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VIRTUAL BLUE PERIOD

A virtual field trip to the National Gallery of Art's current exhibit "Picasso: The Early Years, 1892-1906" is available through Bell Atlantic technology and a new World Wide Web site, http://www.nga.gov.

Students can pull down curriculum study guides, read through exhibition brochures and even view the paintings online.

This is a first-of-its-kind, interactive lecture-demonstration from the gallery, although it plans to hold others this year. The system can link hundreds of classrooms that are equipped with two-way interactive distance learning equipment.

A HOME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN EVERY HOUSE

Interactive Media Systems' new product, Coreo, might save you from hassling the kids about turning lights off, and you won't even have to use the Clapper. For a mere $30,000, the Los Altos, Calif., company will sell you a home management system that can regulate integrated heating and cooling, control lighting, and provide audio and security features with a touch-screen control system.

The company said it can offer such a bargain because it has "moved away from costly, highly customized solutions ... [to] offer luxury-class home management at a price that millions, not just thousands, can afford."

SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR

More than half of all Americans want to launch their own businesses, according to a recent Gallup poll.

A one-hour public television special, "The Entrepreneurial Revolution," will examine what it takes to start a company and how the process really works. Case studies include Scott Cook, who founded Intuit - the multimillion-dollar software company, as well as Mark Beckloff and Dan Dye, founders of Three Dog Bakery, which makes all-natural treats for dogs. The city of Austin,Texas, is also profiled as an example of entrepreneurial spirit and success in a community.

Washington's PBS stations will air the show on Friday, April 18 at 9 p.m. The show will air on PBS stations elsewhere in the country on Tuesday, April 29 at 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.