NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR , along with Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, has joined the newly created ICE (Information and Content Exchange) task force, a proposed protocol group created t o facilitate the controlled exchange and management of electronic assets between networked partners and affiliates.

"This dramatically simplifies management, lowers costs and will become a major catalyst for the trillion-dollar electronic economy," said Steven Snyder, chief executive of Net Perceptions, an ICE member.

The proposed ICE specification provides businesses with an XML-based common language and architecture that will facilitate the process of automatically exchanging, updating, supplying and controlling assets in a trusted fashion.

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a simplified form of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), used in complex math and science publishing.

"THE OBSTACLES which have prevented the Web from reaching its potential as a marketplace-namely access, bandwidth, security and lack of critical mass, are rapidly being overcome.

"Pundits, suggesting that th e Internet's potential is overestimated, are seemingly unaware of the economic dynamism already unleashed.

"The huge financial commitment of corporate giants such as AT&T, Microsoft and others to the growth of the Internet as a commercial medium makes it inevitable that the Web will become the dominant economic channel for the distribution of goods and services."

- Paul W. Green, chairman, Nanothinc

SENTE INC. (Acton, Mass.), which develops power-estimation tools used by ASIC and custom-IC designers to determine the power consumption of designs, has a site. Find info on the firm's Watt Watcher tools and its Verilog and VHDL power-analysis services.

DATEK ONLINE (Iselin, N.J.), a pioneering Web brokerage firm, has a redesigned site featuring expanded investment and information services. The firm has added an interactive help desk and more news and charts.

FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES (Mequon, Wis.), a developer of networking applications, has a site. Find info on the company's unique digital signatures product, called e-Lock, for use in intranets and over the Internet.

INTEL is sponsoring a 3-D Web tour
to show off Pentium II-and it does. Visit
"Virtual Stonehenge" and get a look at the unique special effects
such as detailed textures and dynamic lighting.

THE FCC OFFERS a comprehensive online PDF glossary of telecommunications terms-from access charge to all things wireless.

THE EDA CONSORTIUM has added "push" to its site capabilities. Get the latest EDA industry news delivered right to your desktop with NewsUpdater.

NANOTECHNOLOGY heads need look no further on the Web for all the latest on the maturing field of molecular manufacturing than Nanothinc.

The publisher/developer/distributor has a splashy and informative site, which offers enhanced multimedia-style "nanocontent" but also provides the most news you'll ever find in one place on the subject.

Nanothinc's topics (and pages) are divided into three categories: NanoSci (related scientific disciplines), NanoWorld (education, entertainment, products and services) and NanoMarkets (business and financial services).

Using Shockwave and Intervu's plug-in tools, Nanothinc makes the most of 3-D Web content-especially in its original "movies" on the NanoSci page.

While tech is covered in detail, business is not left unattended. There's a wealth of content on the emerging nano-marketplace, with listings and descriptions of related vendors, portfolios, ventures and commercial services. There's also several virtual NanoMarkets CyberTrade Expos.

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