My travels into computers started with the old Apple IIe, which I was able to use while my family was in Australia. My main uses were very limited, due in part to the lack of access unless I was at school. This continued until our return to the states.

Once back in the states, we got a Commodore 64 in the house. While I spent most of my time playing games, I did start working on learning the BASIC programming language. I gained familiarity with both the Commodore and Apple systems, although I never really gained an expertise in either.

When I got into high school, I had access to higher-end technology, this technology being Macintosh Plus computers. I still continued with the Apple IIe at about this time. However, the exposure was there, and I started gravitating towards the Macintosh.

In my Junior year I took a course on Graphic Design through the trade school in the district, and upgraded to using Macintosh SE30s as well as the occasional opportunity to use the Macintosh II. I finished my assignments pretty quickly, so I took the chance to mess with Hypercard.

Then, Dad was able to rescue several old Lisas with Mac system software from their fate in a corporate dumpster. After we worked on getting a few working units running, I had a compatible system on my desk. They were slow, with smaller hard drives than at the school, but they worked. I continued with this system, beginning my first pokes into the system, until the power supply died.

I chose to purchase a new replacement, as opposed to my usual purchases or scrounging of used hardware. I soon became the proud owner of a Macintosh Performa 200, complete with bundled software. I began learning in earnest, now having access to decent hardware and the latest system software. I eventually upgraded the RAM to ten MB (the maximum it could handle), and purchased a Zip drive, CD-ROM and used scanner. At some point a few years ago I replaced the floppy drive with a new one after the old one decided that ejection was a useless luxury (I decided that ejection was more an absolute necessity than a useless luxury, and informed that drive that it was fired and going back to Apple).

A few years ago, I made another purchase, this time a Macintosh IIci from a refurbisher of computer systems. This system placed me firmly back into my trend of scavenged hardware. I got a larger hard drive, a different scanner (new), installed the Zip and CD-ROM from the Performa 200, as well as maximum RAM (36 MB) and two video cards with an old monitor, which I used to speed up the video (which had been running off the built in through the system RAM) and enlarge my screen to both monitors. The CPU unit itself was later replaced with more salvage, a Quadra 700. I lost 16 MB of RAM (which went into my PC frankenstein, that rarely sees use), but gained speed. It also lost the second monitor to the new system.

The new system was also salvage (and was used to create this site). The basic CPU was a Performa 6116 CD. The only problem with the system was the power supply, namely the fan was dead, causing the Mac to reset fatally after only a few hours of runtime. I repaired the power supply with one salvaged from a dead Macintosh Performa 600, using the non-kosher repair method of opening the power supply and swapping the fan as opposed to going and spending $200 to replace the power supply. I also got new RAM to bring it to 72 MB (the original RAM had been swiped for another machine before I got it). Finally, to finish the refurbishment work, I reformatted the harddrive and installed new system software, bringing it up to MacOS 7.6. Most of my external hardware was again transferred, except for harddrives. A salvaged drive, 1 Gig worth, was attached to make the system large enough for my needs. I later supplemented it with the old CD-ROM that had seen action on the previous systems so I could mount two CD-ROMs (a convenience I have actually used several times so far).

Click here to see my current configuration.

Shortly after this, the Quadra's hard drive bit the dust, so I got rid of that system at a computer show along with a spare hard drive. I still have the Performa 200, and still use it when I need a computer at a remote location. There is also plenty of hardware still lying around, like another monitor (which I'll probably sell), the old grayscale scanner (I don't know about getting rid of this one), and a wide carriage Apple Imagewriter (which I might be able to get rid of at some point). I have several spare keyboards, most of them salvage, and a distinct lack of desk space with which to work due to the massive amount of computer hardware I've managed to keep running (it overflows onto a filing cabinet and end table).