Technology envy 101

Make a little more room in the U-Haul, mom. Along with their sheets, clothes and funky wall decorations, students are now moving decadent home entertainment centers, souped-up computers and expensive video game systems into their dorm rooms, apartments and houses. \nWhile most students continue to make do with their 13-inch televisions and tape-munching VCRs, some are spending their hard-earned cash on gizmos and gadgets to impress their friends and pass the time. \nTake freshman computer science major David Halstead. For him, the comforts of home come in gigabyte form. He spent more than $2,000 of his own money on a customized computer system that "gets the job done." \nIn addition to the computer itself, Halstead purchased a Zip drive, a DVD player, a 3D accelerator and an external CD-RW drive for burning his own CDs. Still, he says, the system is nowhere near perfect. \n"When I bought the system, it was top of the line," Halstead says. "But that was about a year and a half ago, so it could use some major upgrades." \nThe reasons Halstead dropped the cash for his computer are simple. \n"I wanted a high performance machine to play games on, and of course I had to have a powerful machine to last through all of school," he says. "I guess another reason for spending all this money is to have the best system out there, preferably one that is better than everyone else's computers. It's kind of like having a nicer car or a bigger house or something." \nSophomore Matt Decamp agrees. \n"I've always loved computers," he says. "From games to programming to everyday Web surfing and 'Net related stuff, computers have never ceased to entertain and stimulate me." \nOf all the extras on his system, Decamp's favorite feature is a pair of Altec Lansing Digital Powercube speakers with subwoofer. These speakers, DeCamp explains, are on par with most surround-sound home entertainment speakers. Although he plans to replace his one-year-old computer around Christmas, Decamp says "the speakers are just about my pride and joy." \nStudent spending doesn't stop with computers, either. Gaming systems abound: Nintendo 64, Sony Playstation, Sega Dreamcast. Personal Digital Assistants: Palm Pilot, IBM WorkPad, HP OmniGo. And the lists go on. \nSome technological spectators ask why consumers continue to clamor for new contraptions, but for those on the cutting-edge side, the answer is easy. \n"It's sorta like the fun of driving a fast, sporty car," Decamp says. "I basically liken myself to those people who love nothing more than to soup up an already blazing fast car just for the fun of it. I do it with computers. Instead of adding NO3 tanks, I double the RAM"