London's party traveled some 400 miles by foot over the notorious Chilkoot Pass, down the White Horse rapids to the mouth of the Stewart River. It was there, settled in for the long bitter winter, that London's cabin became a gathering spot for local sourdoughs and newcomers alike. Long nights were passed listening to tales of the North Country, both fanciful and true. London took in the lore of survival in an unforgiving alien land; of greed, murder and betrayal; and most of all the immense power of nature. When the thaw came, London left the Yukon with no gold, a case of scurvy and a head full of tales that would become some of the most significant stories of the North Country ever to be written.

Jack London produced a total of fifty-one books, some issued posthumously. The range of subjects is remarkable, but the best of what he wrote remains those tales of the Yukon, of the bone-chilling cold and the desperate race to survive its icy grip. Call of the Wild remains the definitive work on the Yukon while London's chronicle of a solitary man's anonymous struggle to survive in To Build A Fire continues to help define the standard of excellence for American short stories.

So HotSync any one of the number of Jack London stories and books available for your Palm computer and put your feet up in front of the fire and enjoy. But, when you do, take a moment to reassure the family dog that it's just a story and not a new career plan. He'll rest much easier if you do.

Winter-oriented reference documents
If you are in the mood to get really into winter, have some fun with these great winter-oriented reference documents. With these great documents, you don't need to go outdoors to be cool.

Fun with the Winter Olympics
What would winter be without the Winter Olympics? Well, for starters, a little less controversial for the folks in Utah. But for the rest of us who thrill in the excitement of tumbling downhill skiers, the madcap action of curling, or the dignified and gentlemanly rivalry that exemplifies international hockey, having the results of the 1998 Winter Olympics at one's immediate disposal is a necessity. The results of the games, both by country and by sport, as well as the original schedules, are available in Tom Murphy's JFile databases. If hockey really excites you as the premier winter sport, check out Jim Thompson's NHL team schedules, all available in Doc format. These schedules have also been made available by Steven Blum as items that can be imported directly into the Palm's resident DateBook application.

It's coffee time
Nothing tends to thaw frozen fingers, toes, and lips like a hot cup of coffee, java, Joe, mud, or whatever you prefer to call it. With the recent increase in availability of coffee and its variations, it may get confusing regarding exactly what to order in that ski lodge in Steamboat, that donut shop in Denver, or that cafe in Calais. To help you out with this dilemma, Ron Schaefer's Guide to Various Coffee Drinks is available in both plain text (for MemoPad) and Doc formats. If you're the hands-on type (or just in a hurry), Ted Landy put together a guide to making great espresso, also available in plain text and Doc formats. Even better, a guide to making Chai, another wonderful hot drink, is also available in Doc format.