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Although Flash is probably most famous for the well known financial rewards of a good Flash designer, and all of those addictive Flash games which people play when they should be working, but it's actually a bit more then that.  Flash is used in internet applications to create animations, games, and even complex interfaces which run dynamic applications.  It also supports the ability to manipulate film, such as the videos you see on Youtube, and with its own scripting code known as Actionscript it can basically be used to make any type of application you could dream of under the sun.

So what about AJAX?  Is that another Adobe product such as Flash?  Actually, No.  In fact AJAX is often compared against Flash in a competitive way.  AJAX is another method of creating rich internet applications which doesn't require an Adobe platform to run on, and therefore has nothing to do with Adobe at all, although Adobe might create some applications which help designers to create AJAX applications.  But that's another story.

AJAX stands for Asynchronous Javascript And Xml.  That's a mouthful, and you probably still can't guess what it means if you don't already know.  Basically what AJAX refers to is a web page or website interface which uses a combination of Javascript and a server side programming/scripting language to create some dynamic animations and enhanced content features for the site.  An example might be some of the attractive drop down menus you see on some sites, or perhaps some type of content area which seems to automatically update itself with the latest information.  One of the greatest benifits of AJAX is that it consists of all "free" platforms and it doesn't require the designer to install a software on their computer in order to create AJAX applications.  It also doesn't require the user to install any fancy add-ons or plugins into their browser, as mostly all modern browsers support Javascript.  Because of this freedom, AJAX applications are easily created and updated, as long as the designer can access the internet, and users are free from worrying whether or not their browser's plugins are up-to-date.

So we've covered those 2, Flash and AJAX, where does AIR come into this?  Of these 3, AIR would be the latest technology which adds a twist to the forementioned Flash and AJAX.  AIR is yet another Adobe product which has enhanced the internet and perhaps will be enhancing users internet experience all over the world.  To make a long story short, what AIR does is it takes an already existing Flash or AJAX application and turns it into a desktop application.  That means that instead of having to open your web browser to go to Gmail or Yahoo Mail, you can just double click and icon on your desktop and BOOM, there you go! 

The beauty of this is not just to save you a few clicks.  An AIR application has the potential of being used offline as well as online.  Thus, after you've downloaded your email to your Gmail AIR application you can still read it when you're on a flight without internet.  You can also potentially download an online AIR game and play it in "offline mode" when you're not online.  Although, to think of this "not being online", I know is a scarey thought for most of today's people, but it does happen sometimes. 

Another benifit of AIR is that it frees you from the browser.  Instead of being locked down to some maximized window which doesn't look complete without a slew of advertisement jumping out at you, you can now access some of your favorite online content via a window customized to fit the size of the application you are using.

But don't get me wrong, like any 3D development environment, Blender is very intensive and getting comfortable with the control keys takes quite a bit of time.  Blender is so full of options you could probably spend years setting them to memory and still be learning things you never new about the physics of light, shading and color all at the same time.

However, if you are interested in giving it a try I wouldn't be too intimidated as long as your the kind of person who could put together a little 3D model or spend a day or two following one of those "How to Draw" books, then I would say that you could give Blender a try.  There are a plethora of step by step Blender tutorials online starting from the most basics of making a snowman, and up to the most advanced of making an interactive 3D game.

I've had a ton of fun playing with Blender and it has been officially added to the list of softwares which I use and support regularly.  Blender's home page is here: http://wwww.blender.org

One drawback of G.ho.st, understandably, is that it requires a relatively fast internet connection.  I often had problems logging in and getting things moving when I was in China on a slow connection.  After upgrading my connection I was able to log in but still had issues with speed.  I would recommend at least a cable connection or higher for a G.ho.st user.

G.ho.st has a very attractive, or at least to say, a very well designed desktop environment.  There is a start menu which gives access to all kinds of online software ranging from mp3 players to office tools.  There's also a slew of fun little games and widgets to play with on your desktop. 

On of the best features might be the 5 Gigabytes of free space which is granted for free.  You can upload everything from your business documents to your favorite mp3s and use them through the web browser with the free online software provided by G.ho.st.  This also includes a ton of email space which comes with your free name@g.ho.st email address.

If you're interested, why not go give it a try at: http://g.ho.st