MacBros’ Place |

I was about to make this a comment to my previous post, but it ended up a POST!
So Little AU Man! You’ve gone and inspired me again! You didn’t have to lift a finger THIS TIME!

This reminds me of the time I was into computers and the curiosity if actually making things happen on a TV screen were kewel. I remember I wrote this program when I was his age for an Expo at my local legion of Air Cadets. I wrote a loop program that was basically a bunch of text that was taken from our “Blue Book” as we called it then, (The basic principles of flight) that was enriched with music and animations. At the time I programed it on a Texas instrument computer, my dad was in the stage WE are TODAY, “I need more power!” …. Well that easily programmable TX PC went, and I had to rewrite it all over again in a different language…… Commodore 64! I did it in time for the Expo!
I can remember being so proud of my work, I couldn’t wait till the CEO walked by, I was all ready to go to my Attention and wait for that question, “How much time did this take you cadet?”. I saw her coming through the door, I knew how long this puppy took to load up and I had it timed to go off at just the right time.
I take a big breath……. and wait……

Thing is, the guy beside me was on a Vic 20. From what I can remember , he spent a hell of a lot more time to get his to play Ode’ To Joy, than it took me to write mine complete with book, animations (balloons) and music (Od’ to Joy) and interactive text.

I can remember this EXACT MOMENT IN TIME, the guy with Vic 20, ‘ Glances over at wall outlet with my extension cord in it (power bars weren’t invented yet).

Me seeing him look and think nothing of it since he’s a corporal and I’m a Cadet.

The corporal, backs up as the CEO is coming and pushes my extension cord out with his leg as they arrive at my table.

+_++ ZAP++_++ My display goes dead!

The CEO isn’t there just yet. I push assholes leg out of the way, as he goes, “oops, sorry.”
Fire things back up. but guess what.
Not in time…
She asked me what I had , I replied, “I’m sorry Mame, I had a power failure , but I tried to get it back up and running for you because I know you would’ve liked it *** I was actually about to cry. It hurt me because I spent over a month on this and ……. ***(Because it had HER name in it).
She grabbed my arm as I was trying to get it fixed and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back.”

The Corporal’s face looked like it was about to explode because the CEO saw how distressed I was trying to fix the problem HE made, she overlooked his display! LOL

When she came back she gave me the reward. I won!

My point to every parent. Just plopping something in front of a kid and expecting them to take up that skill is almost the right thing to do, but if they end up showing interest in that thing, feed that interest, get involved in it with them. I know if my Dad saw it that way, I would probably be a pretty DAMN good writer, Hacker, or Gamer. In these days of age, any of them trades would have been great, even though at that time, it was a mere speculation on what the future was going to be about.

So if your kid says, you know what Pop? I want to be the first person to invent the smell of a laugh! Don’t tell him/her that’s a silly idea, tell them, “You know *name*, I bet the first sample will be of yours.”

That’s my opinion, and you’re entitled to it.

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