Strap on Goggles and fly

Google Earth takes flight

The poor man’s flight simulator is Goggles, a tacky, fun online game that combines very rudimentary flight controls with Google Earth mapping.

Try it at www.isoma.net/games/ goggles.html, but be forewarned that broadband is recommended. The game creators have no connection with Google.

It’s meant to look hokey, with a funky biplane as your aircraft. There are no cockpit views, at least not yet.

The game offers about a dozen city scenarios to fly through and over, including New York, Berlin, Dublin and London. Yes, your tiny aircraft shoots a tacky weapon. Great, glad they added that. Yes, you can crash and burn, just like in a real full-fledged sim. Neatest add-on: You can also fly the Moon or Mars.

A site for teens’ eyes

Try getting your teenagers involved in thinking about finances. It’s not impossible; the challenge is finding a usable Web site that doesn’t talk down to them.

One that’s headed in the right direction is SkillsThatClick.com, a finance simulator aimed at helping teens make smart money decisions.

Its main virtue is clarity and straightforward presentation of information. No clunky scripts seem to get in the way.

For now it’s still in late-beta state. The organizers say the site will add more features by the end of this month.

Here’s what the cops have

If you worry about the possible theft of the nice iPod you bought for your kid, one option is to register it online, then hope if it’s found by the cops, it’ll show up at the registry at Propertyroom.com.

The site advertises itself as an auction site for unclaimed consumer items in police property rooms around the country. The Mission Viejo, Calif., Web site has arranged with some police departments to share proceeds on items that were stolen, whose owners can’t be found.

Like a tinier version of eBay, PropertyRoom offers assorted categories, including clocks, consumer electronics and tools.

Its StealitBack feature lets people recover stolen items without any cost.

Should you be so lucky as to have written down the serial number of your kid’s iPod, and if it gets stolen, and if the device winds up in the possession of a department that has agreed to work PropertyRoom, then you might get that expensive gadget back.

Even if you didn’t register it before it was stolen, you can also search the PropertyRoom site to see if stolen goods of yours may have shown up there.

In that case a distinguishing feature or physical trait for a stolen item will suffice, if the owner can identify the item.

Phone numbers made easy

Ever wanted to tell your friends your cell number is as easy to dial as spelling “I’m A Hero” or some other cute phrase?

Phonespell.com lets you punch in your phone number and it spits out any 7, 10 or 11-character variation your number might create in alphabet form.

Warning. Some very stupid phrases come out the other end. I stuck in my boss’s office number and it found: “50WilyLilt.” Hmmm.

Why would you take a 10-digit number and hunt for an 11-character phrase? Check out the explanation at the site; makes great sense, actually.