My friend David‘s family owned the marinas in town when I was a boy. While I never understood why, his father had a mainframe of some sort in the offices. This sucker had a room to itself. The adjoining room where the terminal was was kept so cold we had to wear jackets when there. I vaguely recall playing an Astroids-like game on this system. Very crude. Very rudimentary. This was circa 1975.
One time, we were at his father’s place in Wildwood Crest, I believe. I distinctly recall hooking up a modem (I guess from a system he had there) to call California. I thought that was the neatest thing in the world. Thus endth, my first online experience.
Also blogged on this date . . .
- SQUIRREL!!!! - 2023
- Dizzie Baby reboot for brave.eagle - 2023
- Franklin Park Micro - 2023
- Martinez - 2022
- Why I Will Not Drive You - 2022
- FoodSaver VS2110 - 2022
- Doing Breakfast Dishes - 2022
- Blackout Micro Objective - Research - 50 - 2021
- Blackout Micro Objective - Research - 50 - 2021
- Star Wars: The Wrath of Darth Maul - 2020
- Franklin Twp Youth Soccer Cache - 2019
- Fall Back - 2019
- KD2SIO - 2019
- Respect Personal Space - 2019
- Beaut - 2018
- Quest by Numbers: Week Two, Real Snail Mail - 2018
- Being The Watcher - 2017
- Welcome to WGLP! - 2017
- Testing Out the New Studio - 2017
- On Being Considerate - 2017
- On The Menu - Research Micro Objective - 50 - 2016
- BREAKDOWN - MEDIA - 150 - 2016
- Fahrenheit 451 - 2016
- Christie's Arrogance - 2015
- This Is Why I Do What I Do - 2015
- Evaluation of "Learning About the DCP" - 2014
- Step Outside of the Club - 2014
- Outrageous - 2012
- Hardrock Sport Disc - 2011
- The Fun of Summer - 2010
- Spoiled - 2009
- Eh - 2008
- How about your roundabout? - 2008
- Teeming with History - 2007
- Wit? - 2007
- Governer Corzine Orders Legislature to Work - 2006
- New Jersey Senate PresidentDick Codey Is Out of Touch - 2006
- Where's the Budget? - 2006
- An Inconvenient Truth - 2006
- Why is the US AG in Iraq? - 2005
- Beetle (and Mommy) Came Home Today - 2004
- miniscule - 2003
- Chirp, Chirp - 2002
- stump the Rangers - 2002
Funny coincidence, this was the topic of a conversation that I recently had with some old friends. They were amazed that I’ve had the same phone number for 22 years now (I was able to retain it because I moved within the same geographic area served by New Dorp central office).
Anyway, when I graduated grammar school in 1982, my present was a Commodore Vic 20. By the end of the year I had already “upgraded” to the new Commodore 64 with a cassette drive and a 300 baud modem. I recall spending endless hours dialing into BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems) on phreaked MCI account numbers. My mom would flip because her phone was perputually making these alien sounds, her son had become a zombie staring at a TV screen (I didn’t have a monitor so I had to use an RF modulator), and Metallica was blasting in the backround – she was convinced that I needed some sort of therapy.
She finally got fed-up and banned me from using HER phone so I had to lie to New York Telephone about my age and get my own line.
I don’t remember exactly when, but I’d guess that it was late 85/early 86 when I signed-up for Quantum Link and poked around with it for some time.
Lots of fun memories.
Somehow I missed these comments. I too used BBSs. We had repeaters down here to get to other areas. I was primarily on the RIME network, although I dabbled elsewhere too. I loved SLMR. It was a time similar to when folks worked on car engines.
Things have changed . . . some for the better, some not.
Rime Network?
Sounds similar to a HAM radio system.