A Brief History of How I Developed My Computing Skills

It occurred to me this morning that I have been fumbling around with computers for approximately 20 years now. It's no wonder I'm such a computer genius.

Playing on the computer used to be so much more fun. For example, making banners with the first version of The Print Shop, and printing them out on that primitive, perforated printer paper with the holes on the sides! Yay for the old school Apple II series (which recently celebrated is 30th anniversary).

My first instant messaging experience
I sent a message from the family room computer to the computer in my parents' bedroom. Then I ran in there and sent a message back to myself in the family room. Then I ran into the family room and sent a message back to the bedroom. (Notice how this used to be less of a social networking experience and more of a physical activity.)

Early gaming
I definitely learned a few things from Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? - mainly the states and capitals, the locations of various foreign countries, and the beginnings of my impeccable detective (aka "Internet stalking") skills. I liked Carmen San Diego much, much more than The Oregon Trail. The only thing I learned from that game was how to ration money and kill off the rest of the people in my wagon in order to keep more food for myself.

Adopting e-mail
My first e-mail address was Atlantys23@aol.com. (Don't try to e-mail me there. AOL sucks, and that address doesn't exist anymore. The AIM name Atlantys23 still belongs to me, however, and you might catch me on there once in a blue moon.) I used AOL to keep in touch with friends from summer camp and hang out in the occasional teen chatroom (13/F/NJ u?). Those chatrooms always turned into an insult-fest. I vaguely remember typing something along the lines of "well, you have the IQ of a tube of toothpaste" to more than one stupid ass in another time zone. By this time, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? was a television show.