iFun

Apple ][
Originally uploaded by superpixel.

Whew. The TUAW crew (well, about half) rocked Macworld last week. Over 1 million PV's on the Jobsnote is amazing. I was astounded. There are times when I wonder how it happened. Last year's keynote we really didn't have live coverage. Just a crappy chatcast with me unable to communicate to the outside world (I was in the hall), and our other person (Laurie) couldn't hear halfway through because some nitwit started up a vacuum cleaner in the exhibitor hall (where they pump in audio).

I'm kinda bummed I didn't go this year. It could very well have been the last historic moment for a company I've known my entire life. Last year was big-- the transition to Intel chips. But this year was bigger. Gizmodo has cheekily dubbed the iPhone the "Jesus Phone." Meaning, it will somehow save the company. Or at least, bring a new way to the business... And yeah, it might. Apple is heading into Sony territory, which was something Jobsy said he wanted to do almost the very day he returned to the company back in the late 90's. Golly, that seems like a month ago...

Anyway, I started using Apple computers when I was around 6. My dad was a double major, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He had a passion for electronics, and it was his hobby. I still remember all the robot books we had...

So one Christmas he brings home this big, beige machine that says Apple on it. It was an Apple ][. It had paddles and a tape drive. I can still remember playing Breakout on it. The best game, the one I wish I still had, was Star Wars. It was nearly impossible to play, because one paddle controlled the X and the other the Y, but the opening credits were similar to the actual movie, with an out-of-tune version of the John Williams theme song.

We still have this machine, although some time in the 80's we upgraded the insides to essentially an Apple ][+.

(originally posted on Vox)