November 2009

==Don't Miss the Epic Quest Starting Nov. 10th!==
Get the keys to your new car on November 17th, hit the open road, and even take your best friend for a ride!
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 1 - Ships!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Tuesday, November 10th, 2009.
Transportation, from the most primitive wheel to the most technologically sophisticated plane exemplifies world changing discoveries and innovations. Today we will embark on a 7 day epic quest for transportation. On today's quest, we will explore the history of boats and ships!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Ship Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Veterans Day Mini-Quest!==
7:00 A.M. Pacific Time Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time Thursday, November 12th, 2009.
Today is Veterans Day! World War I, also known as "The Great War" was not officially over until the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. Fighting, however, had already stopped seven months earlier on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month of the eleventh day! On November 11, 1918, this armistice (or temporary cessation of hostilities) went into effect, and is commonly considered the end of "the war to end all wars." On today's quest we will take a look at Veterans Day!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Veterans Day 2009 Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 2 - Railroads!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Wednesday, November 11th, 2009.
With the development of America including the settlement of the frontier, ranching, farming and mining, railroads became important as one of the most efficient means of moving people and goods from one place to another. Railroads, together with the steam locomotive, rank among the most innovative and life changing developments in the history of mankind. For the second day of our epic quest for Transportation, we will explore the history of the railroads!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Railroads Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 3 - Airplanes!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Thursday, November 12th, 2009.
Since ancient times, people have dreamed of soaring into the sky and beyond like the birds. Many great minds have turned their imagination and knowledge toward devising various methods of accomplishing this goal of leaving the earth and flying. However, as late as the early 1900's, the idea of powered flight was still considered by many experts of the time, to be an impossible fantasy. For the third day of our epic quest for Transportation, we will explore the history of airplanes!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Airplanes Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 4 - Automobiles!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Friday, November 13th, 2009.
The automobile is ranked as one of the most revolutionary inventions since the wheel in the history of transportation. The concept of the automobile is basic, you just need to take a wheeled vehicle such as those pulled by horses, and add a motor. The end result is self propelled personal transportation which in turn changed the world. For the fourth day of our epic quest for Transportation, we will look at the history of the automobile!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Automobile Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 5 - Roads and Highways!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Saturday, November 14th, 2009.
In early America, a well constructed road could heavily affect the towns it served. A good road provided essential access, especially for towns not located on a waterway. It connected people, goods and ideas. With the transportation revolution of the early 1800's, and as the US's boundaries grew, building roads became an increasingly important activity. For the fifth day of our epic quest for Transportation, we will look at the immeasurably important, but often overlooked, humble road!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Roads and Highways Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Petroliana Quest!==
7:00 A.M. Pacific Time Sunday, November 15th, 2009 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time Monday, November 16th, 2009.
 
For some people, the glory days of the gasoline stations are still alive and well. They belong to a large community of people who collect items related to gas stations and oil companies. These collectibles, called petroliana, include anything and everything related to gas and oil. On our quest today, we are going to look at the interesting world of petroliana! 
 
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the New Moon Starry Night Panel Set!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 6 - Gas & Service Stations!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Sunday, November 15th, 2009.
In 1900, there were only 4,000 cars in the US. In comparison, there were 20 million horses. The buildings and resources such as stables and blacksmith shops that supported horse drawn transportation have given way to gas stations and auto repair shops. In the meantime, the transition from the horse to the "horseless carriage" has been an amazing one. For the sixth day of our epic quest for Transportation, we will look at the colorful and exciting history of the gas station!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Service Station Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 7 - Rules of the Road!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Monday, November 16th, 2009.
Rules of the road are comprised of the procedures and practices that road traffic must follow. The rules most often govern all users of the road, but are particularly important to cyclists and motorists. In addition, these rules outline the interactions of vehicles with pedestrians. As cars became more popular, the local cities and towns developed these rules to reduce accidents and increase safety for everyone. For the seventh day of our epic quest for Transportation, we will look at the history of the Rules of the Road!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Traffic Signal Pin!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==VFK Transportation Epic Quest Day 8 - License Test!==
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Tuesday, November 17th, 2009.
The eighth and last day of our epic quest for Transportation is a Driving Test. Today's test will explore what you know about the rules of driving before you get behind the wheel. So on your mark, get set... GO!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Car Pin!
==VFK Drive-in Movie Theater Quest!==
7:00 A.M. Pacific Time Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time Monday, November 23rd, 2009.
Watching a good movie at the drive-in on a warm clear summer night was one of the most popular activities in the 1950's and 60's! These open air theaters drew record crowds and were the "in" thing in the 'field' of entertainment! People loved watching the movies from the comfort and privacy of their own car. Families loved that they could bring their kids and they could play without bothering others. On today's quest, we are going to explore the "hip" world of the Drive-in Movie Theater!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and a Movie Film Chair!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
==Server Upgrade==
At 3:00 A.M. this morning we added 8 more servers to our VFK constellation of server resources. <BR>
For those whose DNS has not already updated, you may see the IP Address 75.125.231.234 in your browser address bar.<BR>
As soon as your DNS updates, you should no longer see this.<BR>
==VFK Thanksgiving Day 2009 Mini-Quest!==
7:00 A.M. Pacific Time, Thursday, November 26th, 2009 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Friday, November 27th, 2009.
Today is Thanksgiving Day! In 1789, George Washington's famous Thanksgiving Proclamation sets aside Thursday, November 26 as "A Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer." In his proclamation, President Washington assigned the day "to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be." And that it was "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God." On today's quest, we will take a quick look at the tradition of Thanksgiving Day!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Thanksgiving Day 2009 Pin!
==Thanksgiving Ball==
We will have our Thanksgiving Ball today, November 28th, 2009 from 8:00 pm Eastern Time (5:00 pm pacific) to 10:00 pm Eastern Time (7:00 pm pacific)
The Thanksgiving Ball will also be held on Sunday Afternoon, November 29th, 2009 from 3:00 pm Eastern Time (12:00 pm pacific, 8:00 pm in the UK) to 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2:00 pm pacific, 10:00 pm in the UK)
There will of course be new outfits and attire for the Thanksgiving Ball!
As part of the Thanksgiving Ball, there will be a surprise party favor!
==VFK History of Nuts Quest!==
7:00 A.M. Pacific Time Sunday, November 29th, 2009 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time Monday, November 30th, 2009.
There is abundant evidence that people have gathered and harvested nuts from ancient times. Stones designed to crack open hard nuts have been found all over Europe and the US, indicating that nuts have been an important part of people's diet since the beginning of history. On today's quest, we are going to explore the diverse history of nuts!
Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and an Acorn Lamp!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
===VFK History of Nuts Quest!===
The first 30 to finish with the fastest times: <BR>
1. HoneyRoasted		1:01<BR>
2. Poorbe		1:10<BR>
3. Steven		1:49<BR>
4. gimmethelicorice		2:27<BR>
5. Inferno_Ace		2:34<BR>
6. Tomorrow		2:37<BR>
7. HeathertheHorseAdmirer		2:40<BR>
8. iamabigdisfan		3:04<BR>
9. maya-soccer-dog		3:07<BR>
10. DuckSwimmer		3:07<BR>
11. cutegymnist		3:13<BR>
12. The-Pirate-Queen		3:16<BR>
13. Blue_Angel_Star		3:19<BR>
14. SassySeaStar		3:21<BR>
15. Mouseeh		3:34<BR>
16. Cutiemorgan		3:36<BR>
17. leprechaun_Dude		3:37<BR>
18. lilystar		3:43<BR>
19. Guest888136		3:43<BR>
20. MellowMoz		3:48<BR>
21. Catt		3:55<BR>
22. Guest17522		3:57<BR>
23. BlackHedghog		3:58<BR>
24. Thunder_Gymnist		4:00<BR>
25. sportycheese		4:07<BR>
26. Sillyablesecret		4:15<BR>
27. Viper		4:16<BR>
28. pollyanne		5:00<BR>
29. Soccerryle		5:04<BR>
30. ShadedLove		5:04<BR>