Back in January 1998, René finally broke down and bought a computer -- a Macintosh G-3. (He admits that he doesn't know his Apples from his Hewlett-Packards -- he just bought the "Think Different" advertising spiel.) Shortly thereafter he got online, and soon began his e-mail correspondence with "René's Page" creator Carolyn.

René quickly became a wonderful "new user", in that he was not afraid to try new things on his computer. In his first exciting months online, he learned to:

• Send e-mail
• Surf the Web
• Send instant messages
• Send attachments of David Letterman's
  "Top Ten" lists
• Send electronic postcards featuring
  blind, naked mole rats
• Delete his address book
• Choke the cache on his Web browser
• Take pictures of himself in the bathroom mirror trying to eat his digital camera

René also enjoys working with PhotoShop. "I can barely tear myself away long enough to brush my teeth." So you're likely to see more and more "doodles" springing up all over the page as René experiments with this wonderful toy. (Not to mention incurs the deep envy of Carolyn, who had to make do with Paint Shop Pro!)

René was amazed to discover the amount of material that's "out there" pertaining to his character on STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. At a Trek convention, he joked "Naturally I headed straight for the XXX-rated stuff." While he hasn't actually read much of the wealth of fanfic the internet has to offer, he HAS selected the stories and artwork for two fanzines that feature many of the Internet's most popular "Odo/Kira" fanfic writers.