that will be seen by thousands of young people around the country. Page 4

NEWS BYTES

SETTLEMENT: Last week, the Church of Scientology settled a copyright lawsuit it filed against the operator of a Los Angeles-based computer bulletin board service. System operator Tom Klemesrud of North Hollywood has not admitted any liability, but his insurance carrier will pay the church $50,000. The legal proceedings date to 1995, when the church accused Klemesrud of assisting former Scientology minister Dennis Erlich of Glendale to distribute copyrighted materials on line. Internet provider Netcom was also named in the suit; the company settled with the church this month, but has declined to discuss the details of the settlement. The church has continued its suit against Erlich.

OPENING THAT MARKET: Gateway 2000 Inc. has lined up two retail chains to sell its big-screen personal computer, departing from its mail-order tradition to showcase the innovative machine that is also part TV and stereo. The company's $4,000 Destination PC will be in about 200 Nobody Beats the Wiz and CompUSA stores this fall, the companies said.Gateway has become the nation's seventh-largest PC maker by selling them directly to customers, chiefly through telephone orders. Until now, its retail experience has been limited to some outlet stores near its factories and one in Japan. The company will only sell the Destination PC through the store chains. It is a standard Windows-based PC with a TV tuner, wireless keyboard, modem, connections to other electronics and a 31-inch monitor.

WEB LINKS

PLUGGED IN: The Net is becoming the most popular concert hall around, thanks to the lure of cyber-casting. Even the House of Blues is wiring up with Progressive Networks, that Seattle company that brought us RealAudio. The schedule starts with a live broadcast of the fifth annual H.O.R.D.E. festival, a 6-1/2-hour show that starts at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The lineup includes Blues Traveler, Lenny Kravitz and Rusted Root. Subsequent shows include the House of Blues' Smokin' Grooves Tour, which showcases a mix of hip-hop, funk and reggae acts. A cyber-cast of the Sept. 2 date at Irvine Meadows will begin at 6 p.m. and feature performances by Cypress Hill, the Fugees, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes and Spearhead. (http://www.liveconcerts.com)

CYBER CHICAGO: On-line political coverage continues. Only this time, the buzz is coming from Chicago. But which newsfolks would you trust? Tom Brokaw and Andrea Mitchell at NBC? (http://www.msnbc.com) Or John Norris and Tabitha Soren at MTV? (http://www.mtv.com/) Or the cast at C-SPAN? (http://www.c-span.org)

RANDOM ACCESS

PUPPY LOVE: These are the dog days of summer. But for those who love dogs, dog days never end. If your family includes a dog, check out the Dog-e-zine page at http://www.dog-e-zine.com/. This site on the World Wide Web makes good on its claim to be the first Web site dog lovers should visit. One of the best features is the ``Four Bones Pick of the Week.'' Each week you'll find a review and link to a dog page that is especially well done.

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Photo: (1--color) no caption (Jeremy Wachsler)

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