The Internet Store buy.com and The X Show, a television show on the FX Channel, recently set out on a national search to find the "King of Things" and their search ended in Jericho when they met Nick, who wished to withhold his last name.

The criteria for the national King of Things was described on buy.com's homepage as the guy or girl who can't stay away from the latest electronic gadgetry and has rooms and closets full to prove it. Nick, a project manager who is on-line all of the time, signed on to buy.com and read about the contest.

"I very seldom go in through the front page, but this particular day, I went in through the front page," said Nick. "There was a contest list and it said to describe in 100 words or less why I consider myself the King of Things. Since you cannot get too deep in 100 words or less, I decided to do it on the last day of contest - Friday. I wrote something and sent it in."

Nick's entry, which really caught the attention of the judges, read: "DVD, LD, HDTV, MP3, CD-RW... They're scattered around our house and car, on my wrist and on my belt. A GPS wristwatch (to tell my precise location, which is usually "here under the wristwatch"), a digital altimeter (for my elevation, which varies inconsistently between 0-20 feet, depending on if I'm upstairs). A Blackberry, just because.

My wife occasionally shakes her head, asking, "Do you really NEED those things?" I whisper "Of course," but I know she doesn't understand; so I kiss her softly, and ask her to turn out the light.

The night-vision goggles work better in the dark."

That following Monday, Nick received a call saying that, after reading his entry, the judges named him one of the five finalists. It was now up to The X Show to decide.

Launched in June 1999, The X Show celebrated its 300th episode on Dec. 7, 2000. Co-hosted by Daphne Brogdon, Graig Jackson, Bert Kreischer and Gary Valentine, this nightly show features celebrity guests along with a myriad of special segments, which focus on things such as sports, money, entertainment, technology, gadgets, clothes, self-improvement and office survival tips. Two days after being named a finalist, Nick found out that he had won.

"It was very difficult to choose a winner from the five finalists," said Mark Cronin, executive producer for The X Show. "They all exemplified the King of Things in different ways. But we believe that Nick had the regal flair that demonstrates what it really is to be the King of Things."

After being named the winner, Nick needed to fly out to The X Show, which tapes in Las Angeles, to be crowned the winner. Unfortunately, he was scheduled to leave on March 5, the day the airports were all closed due to the snow. The show aired on March 14 and Nick did a live telephone interview with the show. "Doing a live telephone interview is sort of like being in front of a class doing a presentation with a blindfold on," said Nick.

Nick , a resident of Jericho, has always considered himself a gadget guy. "Ever since they came out with digital displays back in the '70s I was hooked," said Nick. "I think that is when all guys suddenly went nuts. Things didn't have to have buttons and lights on them, now they can have numbers too."

Most of the gadgets that Nick purchases do not have much daily use. "I enjoy the stuff that is so pointless and so amazingly stupid you cannot believe that anyone ever made these things," said Nick. "One that I had mentioned on the show was a digital talking tire gauge that I found in the Sharper Image catalog. They advertise it as allowing you to test your tire pressure in the dark. I think we all know how often that happens. They do not tell you how to find the little air nozzle in the dark. This is where I could use the night vision goggles," Nick joked.

Another gadget that Nick owns is a digital thermometer, technically called a thermometer weather station. "It will tell you the temperature, the pressure and if it is raining out," said Nick. "The problem is that you have to stick it to a window."

As part of his new royal reign, Nick won a $25,000 Sony Entertainment System, which includes a 65" wide screen HGTV, a desktop computer, a Sony laptop, a Sony Clie, which is similar to a palm pilot, and an MP3 player. More to add to Nick's collection of gadgets.

"They have not shipped everything to us yet so we are taking the opportunity to do some housework and figure out where we are going to put everything," said Nick.

In addition to the prizes, Nick received his 15 minutes of fame. "I have done many television and radio shows, some in Houston and Chicago, because of this King of Things," said Nick.

Nick values his wife's patience and her ability to tolerate his collection. "Eileen is the best because she lets me do this stuff and she beyond tolerates it," said Nick. "When we lose power it takes us a good two days to find all of the little flashing clocks to reset them. We have a digital thermostat, which was her idea, but we have to find everything. She knows that I enjoy this stuff and it keeps me happy. She is great."

"buy.com is very excited to find the national King of Things with the help of The X Show and FX," said John Herr, senior vice president and general manager for buy.com. "We crown our King knowing that his true love of gadgets, gizmos and electronics has made him officially worlds apart from anyone else in the nation and the reigning King of Things."