Old-timers like me who learned the sky the old-fashioned way via a star map and a dark night sky are becoming an endangered species. I resisted the move to computerized telescopes when they first hit the market and stuck with my manual mounts, secure in the knowledge that there was no subsitute for celestial navigation the old fashioned way. I was proud of the fact that I could point to almost any bright star and give you its name. It's a feat that no GOTO telescope can do without a lot of positioning and slewing of the controls.

Now it seems that anyone will be able to duplicate my skill when the new Celestron Skyscout hits the market later this summer. Just look through this new handheld computer, aim it at any star, hit a button and it tells you the name of the object and also a brief description.

I'm a walking dinosaur.