In computer news this week:

Real men don't ask for directions; now they rely on the internet

Early man may have walked across a natural land bridge between Siberia and Alaska and discovered a new continent, without asking for directions.

The Vikings may have been the first real discoverers of America, relying on their sailing skills, without asking anyone for directions.

Columbus discovered America, navigating by the stars, without once asking for directions.

Why then, should modern man ever ask for directions?

There's an ad showing on tv now that shows a man and a woman sitting in a parked car looking at a cell phone, and the man swears that it isn't necessary to use the phone. Finally the woman makes the call, and dials into a Global Positioning Satellite system their car is equipped with, which then gives them audible directions to find their destination.

That man, and all men watching, think "Just like a woman.... there was no need for her to make that call - I would have found it sooner or later."

Ladies, you have to understand, there is just nothing more humiliating or degrading to a guy than having to ask for directions. If you can't figure it out yourself, it ain't worth going to anyway. The only time you ever see a guy asking for directions, is when he's with a woman, and then when he does ask, he gives the secret guy sign - the roll of the eyes and the disgusted nod of the head towards the woman - letting the other guy know the only reason he is asking is because of her.

With Summer here and vacations coming up, knowing exactly how to get to your destination is a good idea. What you want is an internet site that lets you type in your starting point; your house, and your destination address, and it should print out both a map and actual driving directions for you. I had found a really good one a couple years ago, but in internet time that's about a millenium and now's it's still another internet casualty with a "That page does not exist" message.

So now you can go to Yahoo.com, the most used internet search engine and click on their Maps choice. On the next screen click on the Driving Directions screen, and you will be presented with fill in boxes to enter your beginning and ending destination. You need street addresses and zip codes for it to work best. Then with one more mouse click, you will receive both a map showing the full route - with an expanded map of the destination - AND exact driving directions from your house, showing you what direction to go, what streets to turn on, directions to turn, highways to take, exits, etc - all with odometer readings of distance between points and total trip distance and estimated time.

But that's not all. You can even get reverse driving directions and maps so you can find your way back home easier. You can even bookmark these directions and save them on Yahoo for future reference.

I'll be visiting my daughters in Seattle soon, and one recently moved to an apartment in Kirkland, and the other to Green Lake. "Do you need directions how to get here, Dad", they asked. "Of course not, I know the area like the back of my hand."

Now if I can just remember to pack these Yahoo driving directions when I leave, I'll be fine.

For Raw Bytes, this is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 Email: fdspokane@aol.com