Kasia asks "So what was your beginning in computers?" I can actually remember it well. Back in fourth grade I went to this place called Talcott Mountain Science Center (Holy heck, it still exists!) It was at the top of this mountain and they had a few different programs. I think the first I did was a week long one in astronomy. We learned all about astronomy stuff, and as a bonus the week I was there was when the first space shuttle landing test happened. Remember the one where it was strapped to the back of a 747 and they let it go and land? I remember the big concern being that it might hit the tail of the plane as it was released. But all went well. It was a cool time. The second program I went there for was on Saturdays and you could choose the area you wanted to learn about. Computers were a big draw, but I ended up doing a few things beforehand. I did an electronics class where I made an intercom set, and then I did a class in chronobiology which was very cool. And then I found the computer department and I was hooked. They had a PDP 11 there hooked up to paper terminals (what were those things called? Decwriters or something like that?), two Apple IIs, a TRS-80, and the Sinclair ZX81 (I think that was the model, I remember every time you pressed a button it would blank the screen and redraw it :)).
That was my first real experience with computers. I learned a bit of Basic to start. We'd make silly little multiple choice quiz programs. It was a blast. I loved going there. After that I didn't have much exposure till I went away to high school at NMH. There they had a PDP 11 running rsts/e and I learned a bunch more about computers, even being a computer room monitor for my workjob. And my roommate had one of the first Macs. It was pretty damn cool. I kinda miss things from back then. It was a cool time to be a geeky kid.
