Actually, my first exposure ever to a "real" computer was in 1971.....or thereabouts.

My father took me to his workplace after hours for several days in a row. At the time, he was in the process of programming a Honeywell -- a machine that would be considered to be a minicomputer these days. Although that old Honeywell didn't have the power of today's cheap pocket calculators.........

The programming procedure consisted of punching out reels of paper tape -- little paper dots littered the floor everywhere. The plastic bag which was meant to catch the dots didn't always work.

As the 2" wide paper tape was created, an occasional grinding sound -- similar to that made by a wood lathe in operation -- would go off. This sound was followed by tiny paper dots spewing around, as the tape advanced along an inch or two -- techno-looking dots punched out on the surface of the tape.

To program 15K or so worth of code took many hours. You could spend the time reading a novel.

Once the tape was completed, then it could be fed back into the Honeywell's reader in order to activate a given program. This activity was accompanied by a row of flashing lights. Looking much like a control panel from a 1960's scifi TV show -- Lost in Space or classic Star Trek.

Man.....did I have stars in my eyes. I had truly arrived when my father allowed me to punch buttons on the Honeywell, causing the panel lights to flash in different patterns. Just like in the control room of the Seaview on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Well, it's a few years later now.

And my eyes still light up whenever my PC's screen flashes, and the little LED's on my router box blink.

See what happens when one grows up? How much more mature one becomes with the years?

Who could ask for more?

Something To Do At 3:00AM