The stumbling slumbering giant has begun to wake up. All of the problems I've been having with regards to the "link" issue were resolved when I (ding) discovered the Blogspot HTML editor. I'd been reading the "help" files for some time and never found the answers that connected the dots. I was looking for some simpler solution. Now I understand. This ain't Microsoft Word. I have some HTML experience from editing the Yellow Cab Email Address page on our company server. I expect things to expand exponentially from here. From this point on I don't have to try describing some article in detail, I can link to it...at last! Let the good times roll!

I need to compose an ode to Microsoft's Flight Simulator. I bought FS98 (in 98) seeking to find ways to get the most out of my new PC. I'm not really in to games, but I've always been interested in aviation. I never saw Flight Simulator as a "game." There's no shooting or racking up points. You "win" if you successfully land on the runway you are aiming at. Fortunately for me Houston was well enough represented in the program that, taking off from Hobby, I could get my bearings and enjoy seeing the city (virtually) from the air. Still, it was a couple of weeks before I could successfully crash on the runway I was aiming at.

Once I'd learned to land my Cessna at Hobby I sought to adventure on a fantasy visit to my parents by flying to Texarkana. I tried following US59, but lost my way as it began getting dark north of Lake Livingston. FS98 had a unique feature that allowed the user to hit the "X" key (Land Me) and I was safely landed in Lufkin. The next day I ventured on to Longview, then Texarkana. From there I plotted my first real course, to Memphis, then I decided to visit an aunt in St. Louis. Following the Mississippi seemed easy enough. It was then I came across my first "Easter Egg." At first I thought it was a flaw in the graphics. There was a white speck in the river, that seemed to have an occasional flash of red. I decended and saw a riverboat paddling up stream.

I was hooked. I flew through the arch in St. Louis and proceeded to go all the way around the world. It took a couple of months, as I used the Internet to find out about all the places I visited, but when I got back to Hobby I knew not only how to land, but I had gained a good understanding of navigation.

Through all the upgrades and add-ons since then I have been around the world 10 times, east-west and west-east (gotta keep the personal calendar synced). I've also done one pole-to-pole trip around, so that's 11. The $50 I spent on that first FS program was the best investment I've ever made for it's return in entertainment value. The add-on scenery and aircraft provided by enthusiasts contribute to the joy of exploration. Of course, having the Internet as a source of reference is vitally important to the overall learning experience, and that's what it is--a learning experience.

Microsoft is to be commended for the work they put in to their model globe. The competition in that arena is getting pretty tough, and I'm glad to see it! The most recent upping of the ante in that game has come from (surprise!) Google. "Google Earth" is what it's called. I'm still struggling with links in this template so here: Google Earth!. Enjoy!