Good morning, Netizens...

Recognize this guy in the mug shot? But about eight hours ago, the billionaire who led the team that developed Microsoft Word did just that -- and then some. With the successful launch of a Soyuz-TMA spacecraft from Kazakhstan, Charles Simonyi became the first private citizen to make a second space mission.

Among some of his many credits, Simonyi is the author of the Hungarian Notation, a method of notating software code which I have used and admire.

Simonyi, whose net worth of $1.1 billion makes him the 1,014th richest man in the world, according to Forbes Magazine, set up both missions with Space Adventures, the only company that sends private citizens into orbit. Of course, when you have that kind of assets, you can do almost anything you want.

Other than developing Microsoft Word and Excel before he left Microsoft in 2002. Simonyi once dated a convicted felon, Martha Stewart for 15 years before he finally married Swedish socialite Lisa Persdotter in November. Bill Gates even attended his wedding.

I can only imagine what his role in outer space will be. Ostensibly he, as the author of Word and Excel, he is in charge of product support and if cosmonauts gets the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) they reboot the entire space station.

He is a radio amateur, and his call sign is KE7KDP. If you have a amateur's license and in the mood for a convivial chat, you might give him a call. According to several sources, he has already been in touch with several schools world-wide that are closely following his progress in outer space.

If you had the chance, wouldn't you like to travel to the Space Station? Granted that money were no object, what would you do?

Dave

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