Happy New Year!
Below, is a little something to help you celebrate the New Year.
It is a little Java applet, in which fireworks automatically launch into the night-time sky, every few seconds.
However, if you want more fireworks, just click anywhere in the night-time sky, below. Each click will launch fireworks, aimed at the location of the cursor, at the time of the click.
If you click low in the sky, the firework launched by that click will explode low in the sky. If you click high and left, the related firework will explode high and left.
If you click in several places in rapid succession, you will get more fireworks. The more clicks in rapid succession, the more fireworks you'll get.
Note: Users on some browsers have reported that they had to clear cache after leaving the page, to get the audio to stop. This will be cleared up in a later version.
Although we try to limit our use of non-HTML technology, this is a Java applet that requires you to have Java enabled in your browser. If the Java logo never goes away and the applet fails to load, then Java is probably turned off in your browser. In that case, go into the options or preferences of your browser and make sure that both Java and JavaScript are enabled.
Update (2011): This applet was written in 2003 and as a result of certain now obsolete Java functions that were used throughout this applet at that time, some new browsers now issue a security warning. You may, if you choose, allow the applet to run and it will run fine. But just remember that it's good practice to only allow unsafe applets to run if you trust the site. I am working, in my spare time, to overcome this issue. But rather than try to update antequated Java code, I'm working on a Flash version of this applet. I can't tell you when that Flash version will be finished, since most of my time is spent writing my next book. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience.
As you celebrate the New Year, keep in mind that the New Year holiday is one of the few times during the entire year that you are really safe, since Congress is not in session.
Enjoy!