Inaugural 2008 Meeting for SWMUG
So on Tuesday night we had a true Geekfest. No agenda, no presentations, no plan, simply a bunch of enthusiasts with their favourite toys. In this case mobile gadgets. The theme was "Nostalgia Swap Meet."
As ever in these types of meetings, I'm blown away by just how outdated, clunky, and big those devices of yesteryear seem now. Yet of course when they were released we drooled, and envied, and lusted, and had to have them. The latest empowering devices. Entire economic methodologies have been created and implemented to justify these devices to our significant others (aka CFO).
I managed to bring along a Psion 7 Series - hardly a well known device (the 5 Series was the most popular). Clam shell, almost full size keyboard, with full PCMCIA slot. Amazingly this device has a colour VGA screen, with elementary word processing, spreadsheet, email, contact and world clock applications. Smaller than a laptop, but larger than a handheld. Nevertheless, if this was a current device with current technology, the form factor would be a hot favourite IMHO. But I digress...
Other favourites on the tables included the original Compaq iPaq 3630, with sleeve. A couple of the first Cassiopeia's, Sagem's and devices all the way up to the newest HTC and iMates.
Andrew Curtis popped in about halfway through the evening and brought his own box of goodies, including an Amiga (remember those old "Computers in a Keyboard" that you had to connect to your TV?) Also, a Sinclair ZX81 and a Sinclair ZX Spectrum.
Kean even had the original pre-cursor to the Nintendo DS - a Nintendo Donkey-Kong!!!
Everyone had a great time remembering the days of groundbreaking, life-changing (for most of us in the room anyway), sci-fi'esque technology. I still am often amazed at the 'magic' of technology, and on nights like this, when we see quite how far we've come, it reminds me why I'm in this industry after all.
(Sheesh I sound old!!)
R42
