Remember when 64k RAM is all you needed to play Lode Runner, synthesize a living woman and hack NORAD?
WarGames made us all believe that any kid with a modem could turn into a global security threat and those of us that owned a Commodore 64 suddenly felt dangerous to know.
Back then, these little misunderstood beige computing machines unsettled parents and transfixed Gen-X kids. We were clearly getting into all sorts of trouble, from hacking our school mainframes to summoning demons. But mostly, those beeping green screens were unlocking our imaginations.
We didn’t see the threat – we only saw the Tron-like virtual possibilities.
We all wanted a world connected through some sort of global web, an information super-highway that could elevate mankind and give everyone access to countless data banks of knowledge.
We were ready to usher in a golden age of inter-connectivity and a shared cyberspace to unite the world.
Yeah… that all worked out just fine.
I dunno, maybe our parents were right, we should have spent more time playing outside. -Pop