PDP-8/Es available

From: Wirehead Prime <wirehead_at_retrocomputing.com>
Date: Sat Jan 24 13:31:18 1998

> If you ask me, it is better to have a social life and do drugs (though
> I am firmly against drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and firearms) than not
> do drugs and sit for years in the basement without seeing the light
> of day. It seems to me that since we all die anyway, might as well

When I was in the 9th grade...hmmm...that was like 14 years ago...eek...
I think my goal in life wasn't so much to do drugs and have a social
life. It was simply to have sex.

Considering that a fair percentage of my friends ended up having unwanted
pregnancies and now live miserable lives doing miserable little menial
jobs (mind you, I respect someone who does a menial job well and works
hard more than someone who glides through life without ever earning
anything for themselves), I think I was probably better off in the basement.

I'd rather have it the way things are...having a choice when to have
children, get married etc etc etc. And the "cool" people at my high
school ended up being losers while the "uncool" people ended up having
productive jobs and quality lives. What makes you cool in high school
makes you someone nobody wants to be around when you become an adult.

Getting back to computers...computers aren't mind-numbing. They're
creative. You can create art, mathematics, music, literature, new ideas
in general, financial success and change the world with computers. What
can you do with drugs? You can pretty much be someone nobody REALLY
likes. Sure you'll be "popular" but only because others want to leech
free drugs off you. They're total fair-weather friends and will screw
you over the first chance they get.

I was never into drugs but all the friends I had who did drugs drifted off
into their little meaningless lives somewhere while the friends I made
because of computers are still around...they help me move big computers
and furniture, we go to hamfests together and we buy each other pizzas
and beers all the time.

As for my wife, she's beautiful and would never have married me if I'd
been into drugs. She married me because I'm sweet, stable and
loving...which is something you don't become by using drugs. Granted,
there are alot of "computer divorces" but I've cultivated a sense of
priorities that prevents that.

As for computer collecting...man...it's a cheap, harmless hobby that
gives you an appreciation for history, a wider world-view of how markets
and business function and a sense of thriftiness that will serve you
always. Drugs make you act like an idiot. They make you narrow-minded,
rude, obnoxious, smelly and unintelligent.

Anyway, I'm going to get back on topic now...I said my peace about
computers and drugs.

Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
Received on Sat Jan 24 1998 - 13:31:18 GMT