Subject: "Blue World" mania (Newton).
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 092231 -0500
From: Roy Beavers
To: guru
--------------------------------------------------
..........For God's sake!! Where is our government!!! Where is the
press????.......At the very least -- some calculations of the exposures
and potential risks should be done BEFORE we "jump" into this **very
shallow** pool (of blood???).....guru....
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Now wireless tutoring etc., etc.
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 10:13:19 -0700
From: JNewton at EMRNetwork
To: guru@emfguru.com
Roy -
There are presently many schools using wired communications
systems which include reliable "dinosaurs" such as telephones, computers,
"dedicated" homework Hot Lines with voice messages recorded by teachers
daily, and school web sites. How many more transmitters will have to be
built in the residential neighborhoods whose families are sold on the idea
that their kids will only achieve academically if they are "connected" 24
hours a day? What effect will the RFR bathing these homes have on the
children's ability to learn?
Janet Newton, Executive Officer
EMR Network
>http://www.k12planet.com/#
>
>Sylvan Learning Systems And Aether Systems
> Launch Mindsurf.
> Business Wire
>
>
> Education and Wireless Leaders Join in $70 Million Initial
> Investment to Establish First Mobile Computing Network for
> K-12 Education.
>
> Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SLVN), the world's
> leading provider of educational services to families, schools,
> and industry, and Aether Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: AETH), a
> leading provider of wireless data products and services, today
> announced the launch of a new company, MindSurf(TM).
> MindSurf will provide an affordable mobile computing
> infrastructure that seamlessly links students, teachers and
> parents, improving communication in the school community
> and enriching the K-12 learning experience. Critical Path
> (Nasdaq: CPTH), the global leader in messaging solutions,
> will join Aether and Sylvan in launching this wireless education
> venture. The vision of MindSurf is to provide students with
> computing and communications resources through low-cost,
> wireless handheld devices, while giving teachers and parents
> unique new tools to stay connected. The MindSurf solution will
> provide basic collaboration, communication and messaging
> applications that can be configured for specific uses. Students
> will gain access to the information they need, such as
> schedules, assignments, activities and educational content,
> including reference materials. Teachers, meanwhile, will enjoy
> a means to communicate more efficiently with students,
> parents and other teachers, streamline their workload and
> focus on teaching. In addition, MindSurf provides a level of
> administrative control, allowing teachers to set access,
> security and privacy guidelines. Parents can stay informed
> about their children's attendance, grades, assignments, and
> teachers' comments and can be instantly notified of a
> problem or issue concerning their child.
>
> MindSurf brings together an unparalleled combination of
> industry leaders. MindSurf is the first major development to
> come out of Sylvan's recently announced e-learning venture
> arm, Sylvan Ventures, which develops and invests in
> educational technology companies. Sylvan Ventures will
> provide branded consumer educational services, deep
> relationships with school districts, and an understanding of
> education and the school environment. Aether will provide
> wireless data expertise, communications infrastructure and
> successful experience launching wireless solutions for vertical
> industries. Several wireless technologies are being considered
> for the MindSurf Network, including Bluetooth, localized
> cellular, and digital broadcast. MindSurf is the only company
> to combine the experience, relationships and industry
> expertise required to create a viable, mobile collaboration
> solution for the K-12 market segment.
>
> "Aether is thrilled to team with these world-class corporate
> partners to create MindSurf, a company with the potential to
> help transform the way education is delivered by teachers,
> accessed by students, and actively supported by parents,"
> said Aether Chairman and CEO David S. Oros. "MindSurf will
> be dedicated to keeping the educational community fully
> connected and empowered with wireless communications,
> resulting in improved education. MindSurf represents Aether's
> commitment and presence in the K-12 education
> marketplace."
>
> Sylvan and Aether will share majority ownership of MindSurf,
> with each company contributing $29.4 million at the launch for
> a 42 percent stake in the company respectively. Critical Path
> and other minority investors will own the remaining 16 percent
> of MindSurf.
>
> "With the introduction of MindSurf, we are creating a major
> paradigm shift in how students access and use computers in
> the classroom. With a low-cost mobile computing approach
> and wireless access, students can better interact with
> teachers, which is essential to the success of the learning
> experience. Mobile computing will help make computing and
> communications affordable in the education environment,"
> said Chris Hoehn-Saric, chairman and CEO of Sylvan
> Ventures. "Sylvan is committed to investing in and developing
> companies, like MindSurf, designed to dramatically advance
> and enhance the learning model. We are happy to be working
> with Aether and Critical Path in this strategic venture."
> MindSurf plans to market its products and services to both
> public and private school systems. Aether and Sylvan expect
> that pilot programs will be rolled out and incorporated into
> schools nationwide beginning this coming school year.
>
> MindSurf is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The
> management team and board of directors for the company
> are currently being assembled. Senior executives from both
> Sylvan and Aether involved in the formation and development
> of MindSurf will steer the company and search for the
> permanent leadership team. For more information about
> MindSurf, please visit the Web site www.mindsurf.net.
>
> About Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc:
> Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. (www.sylvan.net) is the leading
> provider of educational services to families, schools and
> industry. The Sylvan Learning Centers and Contract Education
> Services divisions provides personalized instruction services to
> K-12 students through direct consumer relationships and
> under contract to school systems. Sylvan provides courses to
> adult students throughout the world in the areas of English
> language, Teacher Training and accredited University
> offerings through the Wall Street Institute/ ASPECT, Canter
> and Sylvan International Universities subsidiaries. Through its
> affiliate, Caliber Learning Network, Inc., Sylvan also has the
> ability to distribute world-class adult professional education
> and training programs.
>
> About Sylvan Ventures Founded in February 2000, Sylvan
> Ventures develops and invests in educational technology
> companies, providing them with access to the brands, content
> and resources of its parent company Sylvan Learning Systems
> Inc. (NASDAQ: SLVN). Sylvan Learning Systems is one of the
> world's leading providers of educational services to families,
> schools and industry with over 2,000 tutoring, training and
> learning centers around the world. For more information, visit
> www.sylvanventures.com.
>
> About Aether Systems, Inc. Aether Systems, Inc. is a
> leading provider of wireless and mobile data products and
> services allowing real-time communications and transactions
> across a full range of devices and networks. Using its
> engineering expertise, the ScoutWare(TM) family of products
> including the Aether Intelligent Messaging (AIM) software
> platform, and its network operations and customer care
> center, Aether seeks to provide comprehensive,
> technology-independent wireless and mobile computing
> solutions. Aether develops and delivers wireless data services
> across a variety of industries and market segments in the
> United States and internationally. Additional information
> about Aether is available at www.aethersystems.com.
>
> About Critical Path Critical Path, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTH) is the
> dominant global provider of complete end-to-end Internet
> messaging and collaboration solutions for wireless,
> Internet-centric, telecommunication and corporate
> businesses. Through its allsourcing strategy, Critical Path is
> the only advanced messaging provider to offer businesses
> the flexibility to outsource, midsource or insource all or part of
> their messaging and collaboration applications. Critical Path
> has built an industry-leading global infrastructure with data
> centers connected to key Internet exchange points. Critical
> Path's technology currently reaches more than 100 million
> end-users through its customer relationships including more
> than 25 million wireless devices. Critical Path provides
> reliable, secure, and scalable e-mail and a flexible suite of
> enhanced messaging services to partners such as E*TRADE,
> CompuServe, Network Solutions, U S West, Sprint, France
> Telecom, British Telecommunications, and ICQ. Critical Path
> is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in locations
> nationwide and in Germany, England, Ireland, France, Italy,
> Switzerland, Japan, Brazil and Argentina. More information on
> Critical Path can be found at www.cp.net.
>
> This press release includes forward-looking statements based
> on the current expectations of Aether, Sylvan and Critical Path
> and projections about future events. These forward-looking
> statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties
> and assumptions about Aether, Sylvan and Critical Path that
> could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
> such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and
> uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market
> acceptance of the products and services developed or to be
> developed by Aether, Sylvan and Critical Path, the ability of
> Aether, Sylvan and Critical Path to develop new technologies
> and projects and the success of joint efforts under the
> arrangements described in the release. These risks and other
> risk factors are described under the caption, "Risk Factors" in
> Aether's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
> Neither Aether, Sylvan nor Critical Path undertake any
> obligation to update the forward-looking statements
> contained in this press release.
>
> Copyright (C) 2000 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com