âÂÂSo, Dad, what do you want for Christmas?âÂÂ

When I heard that question my mind started racing through all the gadgets and gizmos IâÂÂd been reading about for months.

For example, thereâÂÂs the 42-inch plasma TV screen that Gateway is selling for just under $3,000 (www.gateway.com).

ItâÂÂs the one that sticks out from the wall only a couple of inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio that will make DVD rentals seem like youâÂÂre watching in a movie theater.

Unlike cathode ray tubes, plasma screens consist of two sheets of glass that contain small, gas-filled cells. An electric current stimulates the cells to produce bright vivid light and color.

I realize itâÂÂs not exactly in the stocking stuffer category, but this is what I WANT, right?

âÂÂOh, Dad. Seriously.âÂÂ

Perpetual motion

Amazon.com is taking orders for a Segway Human Transporter, those self-balancing motorized scooters unveiled about a year ago. If $4,950 isnâÂÂt too much, put me down for one of those, please. TheyâÂÂre supposed to be available in March.

If thatâÂÂs a little too much, I recently saw that the inventor of the Segway was working on a Stirling engine, which is supposed to be the closest thing yet to perpetual motion.

The design for Stirling engines has been around since 1816. Without going into a lot of detail, the engines use heated and cooled gasses in an enclosed chamber to power a piston, rather that the combustion of a fuel mixture.

I found some Web sites that sell toy-like Stirling engines for educational purposes. I liked the one that ran off the heat from a hot drink in a coffee cup. It cost $139 at (www.stirlingengine.com).

OK, maybe thatâÂÂs still too a little expensive for a toy.

Going fast

Moving right along, several manufacturers are putting out remote-control cars about the size of a Mattel Hot Wheels car. The new battery-powered cars are radio-controlled, allowing you to steer them around family rooms and driveways up to a range of 30 feet.

You put them on a charger for 45 seconds and theyâÂÂll run around the room for five minutes. The little mini racers go for about $19.95 retail. There are several kinds, including ZipZaps by Radio Shack.

I figured I could carry a couple to work and pull them out in the office whenever I get a little time.

Watch it

Speaking of time, my old Timex Indiglo watch, which has taken quite a licking over the last few years, is ready to be replaced.

Timex offers a new Ironman watch that uses global positioning system satellites to measure how fast and how far youâÂÂre running, biking, rowing or skiing. The watch comes with a Garmin GPS transceiver that straps on to your arm, belt or bike.

The two are connected by a wireless radio signal.

The receiver scans the skies for satellite signals and transmits precise speed, distance and pace readings to the watch in real time. The satellites have atomic clocks, which allow for pinpoint accuracy.

Timex also has an Internet Messenger watch that gets e-mail, headlines, weather updates and is an alpha-numeric pager. You buy into a service from Motorola, Skytel and Yahoo to get all these things.

And with âÂÂFlextime,â your watch automatically will set the time and date for you, automatically change your time zone and adjust for daylight saving time. They were selling the watch and a one-year service plan for $50 at www.timex.com.

But one of the coolest new ways to check the time – and save time – is TimexâÂÂs new Speedpass-enabled watch, which lets you buy fuel, food and merchandise without pulling out a credit card.

You just point your watch at the electronic cash register and a transponder in the watch tells the register or fuel pump what credit card or check card to charge and whether you want a receipt.

The Speedpass service is offered on eight styles of Timex watches, ranging from $40 to $45. McDonaldâÂÂs, Exxon and Mobile are among the early adopters of the service in certain areas (www.timex.com/speedpass/).

Best things in life

OK, now that IâÂÂve gone through my list, I realize that almost everything is frivolous, except maybe the TV.

So, if my kids are still looking for something to get me, they always can use our home computer creatively and burn me a couple of music CDs.

Or maybe get me one of those âÂÂtalkingâ picture frames from RadioShack with a cheery message.

About the best gift I can think of and what I consider the ultimate in Dad trophies – new photos of them for my desk.