Happy Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day!
I remember my first experience with a mouse… it was 1984 and I was in a computer store looking at my graduation from high school present. The way I grew up I had a choice, a trip to Europe, a new car, or a computer… All of those actually had equal value in 1984. I chose the computer. I was wandering aimlessly in the store and a sales guy asked me what I was looking at and experience I had with computers. My dad once worked for IBM so I was looking at the IBM PC. I was then asked about what I liked and disliked about computers- I replied typing in “LOAD” or “BRUN” or whatever. So he put in on a Macintosh… They had me listen to a cassette tape to learn what to do and from that point I was sold on this new generation of “computers for the rest of us.” I drew a dragon in MacPaint. Of course it was the most expensive computer in the store and I had to wait until one came in, but I was happy, and have been happy since. For me the other computers lack something simple- simplicity. Then I’ve been working on one ever since. Yes, I work on Windows machines, but I don’t have to like it.
I recall my school district “training” us on the brand new IBM PS2 computers they had bought. While in the word processor it froze… the guy in charge said “Just press ctrl-alt-del” Huh? Macs don’t freeze. I did as I was told and was shocked when I had lost everything I had typed. When there was a problem (rarely) with my Mac, I would just reboot the program and a recovered file would show up. Why are these PS2s considered “good”? Over the years I have developed a theory- The technology department chooses a computer that will be difficult to use and have issues just to guarantee job security… So far I haven’t been proven wrong. While the number of PC’s increases so does the technology department.
So today is a holiday celebrating moving your mouse around the screen is my kind of holiday… enjoy and take your mouse on a voyage.