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The time, the day and date and an image of planet Earth fill the screen. Oh, sweet delight. An 8GB iPod Touch has come into my life. I have turned the corner. There is no going back.

Known as the "funnest" iPod, the Touch measures 4.1 by 2.4 inches and weighs 4.05 ounces. I enjoy "funnest" as much as the next person, but what I appreciate is this hand-held computer's accessibility, practicality and convenience.

With the Touch resting in the palm of my hand, I can listen to music, read books, watch videos and movies and play games. What's more, I have access to the Internet and e-mail, a clock, calendar, calculator and my contacts. What a wonderful time to be alive.

Since this tool came into my life, I have been wondering about folks who, after all this time, want nothing to do with computers. How do they function? Why do they deny themselves access to knowledge and common privileges? Where is their curiosity?

I think of my 8-year-old cousin, Gavin. With help from his dad, he superimposed his smiling face on a cartoon cowboy and created a special Texas e-card for my 60th birthday. Thanks to the computer, Gavin and his sister, Mallory, are featured in mini-movies sent to their grandparents in England. What a wonderful way to lessen the distance.

Of course children who have never known a day without a computer will excel with the medium. That's a given. But my father-in-law has stayed on top of this medium, as well.

"My first experience with the computer came at age 70," he said. "At 90, the computer is an irreplaceable part of my life. "

My father-in-law told me he uses e-mail to stay in touch with family and friends. His computer allows him to follow the market, prepare his own income tax, research topics for his monthly discussion group and gather the latest news.

"There's more news online than there is in any daily newspaper," he said. "At this age, my computer keeps me connected to the world."

Like my father-in-law, I became interested in someone else's computer. As I watched my husband work with his Macintosh Plus, curiosity got the better of me. I wanted a computer to call my own. I wanted to be able to research any topic that came to mind.

When the computer arrived, my husband set it up and helped get me started. Left alone, just to see what would happen, I typed "Neapolitan mastiff" into a search engine. Up came the results of a best-of-breed competition held in Venice, Italy, and a dozen links to information about the breed and its history. I was awestruck.

I saw possibilities rise from the computer and form an arc that went from horizon to horizon. They circled the globe, traveled into space, visited the planets and returned to Earth again. Oh yes, knowledge is power.

To personalize my iPod Touch, I've added applications that range from the sublime (Shakespeare's Sonnets) to the ridiculous (multiple versions of solitaire). And of course I have added news, news and more news. There's no surprise there.

I've added photos. There's one of my husband, and one of my dog, Willie. There's a West Texas sunset and a flowering cactus — four constant reminders that life is good.

Slide to power off.