"She's the ultimate racing machine, " says de Waal of his meticulously restored yacht, which requires a crew of 20 just to handle the sails.

FORBES: Two Sheets to the Wind

By contrast, Apple allows up to five computers to access protected content, so I activate and de-activate the machines I want to use and if for some reason a machine crashes and takes an activation with it, I can de-activate all my computers and get my licenses back.

ENGADGET: Entelligence: Have we demonized DRM?

Although the machine is not a technical tour de force, its compactness, glowing green transparent shell, absence of conventional cables and simplicity appeal to both traditional Macophiles and computer virgins.

ECONOMIST: Apple

Wells's "The Time Machine" in 1895 to L. Sprague de Camp's 1956 "A Gun for Dinosaur, " time-travel stories often present headache-inducing puzzles and contradictions that can easily trip up the best storytellers.

WSJ: The Four Rules of Time-Travel Movies

"The Winter of Frankie Machine" had Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann and Robert De Niro involved at one time or another.

WSJ: Salma Hayek, John Travolta and Benicio Del Toro in Oliver Stone's Savages

Which reminds me of a story Oscar de la Renta once told me about Daisy Fellowes, the stylish Singer sewing machine heiress.

WSJ: Annette Tapert on Nan Kempner, Josephine Premice and More: Always Dress to Impress