The most high-tech gadget around when I was growing up was in the back room of my neighborhood soda fountain shop . This wonder of human ingenuity was a pinball machine . So addicted to the silver ball's existential perfection was I that almost every nickel I had wound up in a coin slot. I spent my early teens mesmerized by the non-Euclidean beauty of flashing bumpers and flippers. When the British rock group The Who paid heroic tribute to the mythology of the Pinball Wizard , I understood the song's meaning the way a Zen monk might hear the sound of one hand clapping.
Pinball is, after all, a mystical experience .
I bring this up because the holiday season we're in is a time to be a kid again. It's true that the corner shops of our old neighborhoods are long gone from our lives. But there is still a refuge, nestled in the corner of the family room where today's technological marvel sits. When the weather outside gets frightful, there's no better time to fire up the home PC and take a journey into a virtual world. In case you're looking for some new playthings to bring along on the journey, I'll mention a variety of computer toys that might make delightful additions to any techie's shopping list.