Add to that the enormous task of merging Digital Equipment Corp. into Compaq and sorting out the resulting 68, 000-employee roster, and it's little wonder that Capellas' predecessor, Eckhard Pfeiffer, was shown the door.

FORBES: Desktop battle plan

Its most striking feature is to delegate the humdrum task of ferrying people and equipment to low-Earth orbit to the private sector.

ECONOMIST: The space shuttle

Customers can minimize power surges by turning off appliances, lights and other equipment, except for one task light to determine when power has been restored.

FORBES: Lights Dimming in Texas; Rolling Blackouts Likely