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Space Store has high-flying gifts and out-of-this-world gadgets
As one of the later Baby Boomers, I grew up during the heyday of the U.S. space program. My older brother and I dreamed of being astronauts. We soaked up science fiction on TV, comics and books as fast as we could. We stayed riveted to the television for every news report, and clipped every newspaper story. We're both older now but still followers and supporters of the space program. These days it isn't the race to the Moon, but the International Space Station that keeps us looking skyward. One of my latest favorite Web sites is devoted to selling space program "stuff" -- including a slightly used spacecraft! That's right! For a cool $2.2 million, you can own a piece of space program history -- a Soyuz TM-26 descent capsule. This particular capsule brought home the cosmonauts who arrived to make repairs aboard the Mir space station after its collision with a Progress cargo ship. The buyer also gets a trip to Russia to tour Star City, where Russians train and prepare for their launches. The Web site selling the capsule, TheSpaceStore.com, carries lots of other space-related memorabilia that's slightly more affordable. There's a section devoted to autographs and collectibles that includes a yet-to-be released plaque commemorating John Glenn's historic return to space. Anyone remember the neat cloth mission patches that NASA created for all those historic Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space flights? The Space Store has all of them in stock. My favorite is the Apollo 11 patch, featuring the Eagle, but the Apollo 13 patch is a close second. They have patches for Skylab and all the Space Shuttle flights too. For details, visit that section of the Web site. In addition to patches, they also sell action figures, models, space food and more items emblazoned with the NASA logo than you could possibly need. They also carry neat things like books related to space exploration, and one of the coolest star and planet charts I've seen. Visit TheSpaceStore.com for details, and think "Christmas shopping" for that space-program fan in your family. NEW AOL. There's a new version of the ever-popular America Online access software available with some pretty neat new features. AOL 6.0 offers a new look to the America Online software, and includes an updated Instant Message service that includes a whole library of icons to send along with the messages. The icons range from flowers to smiley faces. AOL 6.0 also includes a new media player, allowing users to listen to online music and radio broadcasts over the Web. The new look and feel of AOL 6.0 was purposely designed to put the most popular features "up front" and easy to access. Ease of use is still important with AOL users, and the new software is still easy to understand and operate. A brand new AOL feature will give subscribers a chance to surf the Web for their latest forecast or sports scores by voice command using the telephone. The new service is now available for free, but will be an add-on to the regular AOL access rate after January 20001. AOL recently announced it has passed the 25 million-subscriber mark. The new free AOL 6.0 software will be sent out en mass via mail, or you can download it via the Web site at www.aol.com. R U LONESOME? Fears that Internet users would become increasing isolated the more they surfed are apparently unfounded. According to a recent study by the UCLA, nearly two-thirds of all those surveyed said the Internet does not create social isolation. Most of the respondents said that having e-mail, Web sites and chat rooms have had a modestly positive impact on their communications with their families and their ability to make new friends. Interestingly, 70 percent of those surveyed felt the Internet didn't help or hurt their children's grades. For more information about the study, you can visit UCLA's Internet report at http://www.ccp.ucla.edu. COLLEGE CRIME. As a parent, your child's safety is one issue that seldom leaves your thoughts. Even as they grow up and head off to college, every parent wants to know how safe the campus is where their son or daughter will be attending classes. A new Web site can answer many of your questions related to crime on college campuses. The site, created by the U.S. Department of Education, features crime statistics at 4,300 colleges aand universities, including my alma mater, Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. I doubt that any campus can claim to be crime-free, but the information at the Web site will give you an annual snapshot of what sort of crimes have been committed at the school. The site initially ran into some problems due to the heavy number of users visiting the site, but those problems appear to have been corrected. Visit the site at www.ope.ed.gov/security/. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME | |