It was some time during that year, after my freshman year of college, that my mom brought home one of these original Macs from the software company she was working for, FirstByte. The company had developed an artificial speech synthesizer product called SmoothTalker, which was unique from previous efforts at producing artificial speech in that it required no additional hardware, it was entirely software based. Mom was thoughtful, or foolish enough to let her kids mess with the computer, and a lifelong love affair began. One of my early memorable Mac moments, was to successfully use MacPaint to forge a passable report card for a friend whose poor grades from the local Junior College put him at risk of parental eviction. You’re welcome Doug (who has gone on to be a life-long Mac-lover himself).
Over these 25 years, I figure I’ve probably almost a dozen different Macs, and I’m sure there are many more in my future. Thanks Mom, it was a life-changing bit of technology you introduced me to 25 years ago, and I know you’re proud to know that the torch has been well passed in our home.
Update: I completely forgot that among my current DVDs from Netflix waiting to be viewed is the documentary ‘Welcome to Macintosh‘, a documentary about Macs that came out in 2008, and the perfect way to celebrate the Mac’s bday.