Your Technology

By Anita Hamilton Monday, Feb. 01, 1999
    • What's Next, Free Pcs?
    Computers are getting so cheap, sellers are practically giving them away. Last week online retailer OnSale ( ) began hawking computers at wholesale prices, featuring a Compaq Presario with a 333-MHz Cyrix chip, for example, for just $560 (monitor sold separately). Earlier this month, Packard Bell NEC unveiled a $500 machine powered by a 300-MHz chip. Once a novelty used by upstart vendors trying to get the edge on market leaders, inexpensive PCs are becoming the norm, with average retail prices hovering around $1,000.

    Bid for Antiques Online
    Think online auctions are a risky, low-brow affair only a bargain hunter could love? Not anymore. Now the 255-year-old New York City-based auction house Sotheby's is bringing some class (and clout) to the category with its plans to start selling items online, beginning in July with baseball memorabilia. You'll have to wait for the big stuff, though; for now, only items valued under $10,000 will be sold on the site.

    When Abstinence Is Best
    Sports fanatics, take heart. The folks at

    understand the turmoil of deciding whether to watch the Super Bowl or sit by your wife's side during labor. To avoid such complications, use the site's Conception Blocker to make a few quick calculations and avoid planting the seed at a bad time. After all, the World Series is but nine months away.