Mac Daddy: My Love Affair with Apple.
Melinda Palacio -- July 9, 2008
I've owned an Apple computer all of my adult life. Frankly, I don't care to remember life before my Mac. I expect our relationship to last an eternity. We continue to grow together in ways I've never imagined.
My first machine was a Mac Classic, what's been affectionately known by Mac users as the Mac in the box. A cute, narrow unit with a black and white screen slightly bigger than my open hand. I purchased the computer my sophomore year at Berkeley. I no longer had to go to the library late a night or beg to borrow someone else's. The best part was no more typewriter, no more dried up bottles of White Out, and no more cutting and pasting with scissors and tape. Each time I revised an English paper, I printed out a fresh copy. I no longer had to be embarrassed about being the only student with a Frankenstein-looking report. I don't think I would've majored in Comparative Literature had the personal computer not been invented.
Mac and I had our bad patches. More than once, a time bomb went off and angry Mac destroyed all of my files, my work, my paper due in two hours. No amount of pleading and bartering could fix unhappy Mac. I used to threaten Mac with trading it in for a typewriter, but it was a dumb computer and didn't care about my big problems. Most of which were fixed by an essential ingredient, a 3.5 floppy disk. The floppy disk was where I backed up all of my files. I learned early on from a nice geek on my dorm floor that backing up your important files meant help was on the way, no matter what terrible message Mac deliveered.
My Mac Classic carried me through my undergraduate and graduate years at Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz. The machine was solid, well built, and would have served another few years had I not upgraded to a very heavy laptop. It's too bad we can't upgrade our siblings and children as quickly as we can upgrade software for our treasured computers.
As much as I loved my relationship with my Mac, I spent several years not taking advantage of the machine's full potential, like most students, I considered the computer a glorified typewriter. I slowly started using more programs and software available for the Mac; I was never one to play solitary or computer games. Before I knew it, my whole world was on my computer, social contacts, finances, work, and play.
Flash to the 21st Century and I am using my computer in ways I never imagined. Distractions from my writing have never been more time consuming, ipods, podcasts, slideshows, movies, photos, recording songs, and building my website and blog. What's next, i universe? I almost forgot, the Virtual World is already here. I admit I'm not a fan of the virtual world. I'm old fashioned and prefer books, paper, and pen. However, the internet and virtual world, as our Silicon Ameneusis points out, are a necessary evil. Writers must continue to promote their work online long after magazine editors and book publishers have relegated their missives to the recycle bin. A web presence helps writers connect with far away readers and potential editors who may want to pay them for their work. Thanks to my MacBook, I can keep up with the future.