Nevertheless, while the Net may not be the best place to buy toothpaste or dried squid, some clued-in cybernauts find it ideal for locating products that might not be available locally - or are less expensive online.

CNN: THE E-TAIL REVOLUTION

Pick up some gorgeously packaged petits fours, crunchy rice crackers or dried shredded squid for the folks at home, and pick up a couple of onigiri (rice balls) for an in-flight snack.

BBC: The depachika of Tokyo

Ginkgo, inspired by the do-it-yourself ethos of Squid Labs' Saul Griffith, will sell these standardized genetic parts dried onto sheets of paper or in vials to big companies that want to make new drugs, plastics and petroleum replacements.

FORBES: Do-It-Yourself Life