We're in the middle of a stunning technology revolution, and we all get to participate every time we go to an electronics store. The boom in World Wide Web retailing only makes life better. You don't have to be a gadget geek to share my passion. Fashion-conscious men and women get the same visceral pleasure flipping through racks of clothing while imagining how they'd look in each jacket or suit or blouse. Gourmet cooks salivate over stainless steel pots and pans.
Music fans flip through discount bins in search of obscure CDs.
I think it goes back to pre-history. The most successful members of any clan were sharp-eyed hunters who could pick out the beefiest woolly mammoth from the herd, then bring the animal down with one throw of a flint spear. Today, I fulfill my Darwinian imperative by finding the best possible model of color inkjet printer and getting it for the lowest price in town. I scrutinize newspaper ads every day from Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, Good Guys, MicroCenter and more, looking to see what's new and visualizing each item added to my home office or family room. But, to tell the whole truth, I'd still pore through the ads and prowl the aisles of local stores no matter what I did for a living.