My Birthday Present...er, my Son’s Birthday Present

It had arrived. The Commodore Vic 20. The year was 1980. Finally. I had been hearing so much about “computers” in the news. And the idea fascinated me. I had been writing a column for the newspaper on my trusty Corona typewriter, and had learned all the typing shortcuts but this seemed like a godsend. My son was ten years old so, I thought, I would kill two birds with one stone. I would get him a computer for his birthday! He would have much rather had a horse.

I was dying to get my hands on it, and really, shouldn’t I test it out for the little guy? I sat on the floor, unpacked the box and spread the contents before me. Hmmm...strange looking. A keyboard and an electrical cord.  And that was about it. I plugged it in and diligently followed the enclosed directions. This was cool! I would worry about paper later.

All these mumbly jumbly characters appeared on the screen, and I went back to the instructions. (I have always said, I can do anything as long as I have directions.) So I commenced to follow them.

One was instructed to enter certain numbers and letters to start the thing. Let’s say, for not getting any younger’s sake, it said to enter gvx091247. I did as instructed. And...nothing.  I rearranged myself on the floor, thinking maybe I wasn’t sitting the way it wanted me to and again entered the data... gvxO91247. Again...nothing. I went into the kitchen for a bite to eat. Maybe it thought I needed some nourishment. Again, back to the keyboard, again, entering gvxO91247. Again...nothing.

After numerous attempts, I felt something strange happening in my head. A lightbulb had just gone off. In using a typewriter I had always used the capital ‘o’ for zero. And this new fangled computer was most anal. It wanted me to use the actual zero, not the capital ‘o’. I entered gvxZER091247.

And the computer presented me with honest to goodness English. And my life, as I then knew it, would never be the same...until Apple came out with the icloud.