It's me, R513/514, again. When my family went shopping I would go along because those department stores were like a wonderland! I would wander over to the toy dept and look longingly at the model kits on the shelves. Or I'd go to the pet dept and stroll the aisles of fish tanks, wondering what it would be like to have this or that particular species as a resident of my home.

The best though was the arcade area. They had this submarine game which completely thrilled me. You would look into a periscope and fire torpedos and you'd see them racing toward the enemy ships and if you hit one there was a flash and it would sink. Not digital -- 100% analog, and it felt very authentic, at least to a ten year old non-submariner.

There was something marvelous about those department stores. But this was before ... well, forget smartphones, it was before VCRs and PCs, for Christ's sake! Everyone has everything at their fingertips these days yet they seem less happy, not more.