If there is one constant in the universe, it’s that old-fashioned board games have always had a place in the American household. These games, whether they are classics like Monopoly or modern games like Deal Or No Deal, have managed to entertain players of all ages, despite their simplistic game play (in comparison to video games created for the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3) and minimalist story lines. Not to mention that board games have consistently managed to bring both friends and families closer together in ways that no other medium has even dared to duplicate.

From the time I was first able to read, I have enjoyed playing board games. As a matter of fact, some of my happiest childhood memories involve sitting around the living room at my grandmother’s house with copies of classic games like Monopoly, Clue, Battleship, and Sorry lying around. Of all the board games that have been released over the past 27 years (yes, I’m revealing my true age – so sue me), my favorite has been, and always will be, Scrabble from Milton Bradley.

Scrabble was my favorite simply because of the way it challenged me on the intellectual level. I was constantly having to learn new or longer words (which came in handy when I competed in spelling bees during grade school) which, despite my being at an early stage of development, expanded my vocabulary. Not only that, but it also gave me a sense of pride (and a load of laughs) to correct my family members whenever they used illegal word of misspelled everyday words. The only thing I didn’t like about the game: my stepfather always won.

So, what is your favorite board game and what did you like about it? Do you still play it to this very day. Leave your thoughts and insights in the comments below!

I may not be much of a gamer, but I sympathize with them. If you want to buy a new video game, you have to drive to your local store, wasting valuable gas you could be using on something more important (like taking your grandmother to the doctor for a hip replacement). Of course, you could always just order your games online, right? You could, if you don’t mind a long wait and shipping/handling charges. That’s where OnLive comes in. Their services allows you to download new and vintage video game titles from a wide variety of publishers, including Electronic Arts, UbiSoft, and Atari.

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past 20 years, you’ve probably heard of the television show “Full House” which helped shaped the careers of Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, and, of course, the Olsen twins. Thanks to the magic of syndication, this show continues to live on in the world of reruns. Still, I can’t help but wonder how many true Full House fans still exist. Thanks to the iPhone and iPod Touch application, you can now prove your Full House fandom.

While my passion in life may be technology, I do have outside interests. My favorite of all hobbies, however, is science; especially looking at things through microscopes. However, I am still a USB gadget freak at heart, so I wanted to find something that would allow me to take photos and movies on a USB thumb drive. Little did I know that a kids’ toy would be my answer.