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>------------------ >NORAD Tracks Santa >------------------ > >Today's stop is at my favorite holiday Web site: "The Annual NORAD >Tracks Santa" site at > ><A HREF="http://www.noradsanta.org/"> >http://www.noradsanta.org/ </A>. > >Folks, if you loved Elf Bowling you will absolutely ADORE this! For >the 45th year in a row, the North American Aerospace Defense Command >(NORAD) will be tracking Santa Claus as he makes his annual Christmas >Eve journey around the world. > >We talked about this site last year, but folks at NORAD (with the help >of IBM and Analytical Graphics, Inc.) completely redesigned the site >for the 1999 holiday season. The new NORAD Tracks Santa site relies >heavily on Macromedia Flash to provide interactive menus and screens. >This means that you'll have to have Macromedia's free Flash Player >(a.k.a. Shockwave Player) to be able to view this site. Don't panic >though. Shockwave Player is probably already installed on your >computer and you don't even know it -- it ships with Windows 95, 98, >MacOS, Internet Explorer CD, America Online, and Netscape Navigator. > >How can you tell if you have the Shockwave Player installed on your >computer? Easy! Go to the NORAD Tracks Santa site >[ http://www.noradsanta.org/ ] and click on the "Enter" button (the >one with the giant wreath on it). If you already have the player, an >introductory movie will pop up. If you don't have the player, though, >you will be instructed on how to download and install the player for >free. (And, yes, you need Shockwave Player. More and more Web sites >are starting to use it.) > >Anyway, back to the site. Using the latest satellite data and >digitized imagery (and a heck of a lot of Macromedia Flash and >streaming Real Video), the Norad Tracks Santa site will show you >Santa's Christmas Eve (December 24th) flight around the world. Prior >to the 24th, this site will give you information about NORAD, show you >how NORAD tracks Santa, and even give you few extra surprises. > >Because Santa's journey will take him to many different countries, the >NORAD Tracks Santa site is available in English, Francais, Italiano, >Japanese, and Espanol. The first Flash-generated page of the NORAD >Tracks Santa site is a clickable map of the world. Click on the flag >that corresponds to the language that you speak. [If you click on the >Canadian, American, British, Australian, or New Zealand flag, you are >taken to a page written in English; if you click on the French Flag, >you are taken to a page written in Francais; and so on.] > >This launches an absolutely charming introductory movie that your kids >-- and, for that matter, kids of all ages -- will enjoy. The "fly-by" >is particularly amusing. > >Once the movie has completed, you are taken to a page with an >annoying, green, bug-eyed snowman flying across the screen. Ignore >him and move your mouse over the red "menu" button in the upper right- >hand corner of the screen. If you know how to use the Start menu on a >PC or the Apple menu on a Mac, you'll have no problems navigating >around the NORAD Tracks Santa site. :) > >As you scroll through the menu you'll learn a little bit about NORAD, >find information about Santa's sleigh, and even see Santa's take on >this whole Y2K thing (which is also quite amusing). > >It is obvious that the folks at NORAD had a lot of fun putting this >site together, and if you are looking for a good chuckle this holiday >season -- and especially if you have kids who are convinced that Santa >will be bringing them more than coal and twigs for Christmas -- you >really should visit the NORAD Tracks Santa site over the next couple >of days. :) > > >=====================[ Tourbus Rider Information ]=================== > The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238 > Copyright 1995-99, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved > Archives on the Web at http://www.TOURBUS.com janet paterson 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/ 613 256 8340 po box 171 almonte ontario canada k0a 1a0