I purchased my first computer system in 1996. Cartoonists were just beginning to send their material to the syndicates by digital transmission. Before then, it was the USPS or courier. I wasn’t among the very first to make the transition, but I did get into the game pretty early. My first computer looked something like the one above. At the time, I lived in the boonies about 80 miles from Memphis. I drove the distance on a Friday afternoon, planning to have a bit of an evening out and visit a computer store Saturday morning. Overnight, Memphis was beset by a particularly virulent ice storm. The motel where I was staying did not lose power, but much of the city did, including the computer store. They were open, however, two young men sitting in semi-darkness when I arrived the next morning. An hour or so later, I departed with a CPU tower, a monitor that must have weighed 50 lbs. and a very solidly built scanner, all purchased from a computer outlet with no electricity.
