Charles Morris

Published Works by Charles Morris

Across the globe, the internal combustion engine has an expiration date

For better or for worse, the internal combustion engine transformed human society. It opened up the world to fast and affordable travel, increased agricultural productivity and supported millions of jobs, creating a thriving middle class. It also enabled war machines such as tanks, warplanes and nuclear missiles, caused widespread environmental destruction, and bestowed vast wealth on a rogues' gallery of despots around the world. Now, after a century and a half, the end of the Oil Age is in sight, and the transition to new energy and transportation systems will once again transform our civilization in unpredictable ways. [read more]

Is the Porsche Taycan "the next Model S?"

During the late 1970s, music journalists were constantly on the watch for "the next Bob Dylan" (none ever appeared). In our day, automotive writers have been eagerly awaiting "the next Tesla." The Jaguar I-PACE and Audi e-tron seemed like contenders for the title, but both fell short. Then came the Porsche Taycan, which earned rave reviews from the driving experts at Motor Trend, Car and Driver and Road & Track, as well as from long-time EV expert John Voelcker. When it comes to performance, the word on the street is that the Taycan is the first vehicle that can be said to rival the mighty Model S. [read more]

Is Tesla in the market to acquire another automaker?

Oh, the irony! In Tesla's early days, many assumed it would eventually be acquired by a larger automaker. After all, this was, and is, the tried-and-true trajectory for a Silicon Valley startup. This wasn't just a journalist's fantasy - the co-founders themselves considered it a possibility. Marc Tarpenning told me in 2013, "We believed (quite naively), that once the Roadster was out and people saw that you could make a compelling electric car, all the car companies would jump on this idea...so even if the stand-alone company becomes questionable, it's okay because there'll be ten car companies around the planet that will want us." Now Tesla is the world's largest automaker by market cap (though very far from the largest in terms of sales), and could theoretically acquire just about any of the world's legacy carmakers. In fact, financially speaking, Tesla could gobble up two or three of the smaller brands with a minimal dilution of shareholder value. [read more]

Why are these Chinese electric vehicle stocks soaring like Tesla?

You may not have seen a Chinese EV on the street yet, but the companies behind them have been burning up US stock markets. Xpeng's stock price has roughly doubled since the company joined the NYSE in August; Li Auto's has tripled since its July debut; and NIO, which went public in the US in 2018, has seen its share price soar by around 1,000% since the beginning of the year. [read more]

Tesla needs China, and China needs Tesla

A batch of 3,600 brand-new Tesla Model 3 sedans, sporting white protective film front and rear, recently rolled off a towering ocean-going car carrier at Zeebrugge Port in Belgium. Xinhua (via CCTV) reports that, after a month-long journey from Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, the new EVs are now on their way to buyers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. Of course, the massive ships disgorge automobiles at Zeebrugge on a regular basis, but this particular shipment (a second is soon to follow) was a momentous one not only for Tesla, but for China. [read more]

Will the Biden administration help push electric vehicles forward?

Are automakers happy that Joe Biden is going to be our next president? Well, it's complicated. [read more]

Do EV chargers belong at gas stations?

In the early years of any major technological transition, consumers tend to see the new tech through the lens of the old - early TV shows were basically radio shows with video, and early web sites looked like pages from low-budget magazines. Many imagine that, once we've made the transition to electric vehicles, we'll continue to make periodic stops at fueling stations, simply replacing gas pumps with charging stations. [read more]

German lobbyists are pushing hydrogen fuel cells, but German automakers have moved on

There's a puzzling power struggle going on in Germany. The federal government, cheered on by various industry trade groups, has grand plans to build a hydrogen fuel cell ecosystem. However, two of the country's three major automakers have stated in no uncertain terms that hydrogen fuel cells are unsuitable for passenger vehicles, and that battery-electric vehicles are the way forward (a conclusion that Tesla's founders reached back in 2003, and that Elon Musk has reiterated in colorful terms many times). [read more]

Will Tesla become the next Google, Apple or Amazon?

A conversation, circa 2030:
"I Googled the new guitar I want, and I've already eBayed my old one."
"Are you going to order it on Amazon?"
"No, I want to play it before I buy - I?m going to take a Tesla to the music store."

Even as more and more aspects of our lives migrate to the online world, humans will probably always need, or want, to move around in meatspace. In the future, this will increasingly take place by means of Transportation as a Service (TaaS). If current trends continue, Tesla is likely to be the main player in this new industry, and its brand name could very well become a generic term, just as Google, Amazon and iPhone are today (and as Scotch tape, Murphy beds and Gem clips were to an earlier generation). [read more]

Print Articles in Charged

	2020 EV Charging Infrastructure Best-in-Test: Rating the DC fast charging user experience December 10, 2020 How do the various public fast charging networks compare in terms of reliability, convenience, coverage and price? Charged recently partnered with the German firm umlaut to begin to determine the state of the charging network user experience. After performing a comparative study of network providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland earlier this year, umlaut adapted its testing methodology to the US market, and together we developed the new 2020 EV Charging Infrastructure Best-in-Test award.
	Proterra beefs up its battery expertise: Q&A with CTO Dustin Grace November 11, 2020 For vehicle OEMs, it's not always so simple to decide which EV systems to design from the ground up internally and which to source from suppliers and integrate into their platforms. It takes a lot of time and capital to recruit the right team and then design, validate and produce high-quality systems at scale. To learn more about Proterra's heavy-duty EV system development, Charged recently spoke with Chief Technology Officer Dustin Grace.
	Tesla's success is "a combination of thousands of heroic feats that no one knows about" (book excerpt) November 9, 2020 David Havasi was a car guy from birth. He grew up near Auburn Hills, and his dad worked in the auto industry. "My childhood was steeped in Detroit auto culture," he told me. "That's what we talked about at the dinner table." As did Tesla co-founders Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard and Elon Musk, Havasi felt the conflict between his love of speed and his concern for the environment. "I loved performance cars like the Viper and the Stealth - I learned how to drive on those cars. For me having a car was not utilitarian, and still isn't. It was recreational - every drive is recreational. But there was this inner conflict - usually the more fun a car was to drive, the worse it was for the environment. It was a dichotomy that I really struggled with."
	Model Y: Tesla's latest model is its most refined - and it continues to improve July 13, 2020 Every Tesla model has arguably been a historic vehicle. The Roadster was the first EV to offer the performance and aesthetics that attract car buyers. Model S was the first mass-produced EV to deliver this combination, and Model X delivered it as an SUV. Model 3, the culmination of the company's master plan, was the first to bring this winning formula to the mid-priced segment. With the new Model Y, Tesla has refined all the features of Model 3 in a form factor aimed squarely at the most popular market segment in the world.
	EnergyHub gives utilities more flexibility to manage peaks, including direct control of EV charging May 13, 2020 The electrification of transport is proceeding in parallel with a major restructuring of the electrical grid. As the grid transforms from a centralized model to a decentralized model, utilities are facing a different set of technical challenges than those that existed a century ago, when the existing grid was built . That's where EnergyHub comes in. "We're an enterprise software company that has carved out a pretty useful niche in the utility world, helping utilities better integrate wind and solar into the grid through the use of DERs (distributed energy resources)," CEO Seth Frader Thompson told Charged.
	Retooling a shuttered factory to build electric trucks: Q&A with Lordstown Motors CEO Steve Burns May 13, 2020 Big things are happening in the Mahoning Valley area of northeastern Ohio. When the GM plant in Lordstown, at which some 5,000 workers had produced the Chevy Cruze, closed in early 2019, locals called it Black Monday. Things soon started to look a bit sunnier, as GM sold the plant to Lordstown Motors. Lordstown plans to begin production of an electric pickup at the plant starting in late 2020. Meanwhile, Workhorse continues building electric vans, and GM and LG Chem have announced plans to invest up to $2.3 billion in a battery cell assembly plant in the area. As an ecosystem of EV-related industries begins to develop in the area, some are now calling it Voltage Valley. Charged recently chatted with Lordstown CEO Steve Burns to learn more about the company's plans.
	Q&A with Electrify America's Chief Operating Officer March 1, 2020 It would be understandable to be a bit skeptical about Electrify America - after all, it was founded by decree of a court, as atonement for VW's diesel-related dirty deeds. However, by all accounts the company is taking its mission to increase EV adoption by building a first-class charging network quite seriously, and is setting a fine example of how a nationwide network should be designed.
	EVmatch: A simple, low-cost way to monetize your charging stations December 26, 2019 Electric vehicles are a perfect fit for the sharing economy. Peer-to-peer charging services are another way that EV owners can work together to accelerate the spread of electromobility, while possibly earning a little money in the process. The most established player on the emerging charger-sharing scene is California-based startup EVmatch. I recently spoke with EVmatch founder and CEO Heather Hochrein.
	V2G value propositions: Fermata Energy is focused on building financially viable solutions for vehicle-to-grid October 6, 2019 Vehicle-to-grid pioneer Fermata Energy has been in the news lately for a couple of reasons. In November 2018, the company partnered with Nissan to launch a pilot program that uses LEAFs equipped with bidirectional charging capability to partially power the automaker's North American headquarters in Tennessee and its design center in San Diego. In January, Fermata scored a $2.5-million investment from TEPCO Ventures, the investment arm of Tokyo Electric Power. In July, Nissan's announcement that it was using vehicle-to-home (V2H) technology in Japan, and would soon offer it to customers in Australia, brought more attention.
	EV outliers: Oslo, San Francisco…and St Petersburg? August 3, 2019 Many readers are surprised to learn that Charged is headquartered not in California, but in St Petersburg, Florida. Once a sleepy retirement center nicknamed "God's Waiting Room," nowadays "The Burg" is a hipster hotspot, replete with art galleries, craft breweries and vegan eateries. Another distinction that places St Pete in the avant-garde: it's an EV hotspot. For example, it's the #1 city in Florida for Chevrolet EV sales (and Florida is the #2 state after California). Almost one out of three Chevy EVs sold in the state are driving the palm-shaded streets of St Pete.
	Could new regulations hold back EV charging development? April 6, 2019 At the moment, many in the charging industry are concerned about three separate sets of pending regulations. At the federal level, the EPA is proposing to establish an ENERGY STAR specification for DC fast chargers. (Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging stations are already eligible for the ENERGY STAR label, as we discussed in our January/February 2018 issue.) Meanwhile, California regulators are considering a proposal to establish a standard for the accuracy of metering on DC fast chargers, and a separate one to require credit card readers on all public charging stations.
	Workhorse’s new plug-in hybrid pickup truck June 20, 2017 An electric pickup? There isn’t even a hybrid pickup available from any major manufacturer. Over the years, we’ve reported on a few smaller companies with electric pickup plans that have delivered with varying degrees of success. Trendsetter Tesla has recently announced plans for an electric pickup (Model P?), but its offering is not expected to hit the market for at least four years. Meanwhile, Workhorse, an Ohio-based public company with about 115 employees, is way past the talking stage.
	New Eagle and Inventev develop electric Ford Transit May 10, 2017 The business case for electrifying commercial vans would seem to be a no-brainer. In the real world however, pilot projects are plentiful, but substantial orders have been slow to materialize. More than one promising startup has gone under while waiting for fleet customers to take the plunge. Meanwhile, Michigan-based New Eagle has quietly thrived, making control software and systems for a variety of applications, including traditional ICE powertrains and hydraulic equipment.
	Echo Automotive aims for the plug-in fleet sweet spot June 12th, 2014 The commercial fleet market offers opportunities for a smaller company to carve out a niche developing a powertrain solution, without the need to build the sort of massive manufacturing and marketing infrastructure that an OEM in the passenger car market needs. Echo Automotive has a unique proposition: it has developed a “bolt-on” solution designed to offer fleet operators increased efficiency and lower costs with a minimum of installation hassle.
	Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher on the future of the leading electric motorcycle company May 14th, 2014 Electric motorcycles are one of the most interesting stories in the EV world today, both because of their recent impressive accomplishments on the racetrack and because of the future potential for high-volume sales, especially in international markets. Ashland, Oregon-based Brammo is one of the leading makers of two-wheeled EVs, and its story has much in common with that of a certain other up-and-coming EV manufacturer.
	Tom Gage on Tesla’s early days, ZEV mandates and V2G technology April 7th, 2014 Tom Gage is one of America’s true EV pioneers. He’s perhaps best known as one of the designers of the tzero electric sports car that provided the inspiration for the Tesla Roadster. However, that is far from his only contribution to the electric mobility field. Charged recently caught up with Gage for a chat about California zero-emission mandates, the early days of Tesla, building powertrains for BMW, and his latest venture, integrating EVs into the power grid of the future.
	Telefonix bets on Level 1 commercial charging stations April 3rd, 2014 While most of the discussion about commercial EVSE seems to revolve around peoples’ desire for ever-faster charging, Telefonix has taken the opposite approach, producing what is designed to be the first true commercial Level 1 charging station on the market. Telefonix has a long history in the aviation business, making retractable cord reels and other electronic products. If you’ve ever pulled the phone out of the armrest on an airplane, you’ve used one of Telefonix’s retractable cord reels.
	2014 Cadillac ELR: technology trickling up January 20th, 2014 No other vehicle brand has been mentioned in as many classic movies and blues songs. And a Cadillac remains the top seller in the large luxury sedan category, beating out even trendy Tesla. The new plug-in hybrid ELR represents a milestone in automotive history. It also defies the traditional wisdom that innovation starts with the luxury vehicles and trickles down to the mass-market models. GM has taken the opposite route, honing its electric technology for three years in the Volt before incorporating it into the Cadillac ELR two-door coupé.
	EVs for share or rent? October 27th, 2013 The world’s transportation ecosystem has hundreds of species of vehicles, each one adapted to the requirements of its particular niche. Some niches are clearly well-suited to EVs, and others are probably not. Some see car sharing as a killer app for EVs. Others are skeptical. And what about traditional car rental?
	BMW’s new i3 September 12th, 2013 The i3 is the first EV to offer a range-extending gas engine as an option, and it’s the first vehicle to make such extensive use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The i3 also represents a milestone for the market. It’s the first production EV from any of the upscale German brands, and only the second European EV to go on sale in the US.
	Connecting Europe’s charging networks September 12th, 2013 In many ways Europe grows more integrated every year, but for the auto industry, the fragmented nature of the market remains a major headache. This is certainly the case when it comes to public charging. Different countries, and different regions within countries, have implemented widely different government policies to encourage the rollout of chargers.
	Lite-On enters the US EVSE market July 11th, 2013 You may never have heard of Lite-On, but it’s quite likely that you’re using one of the company’s products right now. The Taiwan-based group is the world’s biggest manufacturer of LEDs and power supplies for consumer electronics. It’s stealthily moving into the EVSE market, and it expects to be able to introduce cost savings that will let it reach its goal of total domination.
	EVs in paradise: plug-ins and island markets July 11th, 2013 Islands make perfect EV habitats. Driving distances are generally short, the need to ship supplies from the mainland keeps gas prices high, and the level of green consciousness tends to be high. Island governments around the world are taking steps to encourage EV adoption, and many are finding that EVs make more sense in conjunction with renewable energy.
	Nationwide: Estonia’s network of fast chargers May 22nd, 2013 The Baltic tiger has built a technological and economic showpiece: the world’s first nationwide network of DC fast chargers for EVs. It’s the largest fast-charging network in Europe, and the largest single project of its kind in the world. Its only rival is in much larger Japan. The Estonians opted to go for a turnkey solution, and selected ABB to build, install and operate the chargers.
	Supercars, hybrids and EVs on stage in Geneva May 22nd, 2013 European roads teem with small cars and diesels, but hybrids are still a fairly rare sight, at least here in Switzerland. From the looks of the lineup here at the Geneva Auto Salon, that’s about to change. Ironically, the green-garlanded electrified models are sharing the spotlight with a huge selection of gas-guzzling super-sports cars.
	What’s up with wireless EV charging February 19th, 2013 Wireless charging is one of the hottest topics in the EV world these days. Several companies have systems on the path to commercial availability, including Evatran, Qualcomm and Momentum Dynamics. Many more companies are researching wireless applications - over 40 organizations are involved in the SAE committee that’s working on a set of wireless standards.
	Ford’s new plug-ins August 19th, 2012 Ford’s launch of the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi was a major milestone for the American EV industry. Ford is approaching the EV market differently than GM and Nissan - its Power of Choice strategy positions its plug-in models as members of a family of fuel-efficient cars, in which the powertrain is just another option.
	The state of EV charging May 16th, 2012 Electricity is the best way to power our vehicles in the post-fossil fuel era. Compared to other technologies (biofuels, natural gas, hydrogen), electricity is the most efficient, and our best shot to be truly sustainable. However, there’s a more immediate reason why automakers are placing the bulk of their bets on electricity: most of the required infrastructure is already in place.

Books

	Open Road’s Best of Belize (3rd edition) Open Road, 2013, ISBN-10: 1593601735 Eco-touring in the Maya Mountains and Mountain Pine Ridge, exploring the wilds in the Crooked Tree sanctuary, the ruins at Altun Ha and Xunantunich, an excursion to Tikal across the border in Guatemala, serious R&R along the beaches of the Placencia Peninsula and the inside word on diving off the Cayes. Great hotels and restaurants are included for all price levels.
	Open Road’s Best of Costa Rica (4th edtion) Open Road, 2012, ISBN-10: 159360162X Co-authored with my brother Bruce, this is the most popular of my guidebooks, now in its fourth edition. Includes complete itineraries for eco-touring in Monteverde, Tortuguero, Corcovado and other national parks, the best Pacific Coast beaches, a guide to the wildlife of Costa Rica, and reviews of hotels and restaurants for all budgets.
	Open Road’s Best of Honduras Open Road, 2007, ISBN-10: 1593600690 Complete itineraries for one-day, weekend, one-week and two-week trips to whatever part of Honduras you’re visiting, from jungle eco-tours and ancient ruins along the Ruta Maya to old colonial churches and villages and white sandy beaches. The Bay Islands boast some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world. Details of hotels and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets.
	Open Road’s Switzerland Guide Open Road, 2006, ISBN-10: 1593600534 Snowcapped mountain vistas and flowery lakeside promenades; thrilling winter sports and summer walks; fairy-tale villages and modern cities alive with art and music; a fascinating mix of Germanic, Gallic, and Mediterranean cultures. Whether your budget runs to a luxury hotel or to an inexpensive but scenic hostel or campground, we’ll help you get the best value for your money.

	Streaming Media Bible Wiley, 2002, ISBN-10: 0764536508 I contributed three chapters to this book by Steve Mack. This comprehensive guide covers all aspects of streaming media, from the capture, creation and optimization of source media files, to encoding and serving files over the internet. Throughout the book, the streaming process is dissected and separated into its component pieces: original media creation, encoding, and serving.
	Creating Web Pages Weekend Crash Course Wiley, 2001, ISBN-10: 0764548719 Learn to build Web pages - fast! This book covers all the skills necessary to create a simple but full-featured Web site that includes attractive text and graphics, animation, audio and video, and automated user feedback. I discuss several WYSIWYG editors, but also offer a good grounding in standard HTML. Includes examples of XML, dynamic page generation, and streaming media.
	HTML in Action Microsoft Press, 2000, ISBN-10: 155615948X I contributed a chapter to this book by Bruce Morris. This is an advanced guide to HTML programming and other Web-related topics, for individuals and organizations who want to create more visually appealing, technically ambitious Web sites.

Older Print Articles

Deploying Wireless Applications

InfoWorld Magazine, March 2000

Wireless Inside and Out

Computer Currents Magazine, July 1999

Web Site Marketing Dos and Don’ts

Computer Currents Magazine, April 1999

Working in Western Europe

Transitions Abroad Magazine, January/February 1999

Triporati Destination Guides

	Switzerland Revised July 2012 This small country has it all: a colorful carnival of cultures, picture-perfect villages, wonderful food and drink, and the most spectacular scenery in Europe. Plan to spend most of your time in the breathtaking Alps, but don’t miss the lovely lakes and the vibrant cities.
	Honduras Revised July 2012 Less famous than nearby Costa Rica and Belize, Honduras offers similar attractions with lower prices and fewer crowds (for now). This is adventure travel, but all the beauty of the tropics is here in abundance - stunning beaches, colorful coral reefs and rainforest-clad mountains alive with birds and monkeys.
	El Salvador Revised July 2012 El Salvador sees far fewer tourists than her neighbors, making it ideal for those who want to get off the beaten path. The Pacific beaches are perhaps the biggest draw for visitors - deserted, breathtakingly beautiful strands are easy to find, and surfer culture flourishes.
	Nicaragaua (co-author) Revised July 2012 This isolated island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua is the perfect place to experience the country’s scenic beauty and culture, far from the tourist hordes. Life here is quiet and slow-paced. The few inhabitants spend their time fishing, farming and making traditional handicrafts.

Online Tech Articles

In the late 1990s, my Brother Bruce, my nephew Kief and I created one of the first online magazines, the Web Developer’s Journal. As one did in those days, we handled everything ourselves, from hosting to site design to graphic editing to ad sales to traffic analysis. I was using a huge variety of Internet development tools on a daily basis, and I wrote scads of articles (and a book) about my experiences, both for the WDJ and for other online and print mags.

In 2000, our company was acquired by Internet.com, which at that time was an online media empire, and all of our content was subsumed into their vast universe of web sites. Since those long-ago days, that company has gone through several acquisitions, and its network of sites has been completely rearranged several times, with the result that some of my articles are still out there somewhere, and some are not. I’ve reproduced a few of my favorites here.

The Internet Company is Dead (June 2000)

This was my take on the situation shortly after the Big Internet Crash.

The Internet Makes Good Business Sense Obsolete (November 1998)

This is a rant that I wrote during the height of the Big Internet Boom.

A Plea For Editors (May 1998)

A rant about the lack of proper language skills on the web and beyond.

How to Build Lame Web Sites (January 1998)

Invaluable techniques for wasting money and driving customers away. I wrote this back in the early internet days, but a lot of it is just as applicable now.

Articles Published in the Web Developer’s Virtual Library:

Toss out your Tables! CSS is the scene! (May 2001)
Simply stated, using CSS for page layout is - once you get the hang of it - much more powerful and much simpler than using tables.

Next Wave of the Web: Streaming Media in Web Sites (April 2001)
This month Charles turns his attention to the front end, as he discusses building a Web site that incorporates streaming media.

Next Wave of the Web: Streaming Media Service Providers (March 2001)
In this month’s column, Charles looks at the issues involved in hosting streaming media, and considers the benefits of dedicated Streaming Media Networks.

Next Wave of the Web: Building the Perfect Radio Station - Part 2 (February 2001)
In this month’s column, Charles examines a couple of existing sites that allow partially customizable online radio, and discusses the technical means to make our perfect radio station a reality.

Next Wave of the Web: Building the Perfect Radio Station (January 2001)
The “need to be entertained” has joined the hierarchy of human needs. Who hasn’t complained that, even with a hundred cable channels, there’s never anything good on TV or the radio? In this month’s column, Charles discusses the Perfect Radio Station.

Next Wave of the Web (December 2000)
The Web, rapidly becoming fully audio-video capable, will gobble up all the audio and video media (radio, TV, recordings), just as the computer gobbled up the typewriter. The Next Wave of the Web discusses the Internet’s ongoing transformation into the universal medium.

Banner Ad Management Software (November 2000)
Most top-end ad management outfits now offer both outsourced ad management and software solutions for Web publishers.

SOAP, the Simple Object Access Protocol (October 2000)
This XML-based protocol could revolutionize the process of developing Web applications.

Building an Internet Radio Station (September 2000)
If you’re thinking of setting up your own Internet radio station, here’s how to do it.

Building Languages with XML (August 2000)
Create your own custom XML vocabularies.

Are search engines dead? (July 2000)
Here’s why search engines so often return reams of irrelevant documents, and a possible solution.

What’s wireless to a web developer? (June 2000)
What does the wireless trend mean to the designer of Web sites? Plenty.

Let your business model be your guide (May 2000)
Web sites exist for different purposes. The right way to do things depends on your business model.

Digital Distribution of Music (April 2000)
How can a small record company, music retailer or artist market music online?

Keeping the Search Engines Happy (March 2000)
Avoid being caught in the middle of the battle between search engines and spammers.

Web Audio 2000 (February 2000)
As the Web converges with TV and radio, “watching a program” becomes as common as “browsing a site.”

A Look at the Web Development World Ahead (January 2000)
Web design is changing. Head for the woodshed today, or the unemployment office tomorrow!

We’ve submitted to all the search engines. Now what? (December 1999)
Search engine submissions are a good start, but to really build traffic, you need to do much more.

They’re lookin, but they ain’t buyin! (November 1999)
The final step of the online buying process - actually placing an order.

Build Traffic Through Good Site Design (October 1999)
The most important traffic-building technique of all is site design.

Email-based Public Relations, or Mailing Lists for Web Sites (September 1999)
Email-based mailing lists complement a Web site by increasing traffic and extending the usefulness of the site.

There’s gold in them there log files! (August 1999)
Use your Web server log files to direct your traffic-building efforts and measure your success.

Writing for the Web (July 1999)
Writing for the Web is not the same as writing for print.

Designing Winning Ad Banners (June 1999)
Design attractive attention-getting banners using graphic tools like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro.

Accepting Credit Cards: Getting a Merchant Account (May 1999)
Credit card merchant accounts, creating order forms, choosing a payment processing system.

Content Management Tips and Tricks (April 1999)
Quick ways to streamline your content management without taking the plunge into a truly dynamic site.

Designing Attractive Web Pages (March 1999)
Should Web sites follow standard design principles? Not always, but you have to know the rules before you can break ‘em.

The Browser Wars Plod On (February 1999)
Explorer 5.0 and Communicator 4.5.

Audio for the Worldwide Web (January 1999)
Adding sound to a Web site, with the pros and cons of various formats.

Navigation 101 (December 1998)
A simple, understandable navigation scheme is critical, and has a direct effect on the bottom line.

Step Right Up! (November 1998)
There are a lot of scamsters out there targeting you, the Webmaster or Web publisher.

Articles Published in The Web Developer’s Journal

Web Audio Workshop
The Latest and Greatest in Internet Sound

How to Sell Your CDs Online
Producing and selling your own CD would have been a crazy dream a few years ago. Now, thanks to the Web, Everybody’s Doin’ It, just like that brand-new dance. Here’s how.

Executable Musical “Postcards”
This format lets you include graphics, text and links with your audio, and it will work on any computer with no plug-ins and no hassle. A new technology? Nope. The oldest one in the book.

How to Put my Music on the Web?
A step-by-step tutorial to preparing existing sound recordings for online distribution. The tools you need, the formats to choose - now get out there and do it!

It’s a Musical Stampede
The major record companies are dinosaurs, and the Internet is a huge asteroid hurtling toward their cozy little Earth. Will new technology do them in? No, a new business model.

The ABCs of Building a Web Site
A Tutorial for Absolute Bottom-floor Beginners
    What is a Web site, and where does it live?
    What the Heck is HTML?
    The Domain Name Game
    How do I add pictures to my Web site?
    Amateur Web Sites - the Top Ten Signs
    Promoting Your Web Site

The More Things Change...
Dealing with change orders is a problem faced by every business that does contract work, from lawn services to aircraft manufacturers. It’s a very common problem in the Web development business, for several reasons.

A Do-It-Yourself Web Kit
Like any craftsman, a Webmaster or Web designer needs a set of good quality tools. Unlike most other crafts, a lot of fine Web tools are cheap or even free.

A Virtual Recording Studio on the PC
Audio technology has exploded in the past few years, and many people are still confused as to exactly what they need to record professional-quality audio on the PC. And how about audio on the Web?

An Internet Parable
Is designing Web pages like playing the guitar?

Microsoft FrontPage - Friend or Foe?
Is What You See really What You Get? FrontPage may give you more than you bargained for.

Dynamic HTML - So Near and Yet So Far
Netscape or Microsoft? I’ll take the one in the middle, please.

The Web in 1998
Will ad banners become passé? Will most Web sites start charging subscription fees? Will cost-per-click become the prevalent advertising model?

Product Reviews

Photoshop 5.5
NewHoo Becomes Open Directory Project
Hit List 3.0
Ad Juggler 3.1
Laplink 7.5
Corel WebMaster Suite
Opera
Streaming Real-Time Quote Systems
Quicken and QuickBooks
Canon Powershot A5

Book Reviews

Internet Audio Sourcebook
Secrets of Succesful Web Sites
Web Sites That Work
Creating Killer Web Sites
Creating Dynamic Web Sites
HTML 4.0 (No Experience Required)
Instant Dynamic HTML
HTML in Action
Information Systems Project Management
AMA Handbook of Project Management
Getting a Project Done on Time
Web Commerce Cookbook
Internet Commerce
The Microsoft Merchant Server Book
Frontiers of Electronic Commerce
Electronic Commerce - A Manager’s Guide
Build A World Wide Web Commerce Center
How to Program a Virtual Community
Building and Maintaining an NT Webserver
The Internet Marketing Plan
The Art of Electronic Publishing
Increasing Hits and Selling More On Your Web Site
ActiveX Sourcebook
Developing Databases for the Web and Intranets
Introduction to Local Area Networks
Shockwave
Learn Digital Photography in a Weekend
Electronic Highway Robbery
The Painter 4 Wow! Book
Start with a Scan
Maximum MIDI
Beginning Java

Articles Published in The Tapeless Studio

Digital Audio FAQ
MIDI Primer
The Antex StudioCard AV Pro
Digidesign’s AudioMedia III
The Frontier WaveCenter
The Multisound Pinnacle
The Card D+
Big DAADi
The MIDI Express PC
SAWPro
Cakewalk Pro Audio 8.0
Samplitude Studio
DART Pro
Finale