first computing experiences
John Paczkowski publishes my “first computer” story in today’s Good Morning Silicon Valley…
My first computer was a Texas Instruments TI-99, complete with cassette tape drive for storage. I think it was a gift for my 12th birthday, but I honestly can’t remember what year it was. Bless my parents for their prescience, and also for their nearly hands-off approach: my Mom simply sat me down, showed me what the “home row” was on the keyboard, and left me to my own devices, which included TI-Basic and a couple of really basic console games. Who knows where that old machine is…
Contrast that “early” computing experience with my three-year old daughter’s, who can’t get enough of the Flash “lapware” games at sesamestreet.org, and vaguely understands that when daddy goes to work he “does email.” Somehow I think I’ll need to be a bit more hands on with her than my parents were with me…