Jimmy's Favorite Sites

By Jimmy R. Hammond

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport (www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy) is the companion facility to the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. The building, which is 2 1/2 football fields long and 10 stories high and opened in December 2003, is located on a 176-acre site and provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world. The Center was named in honor of its major donor, and features a large aviation hangar in which aircraft are displayed on three levels. Visitors can walk among aircraft and small artifacts in display cases located on the floor, and view aircraft hanging from the arched ceiling on elevated skywalks. Many engines, helicopters, ultra-lights, and experimental flying machines are on display in a museum setting for the first time. Among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress Enola Gay; and the de Havilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane. Visit this site first, then plan your day trip.

According to the web site for Small Business and Taxes Management at www.smbiz.com, "This site is designed to provide accurate and authoritative business and tax information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The information is not necessarily a complete summary of all material on the subject." That is their disclaimer - now the good news! Here is a site that has IRS audit alerts, rate tables for Federal and State taxes, business and tax articles, tax to-do lists and a calendar of tax filing requirements for all states by due dates. It won't replace your accountant or CPA, but it's quicker than leaving a message and waiting for him to call you back and it's FREE.

Are you looking for a unique wedding present or a functional and attractive conversation piece for the home? Then you have to check out the Ambient Weather Forecast Beacon at www.smarthome.com/1952.html. This little 5.5 inch tall glass cube is wirelessly linked to an Ambient Regional Weather Forecast Beacon with no monthly fees. It silently and elegantly communicates weather with light and the same colors used in standard weather forecasts. It glows red when warmer weather is forecasted, and blue hues if cooler temperatures are on the way. The Beacon will pulse subtly to alert you if rain or snow is to be expected. At about $175 it won't break the bank, and it might be that perfect don't-forget-the-umbrella reminder you've been looking for.

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