KNOWLEDGE DISK ARRIVES 

(Editor's note: In the beginning computers could only communicate in capital letters. This is one of 20 columns from Dr. Tomorrow's original series, included here to indicate change as well as describe it. Those columns also hold another story, that change is swift and offers both disaster and opportunity.)

THE "KNOWLEDGE DISC" HAS HIT THE MARKET. AS WE MOVE FROM A TEACHING MODE TO A LEARNING MODE THIS DEVELOPMENT IS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE. IT PUTS SELF-EDUCATION WITHIN THE HOME AND INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.

GROLIER ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING (THE WORLD'S LARGEST PUBLISHER OF ENCYCLOPEDIAS WHO GAVE US THOSE 20 HEAVY VOLUMES) ARE MARKETING THEIR NEW LASER VIDEODISC AND COMPACT-DISC ENCYCLOPEDIAS.

GONE ARE THE HERNIA-INDUCING HEAVY VOLUMES. NOW THE ENTIRE NINE MILLION WORDS AND 32,000 ENTRIES ARE AVAILABLE ON GROLIERS' 12-INCH KNOWLEDGE DISC! ON TOP OF THAT THE COST IS JUST US $89.95. THIS IS THE FIRST VIDEODISC TO CONTAIN THE TEXT OF AN ENTIRE ENCYCLOPEDIA.

IT PLAYS ON A STANDARD LASERDISC PLAYER HAVING RANDOM ACCESS CAPABILITIES. THE PLAYER'S KEYPAD CAN SCAN, SEARCH, OR STEP FRAME TO BROWSE THROUGH THIS ELECTRONIC BOOK, OR GO DIRECTLY TO A PARTICULAR ARTICLE. KNOWLEDGE DISC IS BASED ON GROLIER'S ELECTRONIC EDITION OF ITS ACADEMIC AMERICAN ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE ONE PARTICULARLY KNOWN FOR CONTEMPORARY COVERAGE OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS. ALL CONTAINED ON ONE SIDE OF THE DISC!

EVEN BIGGER NEWS IS THAT THEY ARE ALSO PRODUCING THE SAME ENCYCLOPEDIA ON A 4.72-INCH-DIAMETER COMPACT-DISK READ-ONLY MEMORY (CD-ROM)!

THE SAME NINE MILLION WORDS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH ANY MANUFACTURER'S CD-ROM DISK DRIVE MATCHED WITH SUCH PERSONAL COMPUTERS AS THE NEW ATARI 520ST OR IBM COMPATIBLES WITH 256K. THE ELECTRONIC INDEX CAN SEARCH THE ENTIRE TEXT IN JUST THREE TO FIVE SECONDS! IN THIS VERSION THE PRICE IS US $199.

HITACHI, SONY, AND PHILIPS HAVE ALL DEVELOPED CD-ROM DISC DRIVES FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS. DIGITAL EQUIPMENT'S NEW MICROVAX IS ALSO CD-ROM EQUIPPED.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA USES ONLY A PORTION OF THE DISC'S TOTAL CAPACITY. THIS 4.72-INCH DISC HAS THE ABILITY TO STORE 100 MILLION WORDS OR 220,000 PAGES OF TEXT -- 1,500 TIMES MORE DATA THAN CAN FIT ON A TYPICAL 5.25-INCH FLOPPY DISC. IT IS THE SAME SIZE AS THE DIGITAL AUDIO SYSTEM COMPACT DISC.

BOTH THE LASER AND THE COMPACT DISC VERSIONS WERE DESIGNED AND PRODUCED FOR GROLIERS BY ACTIVENTURE CORPORATION.

MORE INFORMATION:

GROLIER ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING, INC., 95 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10016.

PHONE: (212) 696-9750.

(PLEASE SEE ILLUSTRATION NUMBER TWO)

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