Geek Tech Christmas Nostalgia

Another Christmas is upon us, and I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the best Geek Tech gifts I've received over the years.

Starting way back in 1st grade, and then leading all the way up to more recently, I've received plenty of fantastic gifts that put me on the path to a life of Geek Tech bliss. Computers, video game systems, and audiophile geekness.



The list is a retrospective of Geek Tech holiday nostalgia.

Enjoy!


Texas Instruments TI -99/4A

Way back at the dawn of the 80's I was in first grade and for Christmas my parents bought me a $299 Texas Instruments computer - the TI-99/4A. It was a very simple computer that hooked up to a TV and I learned the basics of computer programming with it. It played video games too, but they were pretty awful. I didn't know any better at the time, and as far as I was concerned I had the coolest gadget imaginable. To my 6-year old brain, this was Star Wars level technology. By the end of that decade I had moved onto a real PC. But it was that simple TI 99-4/A that started it all for me.


Atari 5200

I can't remember if I received this for my birthday or Christmas, but this thing was a beast. Many don't remember this Atari monster, because it was overshadowed by the NES. But for awhile, I was rocking some pretty addictive games with the Atari 5200, especially Joust.


Nintendo NES & Sega Master System

My birthday is near Christmas. And in 1986, I was given the original Sega console for my birthday, and the Nintendo NES for Christmas. The best of both worlds! The rest is history.


Tandy 1000-SL

The Tandy 1000-SL was by far the most important Geek Tech gift I've ever received. I believe it was Christmas 1988. This thing had a read-only hard drive that held DOS for booting. It played all the great games of the era (Police Quest, etc) - and most importantly, it came with a modem, which I installed myself. With it, I connected to a service called PC Link, which later became AOL. Online chat rooms, online encyclopedia, you name it. Suddenly I was connected with nerds all over the country a good 10 years before the internet explosion took over the mainstream. This was the turning point.


Sega Genesis

The Sega Genesis was the first real "next gen" console with killer graphics that destroyed the NES. This was a must-have that Christmas and I can still remember the joy of blowing through Ghouls and Ghosts at lightning speed on Christmas day. It's startling to realize that was 20 years ago this week!


Sony Discman

As I got older I became less interested in video games and more interested in music. At the dawn of the 90's, in high school, I remember getting a Sony Discman and it was my first CD player. It was truly incredible. I treated it like it was a fragile piece of gold. Before the iPod, this was the device to have for portable, digital, crystal clear music on the go. It became an essential part of my life.


iTunes gift card

This might not sound that special, but it is. I'm mentioning it because it really is worth noting how far we've come technologically. To receive an iTunes Gift Card on Christmas morning is a real joy, worth more than the dollar value, and much better than a normal gift card. Being able to hop online and browse music for hours deciding what to buy and then being able to download the music and own it instantly was a real revolution.


Well, that's about it!

There were plenty of other technological gifts I've received over the years, but these were the big ones. Some of these put me on my career path. Looking back I realize how lucky I've been to have parents that could afford, with sacrifice, to give me these gifts.

If there's one thing I've realized from compiling this list, it's that truly, I am a child of the 80's tech revolution.

Here's wishing you all a very Merry Geek Tech Christmas!