Steve Bass's Home Office: Light, Fun Fare for the Holidays
Take the time for a virtual snowball fight, animated Santas, comfort and joy.Steve Bass
The holidays are here, and you're probably not doing much work today (and your boss knows it, too). So why should I take it upon myself to strain anyone who's more interested in eating and celebrating the holidays than reading a column? The fact is, I know my editor's not going to hassle me if this is a lighthearted article. [Not quite.--Ed.]
Given that, here are a few of the best ways to amuse yourself with your PC during the holidays (after the eggnog has run out, the fruitcakes have been thrown over the fence, and the plate of latkes is empty).
The Chopping Block is an example of Flash animation that's just out of this world. Granted, it's an ad for a graphics design house with goofy music, but ignore that for a minute and spend some time clicking on the oranges. Cool, no?
Fun in the Snow
Remember the snowball fights you used to have as a kid? Here they are online, complete with adorable figures, in an addictive Shockwave game. Use the cursor to position the red players, and release the button to throw. (And whatever you do, don't forget to duck.) [This is great, Bass. But am I red or green?--Ed.]
Let's Go Shopping
Have a yearning to buy a camera so you can take some pix for the holiday festivities? See what we have to say about digital cameras in "The Big Pixel."
OTOH, you may finally buy that scanner you've yearned for all these years. Our "Top 10 Scanners" has the details you need to make a good buying decision.
Focus on This
The IKONOS Launch gallery has some incredible aerial shots. The 1600 pound, nine-story Athena II rocket IKONOS was launched into a sun-synchronous, near-polar, circular low-Earth orbit on Sept. 24, 1999 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The satellite camera can distinguish objects on the Earth's surface as small as one square meter. (So don't forget to smile for the camera.)
What's On TV?
I have DirecTV, the satellite that sends TV into my home. But with all that high-tech beaming into the house, I don't want to sit in front of the TV and stare at their scroll to keep track of what's playing. Instead, I use TVminder.com, a nifty, free service that jumps through hurdles for me. I let TVminder know my zip code, type in all the movies I want to track, and it e-mails me the time and station when they find a match. It's very cool.
Customize This Snowman
If you thought the snow fight was cute, then try this just as adorable customizable snowman. You'll play with it for at least half an hour, so wait until just before some project's due.
Santa Lives
Call me sentimental, but I love these cute, interactive animations of Santa. For a few minutes of downloading (okay, 20 minutes if you're on dial-up), you'll get a kick out of these, I promise. Watch Santa wiggle his belly to your favorite type of music, or let your kids play with an interactive Christmas tree animation.
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