earth and home in the age of cyberspace mean something very different than they did in the era of checkers and woodstoves -- or even TV dinners and "The Honeymooners." Nevertheless, certain irreplaceable elements endure: laughter and companionship shared in familiar surroundings. Amid warnings about technology increasing the distance between me and thee, a new twist on a favorite pastime is bringing people in Japan together around a very digital hearth.

Karaoke -- the group entertainment in which people sing along to prerecorded music tracks -- is one of the most popular activities in Japan. But few private citizens can afford the playback equipment and expensive libraries of music on laserdisc, so an evening of karaoke generally requires going out on the town.

Now, lower-cost and higher-speed network connections are opening the way for a new karaoke tsushin (transmission) device. With Kyocera's Franky Online, would-be songsters can download tunes from central library servers and croon with friends and family in the comfort of their own homes. It's a scene reminiscent of parties from years gone by -- but with player piano and paper rolls replaced by a computer and a network connection. The groups of people, their voices raised in song, remain the same.