I saw my first Apple computer in Boulder in the early 1980's at my friend Fred's house. I had a Compaq I couldn't use very well because I could never remember the function keys required to use DOS.
When I learned that Steve Jobs went to India on a spiritual quest, I was determined to work with him. My friend Sam, who owned a local copy shop and I sent Steve a beautifully wrapped Fed Ex package proposing a joint project I no longer remember.
When I moved to the Bay area in the late 80's, Apple had a promotion. You could test drive a Mac for a month. If you liked it, you kept and paid for it. If not, you could return it.
My boyfriend brought one home. I fell in love with it. For the first time, I could use a computer! Gone were those dreaded function key combinations I couldn't memorize.
I loved my mouse, who I named Mac'N. My relationship with mice was forever changed. When a "real" mouse arrived at our house one day, I couldn't hurt it. We trapped it with peanut butter in one of those live mouse traps and took it to my favorite trail in Madrone Canyon.
I wrote stories about Mac'N and he became a key character in our games about the brain. We gave Mac'N a back story. He was the first computer mouse to break free of the cable that connected him to the computer. He staged a revolution and freed all the computer mice in the world from their endless days and nights chained to the computer.
I had to give my beloved Mac back after a month because I didn't have the money to buy it, but shortly after Apple gave me $10,000 worth of equipment to use for my first SBIR grant. It bought me a Mac, a laser printer, and a color monitor. I've been using Macs ever since.
My attempts to meet Steve over the years never came to fruition, but his innovative spirit is a driving force in my retaining my stubborn 60's desire and determination to help change the world. |
