] The technology world has been preoccupied in recent years
] by the boom-and-bust investment cycle %u2014 the collapse
] of the dot-com bubble, the sharp fall in share prices on
] the Nasdaq stock market, and depressed spending by many
] large corporations.
]
] But there has been no such boom-and-bust cycle in the
] embrace of digital technology and its promise of benefits
] for communication, automation and new forms of art. And
] consumers, rather than paring back, are increasingly
] turning to all sorts of digital gadgets and services
] %u2014 cameras, music players, videodisc players,
] advanced television sets, cellphones, instant messaging,
] e-mail, online shopping, high-speed Internet access.