Vintage
Happy 50th Birthday Apple
Apple was founded 50 years ago today which has me thinking about my relationship with technology and specifically Apple. My first personal computer was a Macintosh IIfx with 80MB of storage. I remember wondering what I was going to do with ALL THAT SPACE! There’s no way I would ever use it all. I also remember surfing the Internet (via AOL, IRC, Usenet, etc.) with a book to read while things loaded. How far we have come! That IIfx sparked a curiosity and passion in me that I had only experienced a few times before. I had used a Mac Classic in high school and college and was fascinated by what they could do, what they meant for me and for society even then. I had also used old PCs before that, but the Mac was approachable and friendly; it was nowhere near as intimidating to use and explore. I have always loved to push the limits of what technology can do and explore every nook and cranny of each device and piece of software I encounter. Apple made it fun to create and connect with others; I met some pretty great people in IRC channels back in the day some of whom I’m still in touch with! Computers made it much easier to find your tribe, especially for the shy introvert that I was back then.
That’s part of the inspiration for the name of my website, Something Out of Nothing. I love the idea that you can sit down at a blank screen and just start creating, whether it’s a journal entry, a book, a website for your new business, a piece of music, or a whole album. Computers offer so much potential to impact humanity in so many positive ways and Apple capitalized on that in the best possible way. I still love to explore technology and its capabilities and I love to be able to share that experience with others in ways that they can understand. This is a huge part of why I do what I do; both the love of technological exploration and the pull to help others use it to improve their lives, workflows, creativity, and connections to the world. Apple’s introduction of the Macintosh and all the life changing, society changing products and services released since helped me to discover who I was: the explorer, the builder, the connector. Years later, I’m still all three. Happy birthday Apple and thank you for the inspiration.
Call me sentimental, a hopeless romantic, sappy, whatever you want to call it. I feel in love with the movie Somewhere in time the first time I saw it. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, but I pretty much have it memorized. I’ve always wanted to visit the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island, which plays a significant role in the movie. That wish came true yesterday, kind of.
My mom, who lives outside of Detroit, is turning eighty in September, but we won’t be able to make the trip to see her then so we decided to drive up this Summer. We picked her up and drove to the UP to a nice little AirBnB in St. Ignace.
We plan to explore several places, but first on the list was Mackinac Island. It was a full day of fudge, horse drawn carriages, an old fort, and beautiful views of Lake Huron. We didn’t end up making it into the hotel, but we rode past it on a horse drawn tour of the island. Did you know that the original stucture was built in 93 days? It’s a HUGE hotel, and they built an addition in the 1980’s that basically doubled its size. It’s a truly grand hotel, over looking the Lake:
Of course we came back to the cottage and watched Somewhere in Time, which they just happened to have on DVD. Post Superman Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour challenge the constraints of time to fall deeply but oh so briefly in love. In my opinion, the kiss is the most beautiful of all movies ever, so pure and poignant. And then there’s the paradox of the pocket watch and that dreadful penny.
Until today, I didn’t realize that I’m not the only one, there’s a whole cult following and a fan club. I might have to join!
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Talking Heads recently released a video for “Psycho Killer” off of their debut album ‘77 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first live show at CBGB’s - opening for the Ramones (another favorite!)
‘77 was one of the first albums (on cassette) that I purchased with my own money, at the mall. The other was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I love Rock ’n Roll”.
I remember my mom expressing some concern about an album with a song called “Psycho Killer.” I told her that they sing some of the song in French, it can’t be too bad! I have been a fan of Talking Heads and David Byrne for as long as I can remember being aware of music. I’m proud to be able to claim them as one of my first albums! His quirky lyrics and moves were, and are, a huge inspiration. I’ve seen David Byrne several times but sadly never saw Talking Heads. I keep hoping for some kind of reunion announcement with their anniversary, but it would probably be a very limited tour, possibly only one show and VERY expensive. It would be AMAZING to see them!
Two Movies
There are many movies that had a significant impact on me when I was a kid. My dad would often let my brother and I watch movies that we were in no way appropriate for our age - The Exorcist) gave me so many nightmares. Two movies however, have a special, weird place in my mind. I’ve searched for years to find the names of the movies, I’ve had distinct memories from both, but I couldn’t find anything about them. Though the internet and social media can be pretty toxic these days, they can also drop little bits of joy as well. Several years ago, I decided to make a concerted effort to figure out what these movies were. After a lot of digging, I finally found one, a post-apocalyptic survival movie Damnation Alley. I’m fairly certainly a scene in this movie is the source of my aversion to cockroaches. I distinctly remember someone getting eated alive in an old car by giant cockroaches. It was released in 1977, so I would have been six at the time. I remember my dad picked up my brother and I for one of our first post-divorce outings with him. He took us to see Damnation Alley in the theater. Shortly after I rediscovered it, my wife and I streamed it; it was pretty bad but so entertaining and gratifying to fill that memory gap.
The other movie has eluded me for years, until today. I was doomscrolling Instagram Reels and came across a clip from an old movie with a young Tom Hanks about D&D, Mazes and Monters when I recognized one of the other actors, Chris Makepeace. I looked up Mazes and Monsters on IMDB and found Chris’ profile, then searched for his other early movies and found the movie that I’ve been searching for as long as I can remember! It’s a made for TV movie, released in 1982, when I was eleven. It had a huge impact on me; I remember feeling excited by the concept of romantic love and true friendship. I’m sure it impacted my psyche; part of why I’m such a hopeless romantic. Life is supposed to mean something, even if it’s self-defined. Watching bits of it now takes me back - I remember the characters like it was yesterday! It was based, very loosely on a Mark Twain Novella of the same name, The Mysterious Stranger.
It’s so strange and cool that both movies are available in full out there on the internet. I’ve been searching for the Mysterious Stranger for so long, I’m a little blown away that I came across it so randomly today! It’s like the last puzzle piece fitting into place. Now I need to find a new mystery to obsess about.