By this time, the hardware sites on the Web are buzzing. Already, some hardware sites are bemoaning Tom's bias towards rhubarb crumble, and feeling that his outrageous demands for a custard extension to be included in the 3dfx Glide PPF wrapper are being subsidized by the Dairy Board. Tom sticks to custard, and Sharky's Extreme comes out with a survey that says custard extensions could never work.

PPF is now a hot check-off item for the PC OEMs. They don't know how it works, and they don't care. All they know is that it's in WHQL.

Everyone is still working on beta product, and having problems with their cinnamon configurations..

AMD announces a new set of instructions in its CPUs to support Pecan Pie Feeds, and calls it PePiNow! Initial tests of PePiNow! games reveal that the more viscous nature of Pecan Pie fillings, and the crunchy Pecans themselves, are a significant improvement over PPF, even using fondant icing extensions. That's it. AMD does nothing else about it, but does set up a Pie Gamers League (PGL).

The game developers are unmoved. One game developer has this to say, "We think that PePiNow! and PPF both have their merits, and we'll try and support them both, but Intel just gave us five PCs so, we're going to do our PPF implementation first, and get a booth at Intel's launch. I love Intel money. Don't quote me on that. Okay?" I turn the tape recorder off.

Microsoft says that PePiNow! will be supported in DirectX as well as PPF. Microsoft would love to give AMD a helping hand, but AMD has trouble getting around the idea that it is poor, while Intel is rich. AMD's shipment of PePiNow! CPUs is delayed by manufacturing problems. There's pie, but the Pecans are sporadic.

Next Generation Magazine prints an article that says, "Sony's pie strategy revealed exclusively!" The article goes on to say that Sony will be providing a special Pie Feed Port (PFP) on all PlayStation 2's. In addition, Sony is planning on setting up a network of bakeries to deliver pies from one hundred and thirty nine different companies that have signed on for the Sony Pie Initiative. Eighty three of these companies are Japanese, and their pies are unlikely to make it to the US market. Square immediately announces a new Final Fantasy XXIII - Pie in the Eye.

C/NET's Gamecenter picks up the article from Next Generation.

Millions of gaming sites on the Web are heating up with discussions about PFP on PlayStation 2.

Among some of the comments seen on various discussion groups:

"Sony sucks, man. I've got an SNES and it's still the best console, ever!" Sexmasheen@hotmail.com

"I think Nvidia, or 3dfx is coming out with a new product that does meringues. Anyone else heard about this? I'd really like to get some more information. Man, I love meringues." Ai_lulu@home.com

"What are you wearing, sexmasheen?" LikeyMikey@yahoo.com

Wired Magazine does a feature on "The Muffin Boys", a group of Nepalese programmers based in San Luis Obispo, California. These guys have developed a low cost Internet muffin, and are challenging the pie standards of the PC industry by openly distributing their recipes on the Web. Backed by a $23 million injection of cash for Kleiner Perkins, these guys are the hottest thing in technology.