Ziad,
You asked what I was trying to do... I want to visualize some high-dimensional data by first using multi-dimensional scaling to bring it down to 3-D, and then showing the intersection of the vectors with the surface of a transparent sphere. To make a long story short, I want to simulate a toy "plasma sphere" (see attached), with the ability to specify where on the surface the plasma beam lands, then move it around one frame at a time to create an animation. I'll look carefully at the demos that you suggested. If you happen to know a jiffy recipe for doing what I've described, please let me know.
Best wishes,
Aaron