Fruit of a Lifetime's Work in Applications of Randomness. Cambridge, Mass. - June 4, 1998 - Viaweb Inc, developers of the most popular online store software, today announced that Trevor Blackwell has been awarded a doctorate in computer science by prestigious Harvard University. Dr. Blackwell's dissertation, Applications of Randomness in System Performance Measurement, is the result of a lifetime's work in the application of randomness. "On behalf of all of us at Viaweb, I'd like to congratulate Dr. Blackwell on his new degree and matching ring," said Viaweb president Paul Graham. "Also, Trevor, if you get this, could you call Linda Wilk? A user wants to talk to you about Cybercash." Dr. Blackwell's dissertation argues that there should be a random component in all arbitrary decisions. This research grew out of his ongoing work in the design of software based on arbitrary decisions, and his extensive collection of random components. In addition to his work in randomness, Dr. Blackwell has also developed pioneering techniques for rapid mass deletion of potentially critical information. His original work on /usr directories at Harvard has successfully been applied to IP addresses, and also, with the assistance of his wife Laurie, to human hair (see illustration). "It's not a Flowbie!" said Dr. Blackwell. "They're the very same kind of clippers that actual barbers use." About Viaweb Viaweb, Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., is the leading developer of Web-based authoring tools. Viaweb Store is the most popular online store software, used in over 1050 sites. Viaweb's Viamall (www.viamall.com) is the busiest Web mall, with over 10.1 million page views per month. For more information, visit Viaweb at www.viaweb.com or call 1-888-4-VIAWEB. About Harvard University Harvard University, founded in 1638, is the leading supplier of education and scholarship worldwide. Its flagship product, the Harvard University PhD degree, is the scholarship industry's leading enterprise-wide scalable information management solution. For more information, visit Harvard at www.harvard.edu, or call 1-617-495-1000. (This was Viaweb's final press release. The deal with Yahoo closed a few days later, so this was the culmination of my career as a writer of press releases.)