he holidays by now are a dim memory. You’ve figured out how to hook that new computer up to your cable modem. Word XP holds no more mysteries, and you’ve become a master at turning off its online reminders to register and/or buy more products and services. So, finally, you’re ready to have some fun-after you’ve drafted that motion, that is.

What sent me into new computerdom this past holiday season was my upgrade fever. My old computer’s lack of disk space and a USB port was beginning to get annoying. I couldn’t hook up any new peripherals without buying an expansion card that may or may not work. And my burgeoning digital music collection had no permanent home of its own.