Sunday, January 29, 2006

AW Monday Meme #7

The days just fly by! Here we are at another Monday. And a Happy Chinese New Year,to you as well.

Today's little quiz is about computers and you.

1. Do you remember the first computer you ever used? If so, tell us what you remember and why you were using it.

2. Do you remember the first computer you ever bought for yourself? What was it - if you know details like how much memory it had or anything funny about it, share!

3. What kind of computer are you using right now? Any particular story about you and your computer experience you can share?

4. Is there one thing about having a computer that is particularly important in your personal history? Something you wouldn't have done or known unless you had a computer? Some big change having one made in your life? - for example, I met my SO 15 years ago because I bought a Commodore128 that had a floppy disk in it for an online service called Q-Link. We would never have met if I'd bought a different computer.

Dawno's answers:

1. The first computer I ever used was in 1976 at college - it was a terminal in a computer lab hooked up to a big mainframe - I think it was called a VAX. You picked up a phone, hit a couple numbers and set the handset into this cradle beside the terminal. I was learning Basic and doing simple programs in a special computer class for humanities students. I loved it.

2. The first computer I ever bought for myself was a Sinclair ZX81 that I ordered from an ad in Science News magazine. It only had 1K of internal memory, no color or sound and a flat (i.e., keyless) touch-sensitive keyboard. My monitor was a little black and white tv and the re-writeable 'memory' was a cassette tape in a tape recorder.

You could also get a 'printer' which was a thermal tape printer that printed on a tape about the width of a cash register receipt. I think I had this idea that I could use my computer for all kinds of nifty stuff - but I soon found out that I'd have to learn a lot about programming to get it to do anything - although I did play around with it for a few years. I still have it in a box in my storage unit. That and the Commodore Vic20 I got next and the Commodore128 I got after that. The 128 was finally a computer that I could actually use for a number of fun things - word processing with clip art graphics, games, chat, etc.

3. My current computer is a Sony VAIO laptop. It's a few years old now but my sweetie got it for me because I needed a new laptop and I picked this model because it was small. The keyboard is much more compact than my work laptop (an IBM) and I have small hands. It just fits. I actually wanted an even smaller one but by the time we got to ordering they didn't have them anymore. I'll probably end up with a new laptop eventually, but I'm pretty fond of this one.

4. See the example up above for my answer to #4 - of course I wouldn't have this blog if it wasn't for computers! Nor would I have discovered the two wonderful online forums I've participated in for the last few years: tehSoapbox and AbsoluteWrite's Water Cooler

Hope you'll do the meme!

,

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, you just had to do one about computers, didn't you?

Okay:

1.) The first computer I ever used was an Atari computer, when I was in the sixth grade. We had a programming language pre-loaded called BASIC, and to me it was loads of fun.

2.) The first computer I ever bought for myself was an Epson Apex with an 8088 microprocessor and roughly 16MB of memory. It had a little tiny hard drive and a 3.5" LOW Density floppy diskette drive. (722 Kilobytes per diskette.)

3.) My present computer is a Compaq Presario 7360 from the year 2000. It has Windows 98SE as an Operating System, and has 512 MB of memory with a 10 GB hard drive, a CD-ROM, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive, and a 3.5" HIGH Density floppy drive. (1.44 MB per diskette.)

4.) Something big in my life that would never have happened if I did not have a computer, would be my access to writers around the world, and the friendship I hold with a great many of them. Another thing that would not have happened would be my knowledge of a certain scam company that shall not be named here. Without that knowledge, my overall knowledge of the Publishing Industry would be next to nill.


There you have it. My life's experience with computers in a nutshell. One that I will find somewhat easier to put onto my writing blog than the previous meme.

Sean :)

ohdawno said...

Thanks for sharing Sean! I thought this particular one would appeal to the guys a bit more than the recipe one :-)

Mark Pettus said...

I started with the Vic20, and I used to have nightmares where my television just kept telling me: ::Syntax Error::

Thank God for Apple...

Anonymous said...

Well, I think it's a cool MeMe. Very enjoyable.

I might just put this MeMe up on my blog. Just for the fun of it. It does have some stuff to do with writing, as a MeMe inspires people to write out their answers. If it helps other writers to improve their Craft, I'll be more than happy to put more of them up on my blog.

I hope you have a great week. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawno,

I thought you'd like to know that I have posted the MeMe #7 about computers on my blog. Although my blog is about writing specifically, I can see how a MeMe would have a good effect on writers. It makes people think and it gives people a chance to do the most important part of the Writing Craft: writing.

Anyway, I told you I would begin posting the MeMe's, and I meant it. I made sure to put up a credit at the bottom of the MeMe post I made, as the information in the MeMe did come from here.

I hope you have a wonderful day, Dawno, and I look forward to participating in more MeMe's, as they are quite fun.


I'll talk to you later


Sean D. Schaffer
:)

Joanne said...

I posted my "computers and you" on my blog this morning, along with the Amazon.com search meme. You come up with great ideas, Dawno.

(Suggestion box: I just finished reading Max's blog and suggested her "taste difference" post might be a good meme idea. ;))