Bermuda Monetary Authority general manager Malcolm Williams suggested that this column should regularly update investors about how local companies are dealing with the Year 2000 problem. Keep a running list about expected compliance deadlines for companies on the Bermuda Stock Exchange.

In general Mr. Williams is worried that there is no overall body helping co-ordinate the Island's efforts to fix the problem. This could be a body that would encourage companies to set timelines and vouch for compliance.

Since there is so far no step in that direction he urged shareholders and directors to demand that information from their companies. In fact many of the companies are now including a regular update for shareholders in the annual report.

Today's column will make a start at updating and creating a list of expected dates of compliance of companies on the BSX. I'm starting with Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd. the company that owns this newspaper, other publications, and a printing press operation.

The publications arm has been working the problem for the past 18 months and is now in the process of testing various parts of the network to see what works and what doesn't. Some parts of the system are being replaced -- including the accounting system -- as these were due for upgrading as part of the natural business cycle anyway.

The publishing arm is also in the process of obtaining letters of assurances from both local and foreign suppliers and is expected to be compliant by the first quarter of next year. Just to be sure, the company has also made some backup plans to ensure the newspaper will come out on January 3, the first day of publication in 2000.

The printing press arm has also been replacing computer equipment as part of its regular business cycle. Bermuda Press expects to be compliant by the end of this year. However, the company is still awaiting some of the necessary details from some of the suppliers of its printing press equipment on the compliance standards. Bermuda Press is putting in a new press later this year that will be compliant. Taken as a whole, Bermuda Press (Holdings) is expected to be compliant by March of next year.

In the next few weeks expect more compliance updates about other BSX companies as I expand the list.

Manufacturers are competing to see who can pack the most into a watch. Casio's G-Shock Riseman ($250 in the US) has a thermometer, a barometer that displays the relative humidity and chart of atmospheric pressure over the past 24 hours, an altimeter, a stopwatch, alarm and calendar. It also tells the time if you find the right buttons.

PalmPilot junkies can pick up a host of software programmes for their hand-held computers at www.palmpilotsoftware.com. The collection has been tested, rated, reviewed and put on-line by publisher ZDNet. Another collection (hotfiles.com) by the company houses 28,000 downloadable shareware, freeware and software titles.

In a recent survey, PC Magazine readers have given top grades in the desktop PC category for service and reliability to Dell, HP, and IBM. Dell ad Gateway won top honours in the notebook category. The survey also found repair frequency averages increased from the past six surveys. This year, 35 percent of desktop systems needed repair or service in the preceding 12 months. Last year 32 percent of the systems needed repair or service. The notebook average increased to 35 percent from last year's 30 percent. A pretty horrendous standard for any industry.

HotBot (hotbot.com) has been judged as the best search site on the Internet by PC World magazine. HotBot was judged as superior in performance, value, consistency and innovation to other search sites, including Yahoo, Excite, AltaVista and InfoSeek.

Fujitsu Ltd. has announced it will start selling its WebTV Internet terminal this month. The terminal allows users to browse the Internet on a television set at $330. The appliance will also allow users to browse the Internet and receive phone calls at the same time.

A bug has been discovered in E-mail programs by Microsoft and Netscape that allows hackers a gateway into your computer. A hacker could exploit the glitch by sending an e-mail attachment with a file name longer than the program can accept. The name causes the mail program to crash. The computer then opens the attachment which could contain a virus program, one that allows the hacker to access the contents of the infected computer.

The problem affects Microsoft's Outlook 98, and Outlook Express. Netscape's Communicator 4.0 and higher are also affected. Microsoft already has "patch'' or software fix for the problem (microsoft.com). Netscape is working on one.

Just when you thought the computer was going to become the telephone, the technowizzes have turned the desktop on us. The telephone has become the computer.

Lucent Technologies Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Alcatel Alsthom SA and others are unveiling "desktop'' telephones with pop-up colour screens, computer keyboards and credit-card readers for Internet shopping.

Prices for the various models of the surf telephone will range from $350 to $1,000 in the US. The Philips IS-2630 hit the market last month at a price of $650. It's targeted at those who already have an Internet hookup to their home computer and want a second device to quickly check E-mail or stock quotes.

Samsung Electronics Co.'s Web Video Phone costs about $1,000 and delivers live video conferencing as well. Alcatel's screenphone will cost $350.

Tech Tattle deals with technology issues. Contact Ahmed at 295-5881, ext.

248., 238-3854, or techtattle ygazette.newsmedia.bm.