PLUGGED IN : WEB LINKS.

MAC AND CHEESE: You made room for the microwave, but is there space in the kitchen for a computer? Kraft Foods is making a case that the computer can be at least a kitchen tool even if the machine isn't moved into the room where meals are made. North America's biggest packaged food company said Wednesday that it has created a Web site on the internet global computer network where consumers can get recipes, meal ideas and assistance on how to prepare meals. You'll find the Kraft Interactive Kitchen at http://www.kraftfoods.com.

ROMANTICALLY LINKED: Soon-Yi Previn and Leon Trotsky an item? Not quite, but amazingly enough there's a direct line of lovers between the two and a new Internet game that challenges users to find it. Every day, the Mr. Showbiz site throws out a seemingly impossible task - find the shortest romantic path between two very different people. The first person to post the decisive links wins a T-shirt. The Romantically Linked game can be found on the Mr. Showbiz site at http://www.mrshowbiz.com.And Soon-Yi and Leon? Take a deep breath, it goes like this - Trotsky to Frida Kahlo to Paulette Goddard to Burgess Meredith to Marlene Dietrich to Frank Sinatra to Mia Farrow to Woody Allen and, finally, to Previn.

Webzines 

ON THE WEB: Think the Web lacks intelligent commentary? Then browse through a Webzine or two. More than a personal site but snottier than the printed stuff, electronic magazines offer quick bites with an attitude. Forget the mainstream stuff, like Microsoft's Slate or Prodigy's Stim, that tend to be either too stuffy or too darn perky. Instead, try some of these independent efforts. And best of all, they're free:

Salon (http://www.salon1999.com) is the New York for the Net - Arts and Letters by Famous Writers. Its intriguing mix of topics has included vampire lust, redneck gays, on-line communities, Whitewater wranglings and Timothy Leary's last trip. Feel oh-so-literate with Brit Julian Barnes in the Books section. Or drop by the Modern Life area and muse about the enduring mystique of Elvis - the ``king, cupid & bestower of marital blessings.'')

Urban Desires (http://www.desires.com) mixes an eclectic and entertaining batch of stories about metropolitan life and its celebrities. An article about prostitutes even included its subjects' e-mail addresses. Avoid the ``create art through mouse clicks'' - a complete time killer - and check out the interactive comics section. Or jump to the Performance area, which houses in-depth reviews and a pretty solid selection of movie clips.

HotWired (http://www.hotwired.com) has it all. The obnoxious colors. The obnoxious attitude. The obnoxious fact that it's a great 'zine. Geared toward everyone from the urban hipster to the ivory tower digerati, HotWired features pop culture pieces with interviews, politics and rants galore. Drop by the Pop section for live chats with celebrities, the Netizen for a dose of on-line democracy or Cocktail for the recipe of the latest trendy drink.

If you like HotWired's flip attitude, but don't want to wade through the flashy format, pop by Suck (http://www.suck.com). Both sites are owned by the same company, but Suck offers a freshier perspective on the day's hottest headlines.