PLUGGED IN : WEB LINKS.

JOIN THE OPERA: You may not think of yourself as being musically inclined, but if you can browse the Internet's World Wide Web you can contribute to an opera that will be performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and some of the world's best musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma.

Composer Todd Machover has created a Web site called the Brain Opera. It is a collaboration of scientists, musicians and folks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab. Cyberfolk are asked to send in sound files and images for the opera. All will be incorporated in the performance of the ``Brain Opera'' that debuts July 23 at Lincoln Center. When the opera is performed, both audience members and musicians will use what Machover calls hyperinstruments. These are computer-driven devices that can convert movement into melodies. To contribute to the opera, or just to follow its performance, visit the Web site at http://brainop.media.mit.edu.

LOOKING FOR LOVE: Forget relying on your Aunt Netta. Matchmaking is back, and it's modern. On the Internet ``match.com'' (http://www.match.com) lets you link up with 70,000 members in the United States and Canada for $9.95 a month. Profiles read like personal ads with personality: ``I can look like Keanu Reeves if you take his People magazine cover, cut out eyeholes and strap it to my head,'' a Chicago man wrote.

NEWS BYTES

HOT SPOT:The most popular spot at the Electronic Entertainment Expo appeared to be on the carpet in front of two large-screen monitors in Sega's booth. On the monitors is a spellbinding glimpse of the future of video games, a new version of the company's popular ``Virtua Fighter'' title.

``Virtua Fighter 3,'' as the game is called, depicts its action figures in much more precise 3-D than has previously been seen. Sega has not said when the new game will become available but observers believe it won't be until late next year, after versions are made for arcade play.

COMPUTER LINKS: Golf course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. used his computer to write a book about how golfers can improve their scores by understanding what goes into a course. Now, he can use it to play some of the courses he's designed. Maxis, the company best known for its SimCity and related computer games, will soon sell SimGolf, which includes three of the 175 courses he's designed. Players can design their own courses and share them on a World Wide Web site Maxis is designing.

ONLINE READING:Prodigy Services Co. has a new ``Web-zine'' devoted to covering the fringe of pop culture and art world. Called Stim, most of the on-line magazine will be updated monthly but some surprises will occur more frequently and electronic discussions, of course, will be continual. Stim's features, including 3-D animated serial characters called the Stimples, are a startling change for Prodigy. But the effort is key to its attempt to survive a shakeout in the on-line industry. Stim can be found at http://www.stim.com

RANDOM ACCESS

CHEAPER ACCESS: AST Research Inc. said it will begin selling $1,000 multimedia computers at Wal-Mart stores this month to create a new market for low-price machines. The personal computer maker said it began shipping the machines to the stores under an exclusive marketing agreement with Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest retailer. The computers, called ``Advantage! Adventure'' PCs, will come with CD-ROM drives, stereo sound, multimedia software packages and Microsoft Corp.'s ``Windows 95'' operating system.