MSNN - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - REDMOND, WASHINGTON - MICROSOFT UNVEILS MAJOR EXTENSION TO MSN (APRIL 1, 1999) Today Microsoft Corporation announces its new service, an extension to Microsoft Network (MSN) named Microsoft Network Necropolis, or MSNN. The new service, which is a combination of standard hardware, software, and networking, will provide Virtual Perpetual Care, as an alternative to standard cemeteries, mausoleums, and funeral homes. MSNN's greatest strength will be the reduced real estate requirements, but its multimedia capabilities and environmental friendliness should also appeal to many families. MSNN/VPC will provide for cremation of the remains and reprocessing of ashes into CD-ROM discs and Jewel Cases. In the pre-need phase, the to-be-deceased person records up to 100 megabytes of information about his or her life and family, using MSNN's VCML (Virtual Cemetery Markup Language). The pre-need information is archived by MSNN until the time of need. Upon the client's demise, the family can include additional VCML and multimedia clips, with hypermedia links to the client's VCML. Some families will also want to attach alternate interpretations of the decedent's VCML. The reprocessing of remains into CD-ROMs means that everyone who upgrades to Windows 00 will receive a small amount of the ashes of several MSNN/VPC subscribers. Also included on every CD-ROM will be a reserved area of compressed MSNN/VPC data, containing a section of the Virtual Perpetual Care distributed cemetery data base. When these CD-ROMs are on-line, families can stroll through the virtual cemetery, visiting the virtual final resting places of their loved ones, seeing them on video clips and hearing their voices. Hypermedia links will take the families to their loved ones' favorite places (a parental discretion feature is available for a nominal fee). Microsoft said that the MSNN/VPC extensions would require upgrades to MS Access, MS Windows 00, MS Visual Basic 99.0, MS Project, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Office, MS Visual C++ 999.0, MS Word, OS/2 Warp 3000, and Mr. Coffee. All upgrades are available immediately, except for OS/2 Warp 3000 and Mr. Coffee, which will stop working forever. Microsoft stated that it could not be responsible for weaknesses in other vendors' products. In a related Statement of Direction, Microsoft announced that it has obtained an exclusive license for the Transporter Beam technology used in Star Trek. MS believes that the T-B technology will allow remote areas of the world (nay, the Universe) to connect directly to MSNN, eliminating the need for slow, costly transportation of remains to Redmond. - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -