TRS-80 Model I

Okay, ‘computer age’ is probably dated at this point – everything is a computer, so how can it be otherwise?  Still, I grew up as computers did.  From the TRS-80 and VIC-20 (and Commodore 64) of my high school days to Xeon processors, OS X, iPhones and tablets and Android and smart watches and more, I’ve watched it happen.  To see where we’ve come in the last 30+ years is nothing short of miraculous.

Sadly, I’ve spent a chunk of that time sitting on the sidelines instead of getting my hands dirty and learning while this amazing time whirled on by.  Maybe I’m even past my prime.  But that doesn’t take away the wonder I have opening the box of a new device or seeing the speed and performance of modern computers.  I can get so burned out, dealing with small problems day in and day out, and then something comes along that brings back the same excitement I had when I first wrote my first BASIC program, or talked to someone by teletype on the old OTIS system.  It’s what keeps me around.  Well, that and not wanting to spend the rest of my days pushing shopping carts or up-selling fries and milkshakes.

I’ve been very lucky for the last nearly 20 years working for a great small company.  They have their problems, but doesn’t everything?  I work with people that encourage growth, learning and new things.  They can be slow to grasp them at times, but when they do, they RUN with it.  My co-workers are fun, dependable, and they’ve been with me forever, we’re like family.

Anyway, I’m not sure what this post was really about, but it was fun to write.

By Bruce