An anniversary for us geeks

Hearing the news today of the 25th anniversary of the Commodore 64 brought the memories flooding back... I haven't written about this much, if at all, but I'm a hopeless tech geek. And it all started the day my Dad brought home the C64. I tore into the User's manual and starting writing BASIC, then the Reference Guide which probably became the most worn book I've ever owned (and that's saying something). I was completely fascinated not only by what others were doing with it, but what I could do with it. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of my Sophomore and Junior years were spent in front of that keyboard, and it's not an understatement to say my life today would be completely different without it.

Thanks, Dad - who would have thought that one purchase would have had such an effect on me and my future. And thanks, Commodore, for making that 1st useful, affordable computer!

Moving Forward

As the clock ticks into the wee hours of Sunday morning, my attention is fixed to a show I Tivo'd last week - Eyes on the Prize, on PBS. Evidently, it has not been shown on TV for quite some time, and this is a shame. As someone born the year that both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were killed, my experience with the Civil Rights Movement comes purely from TV, Film, and stories handed down. This documentary is mesmerizing. If you have the chance, watch the 2nd and 3rd episodes; you won't be sorry.

While watching, the sight and sounds of MLK speaking reminds me of a thought I've had for several years now. Why is it that our public leaders are so devoid of speaking skills? It strikes me that no leaders, at least at the national level, are able to lead us with their speech. No one is willing to write their own material, speak their own mind, and say it in such a way that we would actually want to listen. I have no doubt that the day is coming soon when someone will figure this out. As much as I hate to say it, I don't think it even matters what this person says, it will be how he/she says it. This country is starving for a leader and one will eventually arise. Someone will step out from behind the disgusting party lines and become so popular that the parties won't be able to reign him/her in. As history has shown, this type of leader can be the best and worst of times. It is our responsibility to only allow for the best.