Solar System at Scale

Sol

Two things about our solar system.

1. It's big.
2. It's mostly empty.

 It's hard to get a handle on how big and how empty - most models have both the relative sizes of and distances between the planets completely out of whack. But thanks to the power of the internet, there's a true model you can see. You need either a half-mile-wide monitor, or a strong finger to hold down the scroll button...for a really, long time.

Did I mention space is really big and empty?

Related articles

• Solar System Scale Model (phrenopolis.com)
• How does the solar system fit into the universe (wiki.answers.com)

Dance Mat Typing

Image via WikipediaRC really dislikes a lot of writing. Her pencil grip is a bit wonky, and it hurts her hand. I can't force her to write anyway without being hypocritical; I don't write for the same reason. In fact, my whole impetus for getting into computers so early in life was that the old Apple ][ at my school had a word processor, which meant I never had to write out a paper again.

So I figure, if this kid is ever going to get some of these amazing stories she makes up down onto paper, it's going to be electronically. Enter Dance Mat Typing, an online typing tutor for kids from BBC's educational website. And it doesn't hurt that the main 'tutor' is an animated goat that sounds like Ringo Starr.

Related articles

• Dance Mat Typing (spottybanana.com)