PLUGGED IN : NEWS BYTES.

AOL MAC FRIENDLY: America Online is readying a new Mac version, and it's a big improvement. The leading on-line service has rebuilt itself from the ground up. In version 3.0, expected to be released this fall, everything is different. There's a sharp new look and lots of new features.While not yet commercially distributed, version 3.0 is available for a test drive. AOL is letting members download beta copies. Next time you log on, type in the keyword Mac Beta. You'll enter an area where you can download a free test version of 3.0. Be forewarned, though. This is not commercial software yet. It's still buggy. But after several weeks of testing, you'll find it stable.

WEB LINKS

VIRTUAL BAZAAR: Few of us can afford clothes made by the top Italian designers, let alone jet off to Italy for fashion shows. So Harpers Bazaar magazine is bringing the Italian fashion scene to the Internet, with a Web site showing the latest from the likes of Gianni Versace, La Perla, Gruppo Gilmar, Alfieri/St. John and Ermenegildo Zegna. The address is http://www.viabazaar.com

PICTURE PERFECT: ``Let me show you the pictures of my grandkids,'' goes the line as the wallet or purse is opened. With today's wired generation, Junior or Missy's baby pictures can go from wallet to World Wide Web. The site, http://www.my-kids.com, lets parents put their baby's picture in a virtual photo album on the Internet and allows friends to leave messages to the new parents. For about $50 or less, parents can purchase a package including a prepaid photo mailer, a baby's vital statistics form, three months of Web site service and an assortment of on-line and Internet software. Parents put five photos of their child and the completed form in the mailer and return it to My-Kids.com. Once the home page is complete, the company will send back the five photos, plus 15 announcement cards for notifying family and friends of the new Internet address. The announcement cards include a password which must be used to access the Web site, ensuring a secure environment available only to the user's family and friends. If you don't find My-Kids.com at a retail store, contact the company directly at [phone] or the website.

RANDOM ACCESS

THE HUES OF FALL ON THE WEB: The reds, golds and oranges of autumn are slowly beginning to appear atop the highest Southeastern mountains - and on the Web. The U.S. Forest Service, which for years has operated a telephone fall color hotline, is also offering a more detailed Internet update, at http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/fall.htm.For a more colorful look at fall foliage, turn to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's Web site, at http://www.ashevillechamber.org.

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