Heavens Above is an on-line astronomy starchart, customized for your location. They include satellites, planets, asteroids, and the like. I’m using it to tell me when and where to look to observe the Internation Space Station. I live way out in the country with a bunch of cows. My “town” was [in their database](http://www.heavens-above.com/main.asp?Loc=Diamond Hill&Lat=34.063&Lng=-83.278&TZ=EST). I’m sure yours will be, then, too.

Here’s a better article on the new Anasazi finds from the Christain Science Monitor.

Newly discovered ruins near my former home of Socorro, New Mexico, are shedding new light on the fate of the Anasazi people. The Anasazi are best known to the average person for their cliff dwellings found in the Four Corners region. I’m trying to find more information on these sites – they are in an area that I spent a good deal of time in.

The world changed today. We now live in a different age. If things go as planned, future generations will remember today as the day mankind joined together and permanently estalished residence off the surface of this planet. First earth orbit, then the planets, and then the stars!

I just passed through a website that tried pushing its chat room by inserting the last few lines typed there. This isn’t such a good idea, as the following snippit shows:

You’re missing out on some hot wonderful conversation, Eric! Take a peek at the last few lines of conversation from our Chat room.

waves to everyone!
well so long losers
anyone there?
hello is anyone there?
blinks in disbelief
hello is anyone avaible?
………
.
………..
laughs out loud

More on games: Avalon Hill is also re-releasing Stratego, of all things. And they’ve revamped it, making it a collectible trading game. And capable of playing with up to 8 players. Bizarre. “My miner attacks this piece. " “You lose. That was a dragon. "

Avalon Hill is re-releasing Cosmic Encounter? Freaky. With ugly plastic playing pieces to boot! You can play on-line for free, thanks to the original guys behind the game.

The History Channel premeirs a new miniseries tonight: The History of Britain. (Surprisingly, the page at the other end of the link is just a brief description. You’d think that they’d have done something more fancy for such a “landmark documentary.”) The show begins at about 5000 B.C. and will move through the Elizabethan era. I’ve always been fond of BRitish history, so I’ll try to catch all three parts. Avalon Hill used to sell a game called Britannia, now out of print, that allowed 3-5 players to play the various groups that inhabited Great Britain from the coming of the Romans to the Norman Conquest (one of my favorite historical events – I’m such a history geek (no, scratch that. I’m just a geek, period) that I’ve named my sourdough starter after one of the key players in the event). It appears you can’t buy the game anymore, but there’s a handful of pages on the game out there, including this detailed summary of a play-by-mail game and this collection of computer code and playing aids. It really is a fine game. I wish I knew people who’d play it with me.

A Kestrel’s Nest repeat, from September 9, 1999:

I’ve never really been interested in abolishing the electoral college, that quirky part of our presidential elections created by those men in powdered wigs. Now, more than ever, after reading this article, I’m a firm supporter of the system. Of course, as the election draws near, this’ll be a hot topic in the media. And now I’ll be ready.

The original article has been AWOL for the better part of this year, but Jorn at Robot Wisdom found it again. It really is the most eloquent argument for the electoral college that I’ve seen.

It’s late October, and that means soup season. I kicked it off with my own recipe for a nice potato chowder, embellished with fresh garden parsnips. I’d be happy to give you the recipe if you want it, but you can do much better by visiting Soup of the Evening, Beautiful Soup, a Web page devoted to all things soup.