Today I was going to write about something practical, like ad blocking. That'll have to wait because I burned the day exploring outer space and crash landing over LAX, often and early.

I rediscovered Google Earth and its components, Google Sky and a nifty flight simulator. You can get everything you need on the Google Earth site.

Once you have Google Earth installed, I insist that you kill as much time as I did with its built-in flight simulator. Click Ctrl-A to bring up the application, and once you've hit ground by wildly stabbing the arrow keys on your keyboard, head for the Flight Simulator Keyboard Controls page. If you want more help with the flight simulator, head for Marco Gallotta's blog.

Google Sky's a Blast

From Google Earth, click the last icon on the right (it looks like a planet) to open Google Sky. You might want to start by watching a brief video--but turn your volume down, the video seems loud and starts immediately.

Once you're on something (a constellation, say), click the blue icon for a details and an enhanced view.

Me, I find double stars fascinating. You can find a number of them on the Sky and Telescope page. It's a treat to search for them on Google Sky. To see what I mean, search for Alcor and then Albireo.

Dig This: You know that real estate adage: Location, location, location? You're not going to believe this one. Here's one hint: Don't look down. Be sure to sure to lower your volume--the site's author thought it'd be cool to include sappy music. [Thanks, Loren C.]

Private Satellite Videos (and Shots from a Balloon)

My friend Joe L. in Texas passed along an image and a video taken by the Bigelow Aerospace Genesis-II spacecraft. He told me that the satellite contains 22 internal and external cameras. You can see both the video and image on the Bigelow Aerospace site.

Joe said that "the photo is showing an image about 5,000 km in diameter, taken from an altitude of 550 km. The only other photos like this are the ones taken by the Apollo astronauts from the moon (other images of the Earth only capture part of the Earth)."

What's so fascinating about the Genesis-II satellite is that it's a privately owned, habitable spacecraft. It was launched from Russia in late June while controlled from East Las Vegas. There's lots more to discover on the site, such as images from inside the spacecraft and real-time tracking.

Dig This: Okay, I know, it's not technology. But this doggie disguise kit is really useful, especially if you own a dobie. No really, this lets you go to the park with your kids and your dog without worrying that people think your dog will attack them.

Head for Outer Space

If you're interested in tracking satellites and poking around in outer space (and haven't had your fill with Google Sky), here are some programs and sites you might want to look at:

• Heavens-Above: Great site for real-time satellite tracking.
• J-Track Satellite Tracking: Keep tabs on Hubble, Mir, and others, all as it happens. This NASA site has other tracking tools, including weather and search satellites.
• Real Time Satellite Tracking: Lots of satellites to track, but often the ads are larger that the maps. Nonetheless, you can see a Google mashup map of the satellite and also see a real-time positioning readout.
• Asynx Planetarium: If you're just starting out in astronomy and feel a little overwhelmed with star charting, the free Asynx Planetarium is ideal. You can grab an overview of the night sky for tonight, or for the next night you're outside looking up.
• StarCalc: Handy, free program for creating views of the position of stars (and planets), with features for zooming, rotating, and calculating objects.
• SkyOrb VR'06: From any location in space, this freebie calculates the positions of planets, sun, and moon, as well as the rise and set times of the object's satellites. SkyOrb quickly does 3D rendering of views from space, including solar and lunar eclipses, solstices, and equinoxes. Very cool.

Dig This: This site explains--with all the details you might imagine--what women find sexy. Lord knows why.

Steve Bass writes PC World's monthly "Hassle-Free PC" column and is the author of PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer, available from O'Reilly. He also writes PC World's daily Tips & Tweaks blog. Sign up to have Steve's newsletter e-mailed to you each week. Comments or questions? Send Steve e-mail.