Clinton Tape: Sex by the Gigabyte

So you thought the "server not responding" and "site too busy" messages that followed the Starr report's online release last Friday were fun? Just wait till you see what four hours of streaming video of President Clinton's testimony does to the World Wide Web. When millions of curious web surfers come to news sites this time around, they won't be doing anything as simple as calling up a 445-page document, poking around (or printing it out) and logging off. They'll be staying connected for hours, bulging their bandwidth with pipe-clogging video data, and giving webmasters everywhere a week's worth of migraines.

It didn't help matters that partisan wrangling in Congress delayed the video's release until first thing Monday morning -- when office surfers will once again have access to their employers' T-1 connections. Hopefully, cable TV will be able to take some of the strain. CNN, Fox and MSNBC all plan to run the tape unedited and unabridged, just as soon as they get the feed. The big three TV networks were still undecided Friday, but it's quite possible that Monday's regular programming will be ditched in favor of the President trying to duck explicit sex questions. It's also possible that millions of Regis, Rosie and Sally Jesse Raphael fans will suddenly discover that they know how to use the "off" button, after all.