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By John Hunter

In the June Explorer, a number of websites were recommended for those who are interested in surfing. I have been fascinated by space since Alan Shepherd took a fast sub-orbital hike in 1961 in a Mercury capsule. At www.spaceflight.nasa.gov the space observer finds many treats. The web page has a number of cool places to start your space quest. Space shuttle, space station, living in space and space news give the adventurer a place to begin. If you want to find pictures of the space station under construction, you can click on the web launch pad at Image Chronology of ISS Assembly. Want to know where the space station is right now? Click on Where is the Station? When I clicked, the space station was buzzing near the coast of Antarctica between South America and southern Africa at 17,168.82 mph. You can also get a weekly station status report with additional links for the scientifically inclined.

If you have a cool $20 million and some free time, you can click on Life in Space to see what you will eat, what you will wear, how to take a shower and other fascinating bits of info for the truly obsessed who wish to fly in space. There is also a link to a listing where you can find the cities the station passes over if you are inclined to look up in the night sky. The link uses up to the minute data to project the path of the station across the sky.

Not everyone is as interested as I am in space. For those more interested in down to earth subjects I suggest www.burpee.com/main.asp. This web site has everything the gardener needs or wants or thinks he wants. Vegetables, herbs, flowers, and accessories all have convenient links to specific plants and of course, ordering information. Basil to zucchini, corn to watermelon all in wonderful color. According to the page, sow the seeds and enjoy the produce in just weeks. For those needing tools and such, you can buy composting bins, plant protectors and forms to make biodegradable plant pots. This is not my favorite spot since I can kill any living plant by following the care instructions on the plant label. For those who like plants- enjoy.

Flower lovers will enjoy the www.heirloomroses.com site. This site appeals to the true rose aficionado. The site sells roses, naturally, and also answers questions from home gardeners. According to the site, 63 new roses were added to the catalogue collection in February. There are also links to the USDA for a zone map. Other links go to New Zealand, the UK and Germany among other areas. The site also links to recommended mail order nurseries, Better Homes and Gardens, Monet’s gardens of France and so on. The funniest link is to www.cowdance.com featuring Osama Bin Laden in a modified chicken dance entitled Osama bin Chicken. The site is a hoot. For the truly academic click the link to the Arnold Arboretum at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Happy pruning.

Finally, for those who just have to learn more about Microsoft, there is a new publication from Ziff Davis called Microsoft Watch. This is a pay site and it’s not cheap. You can go to www.ziffdavis.omeda.com/msw/msw.cgt. and find the particulars.

John M. Hunter

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