A Soft Sell

Peter West

Carlsbad, Calif.

John Kernan would have you believe that the quest for the "killer app"--the Holy Grail of the information age--leads here, to a small coastal town north of San Diego and the headquarters of the Lightspan Partnership.

In his vision, the cup bearer is an animated blue moose from a distant galaxy who rides into homes and classrooms on a beam of electrons controlled by the local cable-television company. The moose's mission: to help teach youngsters...