How to Get a Piece of the IPO Action

Ever call up your broker after reading an article about some hot new initial public offering (like Kevin Kelleher's recent piece on Exodus Communications) and try to get a piece of the action, only to be greeted with hysterical laughter on the other end of the phone?

Never mind that you haven't talked to your broker since you started doing most of your trades on the Net. And forget the fact that you spurned that steel foundry IPO, Howmet, he tried to pawn off on you last year like the stray dog it was. ...