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By Scott Kirsner

As so often happens with fashion, with high-tech, the new look for 2001 is actually the old look.

Companies are boasting once again about having ''patented, proprietary technology'' that can actually help those who deploy it reduce costs or rake in more money.

And still they're having a brutal time of it. There are plenty of companies in the region with exciting ideas, solid plans, experienced teams, and fresh technology. But trying to get traction - as they like to say - in this despondent market is about as challenging as trying to launch a new footwear fad out of Tulsa.

Or Great Barrington, Mass. The quaint Berkshires town is home to HotRoof, a 20-person company that makes software to customize streaming media.

The technology is as whizzy as it gets. Go to GolfDigest.com, one of HotRoof's early customers, and you can order up a completely tailored golf tutorial, based on your handicap, your average score, and your common problems. (My favorite from the list of options is ''poor thinking.'') You can also specify which golf pro you'd like to star in your video.

Then, you watch the 15- to 30-minute lesson, created just for you, either on the Web or on an old-fashioned videotape that GolfDigest.com and HotRoof will sell you for $19.95. (The free Web version will be supported by sponsors, who will eventually be able to insert their own customized ad spots into the program.)

It's a compelling idea for any media company that hasn't yet figured out how to make money from its video archives. Imagine ordering a video from the NFL featuring your favorite players' best moments, or a ''Saturday Night Live'' tape with only skits that star your favorite actors. Other businesses could see a benefit, too - a financial services company might use personalized investing videos as a marketing tool, or even for delivering more relevant training to its own employees.

HotRoof has already received one patent for its technology, and has several more on the way. The executive team includes Bernard Plishtin, formerly a vice president at Imax Corp.; Andrew Collins, formerly CEO of the Daily Jolt, a college site; Joseph Steig, who came from start-up consultant MassVentures; and Dave Crisafi, most recently vice president of development at iCast. The company has raised $6 million from investors like Berkshire Capital Investors, Village Ventures, and Davenport Capital Ventures, and hopes to raise a third round later this year.

There are deals on the verge of being announced with American Baby magazine (customized videos for new and expectant parents) and fitness guru Denise Austin. ''There's a huge gap between watching canned tapes and having a personal trainer,'' says Plishtin. ''It doesn't matter whether you're talking about building a porch on your house or [trying to achieve] ISO 9000 certification at work. We fill that gap really nicely.''

HotRoof, along with every other early-stage tech company on the planet, is doing everything it can to create a sense of momentum. There are announcements of deals, new features, and executive appointments, just like in the old days. But no one wants to acknowledge that it's a lot chillier out there than it has been in a long time. I can't help thinking of all those stylish clubgoers you see lined up on Lansdowne Street on a Saturday night, coatless and dressed to the nines, trying not to shiver. Shivering's just not cool.

Downtime at SF MOMA

I'd never appreciated the reliable, robust, never-needs-rebooting nature of a Cezanne painting or a Calder sculpture before. That changed last week, when I visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's current exhibit, ''010101: Art in Technological Times.''

By my count, four of the show's major pieces were offline, including an automated sculpture-making apparatus that occupied half of a large room. Other parts of the exhibit were closed off entirely, with signs apologizing for the inconvenience. ''Sorry, this piece has crashed'' may be the new ''This item has been removed for conservation purposes.''

Several of the pieces that were working were wonderful, like a large diorama by Droog Design that reacted with different lights and sounds when a visitor held up an object with a barcode. (My gym membership card generated a few flashes and a short snippet of salsa music.)

The thought that stuck with me after leaving the museum, though, was that unlike the Dutch Masters, the Digital Masters really ought to provide curators with a tech support hotline.

The money hunt

The Massachusetts Software & Internet Council holds its annual investment conference this Thursday. It's a chance for entrepreneurs to try to connect with financial backers - no mean feat in the current market.

Last year, 54 companies presented at the conference, according to Joyce Plotkin, executive director of the Mass Software & Internet Council. This year, the number of presenting companies has only sagged slightly, to 48.

However, their goals may be a bit more realistic than in past years, Plotkin says. ''Presenters will be looking to make contacts with a few potential investors,'' she explains. ''The goal is to get a one-on-one meeting, not to find someone who will fund you on the spot.''

More information is available at www.swcouncil.org.

Reader response

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the potential to develop a stronger sense of community among the thousands of technologists, scientists, analysts, and researchers who work in Kendall Square. I groused that while the square is already a hive of innovation, it's far from being a hive of interaction.

That column generated an influx of e-mail.

Sarah Rodriguez, an East Cambridge resident, wrote: ''What I would never want ... is for the area to turn into what so many Boston neighborhoods, and the areas surrounding Silicon Valley, have become - a trendy, uber-expensive playground for techies that the local and longtime residents cannot afford to go anywhere near. Unfortunately, I know that is unavoidable.''

Chris Jones pointed out that EMC doesn't just have operations out on Interstate 495, but also occupies a building in Kendall Square. Henry Minsky (and several others) lamented the loss of the old F&T Deli, ''the heart and soul of Kendall Square,'' and its half-sour pickles.

Carole Bellew, who serves on the City of Cambridge's Eastern Cambridge Planning Study Committee, wrote: ''We would love to work and play with our commercial neighbors, and look for a way to connect with some of them and have them join us in our desire to make this a livable area for all to thrive in.''

She also expressed hope that the conversation about how to improve Kendall Square will continue, as did Sharen Santoski, who works at Cunningham Communication. That's my hope, too. Drop me an e-mail if you'd like to be involved.

Scott Kirsner is a Boston freelance writer and a contributing editor at Wired and Fast Company magazines.