We all know the Goombas and the Troopas and the Bullet Bills, but how often do gamers stop and think about that turtle in the sky, Lakitu?  Once the bane of visitors to World 4-1 everywhere, Lakitu has become the keeper of Mushroom Kingdom sports, managing race tracks, golf courses, baseball fields, soccer stadiums, and tennis courts.  His fishin' poll offers both power-ups and dangerous enemies.  Sometimes he's in the way, other times he's in the right place at the right time.

Love him or hate him, Lakitu has always been there for us in one form or another.  Now he's there to tell you if the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is up and running.  PTB reader Josh Buhler has put together a Max OS 10.4 widget in which Lakitu checks the status of the network and reports back to you, the user, using his familiar and traditional Mario Kart traffic signal.  It's cute, it's useful, and it's free.  I think Lakitu himself would approve.