Everything you could want to see in current data about the Sun, beautifully presented: http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/

That is quite a site. I'll have to search through it when I have time to concentrate on it; there's lots of information there.

Thing isn't supposed to snuff out any time soon, is it?

"Year of the Jackpot."

When I was a kid I used to read science books that assured us that the Sun would burn along pretty steady for a few billion more years. Then I read that stroy and wondered...

I remember hearing a joke on the radio. Announcer says that the sun is going to burn out in 5 billion years. Listener panics and asks his companion did I hear that right, the sun is going to burn out soon?. No, the companion replies, "He said 5 Billion years.
whereupon the first guy says, "Oh, that's a relief, I thought he said 5 million.

Seemed funny at the time.

Original geek humor, David, where "original" == "OLD". ;P

This sort of mathematical "thinking" also explains why so many people play the lotteries.

Yeah. Whenever anyone asks me if I play the Lotteries, I hold my hand palm up and look around. When asked what I am doing, I say, I am waiting for my winning ticket to fall out of the sky. The chances are are about the same as buying a winning ticket, but a lot cheaper.