Fabulous Fourth: Weekend traffic, weather and events

TRAFFIC

Plan your trip using the state Department of Transportation predictions of the heaviest traffic:

Today: I-5 southbound from Tacoma to Olympia.

Independence Day: U.S. 2 westbound and I-90 westbound.

Online: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Congestion/IndependenceDay/2011

WEATHER

The forecast is good for the long weekend and fireworks viewing. It generally will be dry and mild, with a chance of showers Sunday. Here are details for the Olympia area, according to the National Weather Service.

Today: Sunny with a high near 74; mostly cloudy at night with a low around 54.

Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Mostly cloudy Sunday night, with a low around 47.

Independence Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Mostly clear and a low around 48 at night.

Tuesday: Sunny with a high near 80 for the start of the workweek.

HOLIDAY FIREWORKS AND EVENTS

Thurston County

South Sound Center Independence Day Celebration Vendors, family activities, entertainment and fireworks, 6-10:45 p.m. Sunday, South Sound Center, 663 Sleater-Kinney Road. S.E., Lacey. Free. 360-491-6850, www.facebook.com/SouthSoundCenter.

Tumwater's Fourth of July Start the day Monday with an 11 a.m. arade on Capitol Boulevard. Daylong activities, entertainment, music, food, prizes at Tumwater Valley Golf Course, end the day with fireworks show at dusk. Golf course is at 4611 Tumwater Valley Drive S.E., Tumwater. $5 parking.

4th of July Bash for Cuba A celebration and fundraiser for aid to Cuba with music by David Rovics and dinner by chef Brian McDonald ($15;an all-you-can-drink ticket is $10), 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Media Island International, 816 Adams St. S.E., Olympia. www.mediaisland.org.

Grays Harbor County

Old-Fashioned Fourth of July in Westport Kids activities, games, music and fireworks plus Dock of the Bay Blues Festival with beer garden and eight bands on Monday in Downtown Westport. 800-345-6223.

Fire over the Water Fireworks display at 10 p.m. Monday, Ocean Shores.

Aberdeen Splash Festival Featuring live music, family fun, vendors, foods, free inflatable rides and games and fireworks show, 2-11 p.m. Monday, Chehalis River waterfront, Aberdeen.

Oakville Independence Day Patriots' Parade Traditional parade with car clubs, tractors, livestock, horses, firetrucks and bands, plus a re-enactment of the Great Oakville Horseback Bank Robbery. 11 a.m. today, downtown Oakville. 360-470-9034 or oakville-parade@oakvile-wa.

Aviation Games – Flight Simulator Evolution

Aviation games, especially flight simulator games have always been that little bit more special than other games. I think its mans fascination with flying, and the fact that most of us will never actually get into a plane and take control ourselves so I think these virtual worlds give us an opportunity to realize a dream.

What exactly is it though that has made these airplane games explode in popularity, I think the first thing is the advances in technology that have enabled your average user to buy higher specification computers so that they can run these huge file flight simulators. The resources called upon to turn these basic aviation games into top games has also played a big part in their jump in popularity. One example is the use of Google maps and digital elevation models obtained from SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Missions) to recreate a virtual representation of our own world.

Below is a list of the other significant recent developments that have propelled these virtual flying games into the spotlight.

(1) Some aviation games are synchronized with real world time so if its dawn in New York it will dawn when you fly through virtual New York.

(2) The best games even have correct placement of the moon/stars and the sun for specific time and dates.

(3) Night flying in these games is a real treat with ground lighting concentrated over urban areas based on google maps, you will even see car headlights on the busy motorways.

(4) Real life weather or customized weather conditions to suit your preferred experience.

(5) Ever expanding plane games online i.e. joint missions, free flying, air to air refueling and many more.

The aircraft in these aviation games have come on leaps and bounds as well, the top flight simulators will have planes that are realistically modelled with real word instrument behaviour. It’s not all plain sailing though or should I say Plane Flying (sorry about that one), If you want a realistic experience then you will have to deal with the realistic problems that can come with it:

* Instruments that lag in real life lag in the simulators, gyro drift is modelled correctly and the magnetic compass is subject to aircraft body forces

* Correct instrument representation for 50 – 100 planes * Equipment and system failures are also very accurately represented.

* You can have a fully 3D interactive cockpit

Everything you need out of flight simulator aviation games is now at your finger tips, if you ever wondered what it would be like to fly over the great wall of China or the Pyramids then you should get yourself one. If you do invest in a flight sim I recommend investing to some hardware to enhance the experience i.e.

Flying Free, America's First Black Aviators

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Popular Mechanics

Flying Magazine

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