Panasonic

BOSTON -- Most of the excitement in the printer industry these days is found in the non-impact or page printer category, which includes laser and ink-jet printers.Hewlett-Packard Co. introduced a high-speed laser printer at the Seybold electronic publishing conference that began in Boston on Monday, and Apple Computer Inc. was said to be privately showing new printer technologies that will be introduced later this month for the Macintosh family."But not everyone needs the high print quality of the page printers, and not everyone can afford" to spend $750 to $6,000 for a laser, said Larry Jamieson, an analyst for BIS Strategic Decisions Inc.There are plenty of people who are willing to give up a little print quality -- but not too much -- for speed and savings.

William Baynes MacLea, a retired industrial salesman whose career spanned three decades, died of heart failure Monday at his Towson home. He was 81. The son of a lumberyard owner and a homemaker, Mr. MacLea was born in Baltimore and raised in Roland Park. He attended the McDonogh School and graduated in 1949 from the Severn School. In his youth, he worked for the family business, MacLea Lumber Co., in Baltimore. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. After leaving the service, he attended the University of Virginia, where he studied history and played lacrosse.

Here was Bucky Lasek, the hometown draw and Baltimore's biggest action sports star, trying to decide which bum knee was more deserving of the blame: the left knee, the one suffering from cartilage issues that will cause him to have surgery tomorrow, or the right knee, which had to compensate its counterpart. "I paid the price today. It was bruised; it was tight. I had no power," said Lasek, 34, about the knee that bothered him in the skateboard vert finals of the Panasonic Open yesterday.

What -- AST Dew Tour's Panasonic Open When -- Yesterday-Sunday Where -- Camden Yards Sports Complex Today -- BMX Vert final, 4:30 p.m.; BMX Dirt final, 7:30 p.m. Good Charlotte concert, 9 p.m. Tickets -- Available through Ticketmaster now or through M&T Bank Stadium on the day of the event. Four-day pass, $35; daily, $15; daily children (12 and younger), $7.50; reserved seating, $35; premium seating, $100. TV -- Friday, midnight-1 a.m. [USA]; Saturday, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. [chs. 11, 4]

Chesapeake Telephone recognized for high salesChesapeake Telephone Systems has been recognized with several awards recently.The Business Telephone Division of Panasonic Communications and Systems Company recognized the Hanover-based company for outstanding sales in 1994.Panasonic has named Chesapeake as one of the top five grossing dealers of the Panasonic Digital Business Systems in Panasonic's eastern region.Chesapeake was recognized for being among the top 10 in sales of Active Voice call-processing systems by the company.

Have you flown on any long flights lately? I said, have you flown on any long flights lately? It's loud inside a jetliner: 80 to 95 decibels, depending on the plane and on where you sit. That's as loud as a power mower - and it doesn't even include the crying kids. After a few hours in the noisy skies, it's hard to hear yourself think - unless you've brought a pair of noise-canceling headphones along for the ride. I tested some noise-canceling headphones on a recent trip, and I'll never travel without them again.

Panasonic camcorder makes tape loading easy I tend to like Sony and Canon camcorders, but the Panasonic PV-DV73 MiniDV camcorder ($700) ranks right up there with some of its competitors in its price range. The DV73 comes with an 8-megabyte SD memory card (it uses a Multimedia memory card as well) for still photographs. The lens is a 10X optical lens for decent close-up work. And surprise of surprises, there is a built-in light under the lens that you can turn on in a pinch - something available only separately on its competitors.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Even before the 75th annual Indianapolis 500 takes the green flag Sunday, the race already has a hero.Hiro (pronounced Hero) Matsushita is the first Japanese driver ithe race, although he's not the first Japanese competitor in the race.That honor fell to Takio Hirashima, better known as "Chickie,who was the riding mechanic for Rex Mayes in the 1935 and 1936 races and won the pole both years.In those good old days, no one talked about the Japanese caindustry and the invasion of Japanese electronics companies.

* Hickory Ridge: 10300 block of Hickory Ridge Road: Someone entered a 1986 Chevrolet Spectrum between 10:30 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, and stole a $176 Panasonic AM-FM stereo, $325 worth of speakers, a $25 toolbox, $200 worth of assorted tools and a $69 camera.6000 block of Cedar Wood Drive: Someone stole four chrome hubcaps valued at $200 from a 1960 Mercury Montclair between 9:30 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday.

* North Laurel: 9200 block of Traders Crossing: Someone broke a small rear window on the driver's side of a 1982 gray Oldsmobile, apparently in an attempt to steal the vehicle between 11 p.m. last Wednesday and 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Nothing was taken from the vehicle.9500 block of Gorman Road: Someone stole a $288 Panasonic VCR from Forest Ridge Elementary School. The VCR was taken from the unlocked storage closet in the media center between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. last Wednesday.

Six days. That's all it takes to turn the parking lot at Camden Yards Sports Complex into an action sports fan's dream. That's all it takes to build towering ramps, steep rails and huge mounds of dirt for athletes to perform gravity-defying tricks on. The Dew Tour's Panasonic Open starts today in Baltimore and will feature some of the best athletes on skateboards, bikes and motorcycles from around the world, battling for points and prize money....

After his run in yesterday's BMX park finals, defending champion Daniel Dhers thought his score wouldn't trump Michael Spinner's 92.67. Fortunately for Dhers, the judges disagreed and he took home the event's championship at the AST Dew Tour's Panasonic Open at the Camden Yards sports complex. Dhers' score of 93.17 overtook Spinner, and Dennis Enarson's 90.17 was good for third place. Despite being the defending Dew Cup champion and coming into the finals ranked first overall, Dhers said he didn't feel any additional pressure.

Here was Bucky Lasek, the hometown draw and Baltimore's biggest action sports star, trying to decide which bum knee was more deserving of the blame: the left knee, the one suffering from cartilage issues that will cause him to have surgery tomorrow, or the right knee, which had to compensate its counterpart. "I paid the price today. It was bruised; it was tight. I had no power," said Lasek, 34, about the knee that bothered him in the skateboard vert finals of the Panasonic Open yesterday.

Yesterday is a day that Mathieu Therres will not soon forget. The Dundalk native had barely advanced to last night's AST Dew Tour Panasonic Open skateboard park final , finishing last among 12 qualifiers Thursday night. To say he stepped up his game in the finals would be an understatement. Therres, 21, finished fifth after an impressive performance in front of a rowdy crowd at the Camden Yards sports complex. Therres, who goes by the nickname "Gumbie," was as surprised as anyone that he did so well.

Bucky Lasek figures that on television, the amazing tricks he performs on a skateboard look just like the feats kids glimpse in Spider-Man cartoons. But in person? "They can see there's no strings," he said. That's why the Baltimore native is so excited that the ASPT Dew Tour is coming to his hometown in June. For years, local skating, BMX and motocross lovers have had to catch their favorite performers on television. But finally, they'll be able to watch stars such as Lasek soar above the parking lots around M&T Bank Stadium in person.

The iPod is the new necktie. A PlayStation Portable is the new cashmere scarf. A high-definition television is the new ... television. Since this century began, unisex gifts that plug in or run on batteries have been the hits of the holiday season. Colors and sizes matter little when it comes to MP3 players and digital cameras, and even the complexities have been eliminated so that Gramps has less trouble shooting an image than he has programming that VCR. (Remember VCRs?) For 2005, the choices are many.

What's the lowest price of admission to the pleasures of good sound?An inexpensive, simple and often satisfactory solution is what is known as a single-brand package.This is a system with matched components, all made by the same manufacturer and usually sold at an inviting price.Choosy audio fans previously tended to frown on such package systems, and with reason. Traditionally, this gear was designed to look rather than sound good, its gleaming facades disguising feeble amplifiers and strident speakers.

What -- AST Dew Tour's Panasonic Open When -- Yesterday-Sunday Where -- Camden Yards Sports Complex Today -- BMX Vert final, 4:30 p.m.; BMX Dirt final, 7:30 p.m. Good Charlotte concert, 9 p.m. Tickets -- Available through Ticketmaster now or through M&T Bank Stadium on the day of the event. Four-day pass, $35; daily, $15; daily children (12 and younger), $7.50; reserved seating, $35; premium seating, $100. TV -- Friday, midnight-1 a.m. [USA]; Saturday, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. [chs. 11, 4]