Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 00:22:36 +0000
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Sender: The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
From: Bob Rankin
Subject: TOURBUS - 25 Apr 2000 - Virtual Pets
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TOURBUS Volume 5, Number 86 -- 25 April 2000
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\___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/
FIVE YEARS of Searchable Archives at http://www.TOURBUS.com !!
TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: Virtual Pets
It was inevitable... with the march of technology, pets have gone
virtual. Forget about Fluffy and Rover, now you can have your very
own online pet - guaranteed not to make a mess on the kitchen floor.
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
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Consultant.
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NEOPETS
========
NeoPets is a fun virtual pet site where you can create your own pets,
feed them, groom them, play with them and watch them grow. You can
also chat with other virtual pet owners, play games, create your own
web pages, send NeoMail and more fun stuff.
My daughters Anna (age 12) and Sarah ("almost 14") have been spending
a lot of time at Neopets lately, and like a good parent, I've been
peeking over their shoulders. :-)
What I discovered was that in addition to having a lot of fun with
cute virtual pets, they're learning about banking, operating a store,
writing web pages with HTML, and creating their own graphics. So I
thought it would be worth mentioning this site to kids, parents and
teachers who ride the Bus. You can get to the NeoPets site here:
Go to NeoPets
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MORE ABOUT NEOPETS
--------------------
NeoPets is completely free, fun for kids and also parent-friendly.
As per the recently enacted Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act,
kids under the age of 13 must have parental permission before they can
use the NeoPets email or chat features. And the Golden Rules For
Internet Safety in the Help section are very well done.
After signing up with NeoPets you can create your own pets, specifying
the species, gender and personality of the pet you want. Or you can
adopt an abandoned NeoPet from the Neopian Pound - a nice touch.
Neopet owners can visit shops to buy food and toys for their pets,
using NeoPoints - the currency of Neopia. You can also set up a
Neopian Bank account, put your valuables in a safety deposit box, and
even earn interest on your account.
NeoPets shops operate in a true to life market economy. Users buy
items from other shops and place them for sale in their own shop at
whatever price they wish. My girls have enjoyed the dynamics of
buying, selling and pricing with their own NeoPets shops.
There are lots of games to play including Hide and Seek, NeoPoker,
NeoTrivia, Crossword, and Chia Bingo. Playing games will help you
earn NeoPoints so you can buy more things for your pet or store.
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WE'RE TALKING "LIFE SKILLS" HERE
----------------------------------
My 12-year-old Anna came to me the other day and said "Dad, how do you
upload a GIF file into an HTML page?" I wasn't sure if I should be
proud or panic-stricken, but things have worked out okay. She's now
slinging HTML to create her own web pages, uploading files with
CuteFTP, and designing her own NeoPets with PaintShop Pro.
That reminds me, I've been meaning to mention both of those handy
programs in Tourbus. I use CuteFTP all the time to upload and
download my website files, and PaintShop Pro is a very slick graphics
program. Both have trial versions that can be downloaded here:
Visit the CuteFTP Homepage
Visit the PaintShop Pro Homepage
====================
EXPERTCITY FEEDBACK
====================
I was amazed at how many Tourbus readers wrote to say thanks for the
article about Expertcity. Many of you said that the Expertcity
consultants were able to solve long-standing PC problems in a few
short minutes. (If you missed the article, the TOURBUS Archives has
it along with FIVE YEARS of back issues). As I mentioned before,
first-time visitors get one free consultation, so if you have a
computer question and you want answers, give Expertcity a try.
Go to ExpertCity
That's all for now, see you next time! --Bob Rankin
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