SINCE I LAUNCHED THE MIKE'S LIST newsletter a few weeks ago, I've gotten hundreds of enthusiastic e-mail messages from readers. Thank you for that! And I'm astonished at what a diverse group you are. Your fellow subscribers include authors, technology gurus, CEOs, programmers, artists, politicians, soldiers, actors, poets, dog catchers, beach bums, degenerates and Pez enthusiasts. 

Dozens of you have sent e-mail to tell me about your own personal web sites, many of which are truly cool, entertaining and interesting. I'm going to build a page listing the personal - and in many cases, professional - web sites of my readers. All I ask is that you add a link to the Mike's List web site in return. 

If you'd like me to add YOUR site to the Mike's List links page, shoot me an e-mail to: [email protected] 

Isn't That Sweet? 
A chemical engineer at the University of Hong Kong says his research proves cell phones and laptops can run off of batteries recharged by sugar. Chan Kwong-yue says that when a cell phone powered by sugar batteries dies, you just add another spoonful of sugar and you're off and yapping again. The sugar would fuel an electro-chemical reaction resulting in electricity. The technology is still at the theoretical stage. It's not known whether actual batteries could be manufactured cheaply enough for the consumer market or whether your cell phone would have to visit the dentist every six months. 

Robot Soccer Showdown
The Olympics in Australia will feature athletes who have replaced their tired old shoes and clothes for a new generation of high-tech garments that force muscle efficiency, reduce drag and eliminate unnecessary weight. But eventually, technology may replace the athletes themselves. Starting Monday - also in Australia - 150 soccer teams made up entirely of robots will compete in the RoboCup World Championships. 

The End of the Microsoft Era
The Golden Age of Microsoft was nice, but now it's over. Here are eight reasons why the end is near. 

Dial-A-Dope
Lately it seems that everyone is getting into the "M-Commerce" market (the M is for "Mobile," though in this case it could stand for "Marijuana"). American drug dealers in Amsterdam have started a company called iToke to sell pot via WAP-enabled cell phones. "Potrepreneurs" Mike Tucker and Tim Freccia are trying to get venture backing for the company, but so far their plans have gone up in smoke. The company is based in Amsterdam, where selling marijuana is legal. 

Vacations for Propeller Heads
If you're too much of a nerd for Club Med, here's a vacation idea that may interest you: Geek Cruises. The company offers vacations combined with seminars on programming and other nerdy subjects. Geek Cruises currently offers four relaxing vacation packages: Java Jam, XML Excursion, Database Discovery and Linux Lunacy. The web site entices customers by offering breathtaking views, karaoke and "cocktail parties with your favorite XML celebrities." The ships offer 24-hour a day net connectivity from an onboard Internet cafe.

Hollywood Spy
Al Pacino will star opposite a computer-generated actress in a movie that may be released next year called "Simone." According to my spy in Hollywood, writer-director Andrew Niccol wasn't satisfied with the suitability of any living actress, and decided to create his own. Niccol is the creator of "Gattaca."

Ad Creep
One of the creepiest forms of Ad Creep is an increasingly common practice called "product placement." That's where a movie or TV producer will "sell" advertising space within a show. So when James Bond drives the latest BMW, he's really doing a commercial - BMW paid the movie studio big bucks for him to showcase the car on the big screen. I find product placement creepy because viewers assume the creative process is not for sale - an assumption that is often false. One study showed that in 1997 and 1998, eight companies alone "placed" 233 alcohol products in movies and 181 alcohol products in TV shows, many of which had large audiences of children. Creepy? It gets worse. TV producers are using new technology to "place" products into shows electronically. In a recent episode of Frasier, for example, a Microsoft Windows box was placed electronically onto the shelf of the star's radio studio - the box didn't exist on the set. It was added later with computers. A recent "Seven Days" show featured a bottle of Coca-Cola that never existed. Creepy!

Wacky Web Site of the Week
Here's a resource you won't be able to live without: Simply type a sentence in English, click a button, and sophisticated text-to-speech technology will say your words out loud, but translated into Pig Latin. You can choose .WAV, .AIFF and .AU formats, and download them for playing later. Oh, and it also translates into German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian. 

Follow-Up
Last week I announced Microsoft's intentions to build restaurants in Airports across the country. Since then I've learned that they'll be called "Expedia.com Cafe" and that the first one opens right here in Silicon Valley at the San Jose International Airport. Each table will feature electrical outlets for charging laptops and cell phones, as well as phone jacks for dialing in and downloading e-mail or surfing the web.