Recently, I've seen a few widening cracks in the stubborn resistance of many teachers I know to the use of electronic communications technology. One in particular, who used to almost boast of her inability to send, receive, open or otherwise connect with e-mail, now is in regular touch through her school-based e-mail account.

Does anyone else remember learning "Basic" in grade school? I can't recall any details about it, except that x equalled just about everything, but what I do remember is that it was a powerful lesson in the extreme literal-mindedness of the computer "brain." Even the tiniest typo could result in a complete breakdown of the poor machine, a mini-version of that great scene in the Hepburn-Tracy comedy "Desk Set" when the fact-checking computer starts spewing cards and smoke.

Every day, it seems, technology opens up a fertile new market that never existed before. Take online gamers. Certainly a diverse crew, weighted a bit towards the male, but representing a wide range of ages and interests. But three-year-olds? Just never occured to me. That's one of the many ways that I am not like Disney, which is launching a new $50-a-year subscription service for preschoolers.

For the past couple of years, my husband and I have been trying to strike the right balance in our approach to video games. Prohibition, in this day and age, seems impossible. Mindless adherence to a rating system designed by the very same techno-mad geeks who create the games themselves seems, well, mindless. And leaving it up to the kids themselves seems like child neglect, putting it mildly.