Mo' beta SLATE.
Mo' Beta
Slate
Slate proudly announces
Slate Explorer, a new way to navigate through the delights of slate.com. (So
why didn't we name it Slate Navigator ? We dunno. Explorer just seemed
more euphonious, somehow.) We think it's pretty darn cool (a technical
software industry term, used to imply strong feelings of affirmation), and hope
you will as well. (Click here for instructions on how to download Slate
Explorer.)
And what is Slate Explorer?
It's a poem, an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, the smell of Styrofoam when
you crack open that box containing your new computer. It's ... well, it's a
small program, actually, that puts a small box on your Windows desktop. (Sorry,
it doesn't work on Macs. Yes, we know, we know. ... But to be fair, it doesn't
work on Windows 3.1 either. It does work on Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0.)
Click on the little arrow, and the box expands horizontally into a list of
Slate's major categories (Briefing, Columns & Features, Back of the Book,
Dispatches & Dialogues, Utilities). Click on a category, and it expands
vertically into a list of current contents. Click on one of these listings, and
the article will appear.
Slate Explorer works, in
most cases, even when you're not online. When you select an article, the
program will launch your browser and initiate a Web connection. When you are
online, Slate Explorer will automatically update itself, even if--for some
inexplicable reason--you're not reading Slate at the moment. It's all a bit
hard to explain, but fun to try.
Now, listen carefully. This
is a beta release of Slate Explorer. "Beta" is a software industry term
for a product that is perhaps just a teensy bit short of absolute perfection,
but is being released anyway because we just can't wait anymore--or rather,
because we want to let the software-using community share in the excitement of
finding any last-minute bugs. We're reasonably sure that Slate Explorer won't
cause your computer to explode, or to charge large sums to your Visa card, or
to take up smoking, or to insult a police officer. But we make no
guarantees.
For the
moment, this beta release is only being promoted in Readme--that is, to our
most loyal and discerning readers (who are also immune to crass flattery). If
you do happen to discover a flaw in Slate Explorer, just keep it to yourself,
OK? No, please e-mail us about it at [email protected]. But be polite. Remember: This is a beta.
10,000
Pennies for Your Thoughts
How would
you like to get paid to do something you do all the time anyway for zippo? If
we know our readers, you're full of opinions and don't mind making them known!
So how would you like to spout off a lot of opinions and have perfect strangers
take them seriously, even if they make no sense at all ? And get a check
for $100 in the bargain! Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is, you idiot.
... No, we mean, it isn't , thanks to a wonderful opportunity sponsored
by Slate's associate publisher, Colene McBeth. Colene is looking for
participants in a second annual round of Slate reader focus groups. The
sessions will be held in early October in Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and San
Francisco (locations scientifically chosen as reflecting places Colene likes to
visit). It's your chance to tell us what you think about Slate and how you
might like to see it improve. And we'll pay you $100 for your trouble. If
you're interested, please e-mail Alice Baker at [email protected], or
call collect ([425] 882-8080, ext. 25848). If you were in a Slate focus group
last year, or if your name is Bill Gates, you're not eligible. But if you are
one of the many we didn't have room for last year (or if your name was Bill
Gates last year, but you've changed it), please feel free to try again.
Traditional Values
Most of Slate will not be
published next week, the third and last of our traditional summer weeks off.
(Or at least, we hope to make this a tradition, and have got away with it for
two summers so far.) We will, of course, be hard at work throughout the week
for the betterment of Slate, the Microsoft Corp., and the world, in roughly
that order. Or at least, we'll be thinking occasionally about the betterment of
these fine institutions. And Scott Shuger will be posting "Today's Papers"
early every morning as usual, except for Sunday and Labor Day. Slate will
return to its normal schedule Monday, Sept. 8.
--Michael Kinsley
