Widely known as the ?father of video games,? Ralph Baer of Manchester first developed the concept of using an ordinary television set interactively to display games in 1966 while working for Sanders. His ?Brown Box? prototype, which used simple squares and lines to display games like ping-pong, hockey and racquetball, was released to the world as Magnavox?s Odyssey game console in 1972. The more famous PONG arcade game, put out by Atari, became the fulcrum of a legal battle between the two companies, which ended when Atari agreed to license the technology from Magnavox. PONG was released in a home version with simpler controls than those of the then-discontinued Odyssey in 1975.

If you were to guess why Pirate Stage is producing Hedwig and the Angry Inch, you might wonder if actor Billy Butler?s apparent comfort with performing in drag had something to do with it. Actually, Hedwig is one of the best rock musicals around, said director Brett Mallard. He?s got backup. Time magazine called it ?the most exciting rock score written for the theater,? and Rolling Stone ranked it top of the rock musical list.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you really want to have to make it?

While the smell of bacon crisping and French toast on the stove and a pour of maple syrup can?t be beat, sometimes you just want someone else to make it. Here is a round-up of some breakfast spots that offer the classics as well as some funkier stuff.

We are in what I call the dead zone. The winter college seasons are done and while baseball is here, besides opening day I don?t get hot and bothered about baseball until it?s hot and I?m bothered by the heat. The regular season is closing in a rather (to be kind) ho-hum winter big-league sports season, where neither the Bruins or and Celtics are going to the playoffs. And the high school spring season hasn?t started yet.

The first edition of this column was all about all the non-Apple portable music players out there.

That was almost two years ago, so I figured it was time for an update.

Comments??Thoughts? Discuss these articles and more at hippoflea.com