Hauksbee

Some of the flashier flying units had Lions or Leopards as mascots. This is the biggest cat I can afford to feed.

A virtual RFC Squadron ( and an occasional Jasta...) flies out of this unassuming cedar-shingle cottage out near the beach in Westport, Massachusetts. The neighbors don't mind a good, scrappy dogfight going on as long as we keep it above 7,000 ft. (any lower and it sets the dogs to barking) and please, no blip-switches on approach after sundown.

Yes, whoever would thought that the tank would go out of military fashion. Now at the pinnacle of development; they're fast, pack enormous firepower, they can fire moving over rough terrain, Cobham armor will turn most anything and along comes the 'platter' shaped-charge, and hand held anti-tank missiles.Suddenly the Queen of Battle becomes a very expensive dinosaur. One writer recently suggested the the Platter Charge might change warfare just as the tank itself did in WWII and the machine gun in WWI.

Upset? I'd like to see chapter and verse on that one. He was an anti-semite right from the git-go. He says, straight up, in his student days, he saw Jews on the street in Vienna. Strange folk in long coats, odd beaver hats and long, curley earlocks. He was shocked at their oddness. His first reaction was, "Are these really Jews?". And the answer was ,"Yes". The second question he posed to himself was, "But, are these odd folk really Germans?" And the answer was, of course, "No". It's difficult to see how easily we speak these days of the "Judeao-Christian" tradition. But this comes only in the wake of the WWII Holocaust. Prior to WWII there was no inate sense of continuity between Judiasm and the Christians. The Jew was the eternal outsider. The killer of Christ. My parents, who were not really angry or viscious people, spoke easily about blacks and Jews. Blacks? They could talk about "working like a niggar." and then turn around and say "lazy as a niggar" and never see the contradiction. This kind prejudice was not seen as unusual in the 50's, less so in the 30's and 40's. It was simply the color of the background. And, for my money, I can't see it upseting Adolf one damned bit.

Sorry. I was unclear. Yes, the territories were to be returned to Mexico. It was their carrot from the Kaiser to take the stick to America. It seems there was more ferment in Pacific politics than is commonly seen in films and education. Japan was poking around in the waters off Mexico, seeing what they could see. Both England and Japan were casting a coveteous eye on Hawaii before annexation by the U.S. A good account of our drift to war is Barbara Tuchman's book, "The Zimmerman Telegram". PS: I just re-read my original post. I was not merely 'unclear', it was a positive brain-fart. I did say 'Germany'. Apologies.

I'm assuming here that you mean 'if America had not not intervened'. In 1917 both sides were nearly bled white. Absent the United States, I can't see who would be in a sufficiently strong position to dictate terms of peace, draconian or otherwise. And America wasn't just poking its nose in other peoples business. The hot-button issue was unrestricted submarine warfare culminating in the sinking of the Luisitania. Worse yet, the Zimmerman Telegram, in which Germany is trying to coax Mexico into harrying the U.S. on the southern border to take the heat off Germany, with the promise of restoring California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Germany. That sort of thing has to be answered.

...and no Versailles Treaty. No extended sea blockade which caused starvation. No "Stab-In-the-Back". Probably no abdication by Wilhelm II. No stumbling Weimar Republic

It's a bit scarey, but I'm sure you'll be in good hands, mate. `

I do love TrackIR, but it always finds a new way to give me fits. (tho' I must admit, it's usually not TrackIR's fault). At the moment, I cannot get to the user interface. When I launch the program, I get the image seen below. None of the menu choices at the top will take me there.If I choose VIEW>Tracking, It get the window at the right with the three dots. These will move as I move my head, which confirms that TrackIR sees me, but still, I'd like that UI.

Gremlins! Of couse. How could I have forgotten them? I think you've put your finger on it. (Great cartoon too. Bob Clamppet at his best.)

'Could be; could be, but I'd like to have a nice heart-to-heart talk with that spook.

Well, it's back and running. I did nothing more with it this evening, but as I was watching a movie, I suddenly saw the blue light at the bottom of the camera blink. After a few times, I paused the film and launched TrackIR. It detected just fine. So I'm back in business for no discernable reason.

Tried the unplugging. Still says "No Device Detected". ps: I also posted a query on the NaturalPoint Forum. Maybe they can sort it out.

I agree. Even though I knew it was just a sound-byte on a computer game, Yeager's voice carried authority. It was like he saw what you had just done: screwed the pooch. "Now get back up there and try again!" And I did. Over and over.

Vampire wit? Is that not an oxymoron? (...and yes, British telly is outstanding.)

Bi'Gawd! This is job is exceeding my wildest expectations. Could you give some more specific directions as to where, exactly, these 'things' are in keeping?

Great idea. I'd love to see the people who made OFF happen, and hear them speak in their own voices. On the Forum, we get occasional pronouncements from on high, from the 'Olympians' of OFF. Are they square-jawed heros from the Rickenbacker\Flash-Heart mold, or reclusive photophobic Geeks subsisting on cold pizza crusts and flat Coca-Cola? Out into the light Devs! Let's have a look atcha'!

OK. The re-install is done and it worked. The UI comes up, no problem. But nothing happens after that. No lights in the camera. At the top of the left hand column, it says "No Device Detected" Last time around, I got a small screen that had the three dots and they moved when I did. Everything is still plugged in the same way. Where to from here?

While I wholeheartedly agree that Jeremy Brett is now the definitive Sherlock Holmes, the Benedict Cumberbatch (I've got to enlist a Cumberbatch as a pilot!) version is really quite good.

I got the latesst version of TrackIR 5 today. I'll try for a re-install. Stay tuned.

I don't see it being a Windows problem. About six months ago I was having this problem periodically. Among others. The other issues got worked out, the UI problem was a 'sometimes thing'. Then, about a month, or so, ago, I had some major work done on the tower to upgrade it, in the course of which I changed up from Vista Pro to Windows 7. Which brings us to today. Since getting the box back, I had not re-connected TrackIR. Having the itch to fly today, I plugged everything back in and launched it. I got the white screen. I closed out and went to NaturalPoint.com and downloaded the latest version. Launched TrackIR. I got the proper UI with the Settings on the left and the 3D heads on the right. But then I got a phone call, and decided to fly later and closed out. Upon re-launch, I'm back at the white screen. So, it's been an on-again/off-again problem with both OS. ps: Did the uninstall/re-install solve your problem?

Yeah, Springtime and summer dresses. If that doesn't make you feel young, someone might as well start shoveling dirt onto you.

'Afraid not. The "Profiles" window seems to have Profile info only, and Settings allows you to tweak certain things, but no Main UI.

OK. Lou. If you say so. I will begin swimming against the flow of time using your mantra. But one comment from a friend of mine leads me to think there may be more to it. A while back, at about this time of year, Mark S. and I were enjoying the parade of giggly young buds in summer dresses. I commented to him that I couldn't recall the girls in my Junior High School looking so unbelievably juicy. He mulled that one for a second, then nodded and said, "It's the hormones in the beef."

Back then, we were ahead of out time. Now we're old!