What you are seeing before your eyes is a picture of my very FIRST project EVER done on a computer.
I remember it all so clearly now. On the bottom floor of my grade school, right beside the cafeteria, was a small, little, tiny room which was about the size of a rather large small closet or a rather small large closet. The year was 1987, and I had just walked into a classroom of the future: A classroom full of Apple 2 computers.
From the get go, I fell in love with these strange machines that could magically just DO things that you typed in. We started off coding really simple stupid stuff, like making the computer add 1+1 for you. Big deal. I wanted MORE.
Our final project was the BIG one. We had to make a small graphic out of giant colored blocks (the computer's "graphics" back in those days) that looked to be about the size or your fist (at least compared to today's standards).
We could work on this project in class or during an open classroom period after school. Most kids would play around with it a little bit and leave. Me... well... I became OBSESSED. The teacher, named Ms. Ehasz (or Ms. Hee-Haw as we used to call her), would be sitting downstairs in that little classroom after school. Sure enough, EVERY day, I would come bounding down the stairs and stuff myself in from of the computer. A few kids MIGHT be there in the beginning, but they would leave fairly quickly. Not ME, buddy. I would stay (clicking away at the computer like a mad man) until the teacher couldn't take any more and would kick me out.
Kid's would go outside during lunch time and play football.
Me: I was inside coding on the computer.
Kid's would play tag in the parking lot.
Me: Still sitting at the computer.
I couldn't stop, I loved it so much. When the day came, the kids went through their final project to show. First David showing off his one-line stick graphic. Next was Sally, with her box that she said was a tree (but looked like a box). Then Frank, with his 2 sticks (what a show off). THEN... me.
I had created a fully animated movie with simple music and everything. The title screen came up, with scary graphics. Then the scene changed to a knight fighting a dragon – and they actually started to fight, moving their little hands and monster arms around, flailing in mock battle. The knight launches his spear at the dragon and blood spews everywhere as a death dirge of beep,higher pitched beep,lower pitched beep played in the background. Then it all goes to black.
Yeah, what do you think about THAT Mr. 2 Stick Man??? In your face.
I even got the little award above (ooooh, so purty) for my lack of life and the beginnings of my twisted-manic-compulsive love affair with the computer.
I would never be the same.
Good times.
Good times.
