I've been quiet here for the last week or so, but having some fun with the family in Louisiana. I'm back in Oregon, and wanted to share a couple of online fun things I discovered this season (that you might enjoy, as well).
Rekindling memories of my Vertibird
My favorite toy of all time was something called the "Vertibird," by Mattel. I had a couple of them as a kid and wish they'd lasted (they were notoriously failure prone, and I couldn't convince my parents to buy me a third). The Vertibird was a helicopter toy that allowed any kid to pilot a helicopter and conduct their own search and rescue or conduct salvage missions right on their own kitchen floor. Tremendous.
Anyway, my first find is Peter Hirschberg's cool computer-based simulator called "VertiSim" that you can download and use for free. VeriSim will give you somewhat of a feel for what it's like to fly a Vertibird. The controls are very finicky, but it's still a really cool program (and you can't beat the price).
Finding old friends
In trying to track down old friends so I could send out cards this year, I found most of what I needed through Whitepages.com - and they (unlike lots of other address searching sites) don't charge you to get addresses. Another cool feature - once you find someone, you can click "Find Neighbors" and find out the names and addresses of the other folks that live on their street. This is handy (though maybe just a tad creepy?) if you're interested in sending cards to old or new neighbors.
This is all public information, and it's interesting to see what you can find about yourself online, isn't it?
Go elf yourself
I've saved the most fun for last. We had a blast this year with www.elfyourself.com, where you can turn yourself into an elf with just a few clicks. Start off the fun by clicking here to see what I look like dancing around in my elf suit!
When you're done watching me, go elf yourself.
Happy holidays from Genuine Curiosity!