Coffee lovers, this may be the best news you read all day. Back in 1996 at Digital’s Western Research Lab in Palo Alto, California, one of the experiments conducted by research engineers involved their newest machine. The objective: use the new Java programming language and engineering skills to remotely brew a perfect cup of cappuccino in the office kitchen. After three weeks of programming and development and connecting the electronic cappuccino maker to the R&D Network via a control module, the engineers fired up their processors.  For the first time, a Java program was used to remotely brew a cup of cappuccino. So why do I bring this up?  We have another milestone for those of us who are lovers of that deep, dark, rich beverage that's one of the great necessities of life--at least for those of us in Silicon Valley. According to Wired’s Gadget Life, the Scanomat TopBrewer for brewing and pouring coffee has been announced.  The TopBrewer apparently cannot be matched and features a tap that “arcs elegantly up from the depths of your kitchen and delivers both coffee and milk.” To top it off, it can be controlled by apps from either your iPhone or your iPad. Just go ahead and ponder that for a moment. The TopBrewer heats fresh water for each cup (just 45 seconds from a cold start) and coffee is ground to order. Milk is heated and frothed. While the price of the TopBrewer has yet to be announced, I know of many programmers and engineers who will want this “precious” appliance on their Christmas list.