From Latch keys to Laptops: My Life with Technology
Growing up in the 1980's as a "latch key" kid, one of those children who literally wore his housekey tied to a piece of yarn around his neck, I experienced two main types of technology beyond the easy mechanism of key, lock, and bolt: the television and the Nintendo. My brother and I spent hours playing games like Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, Track and Field, Double Dribble, Ten Yard Fight, Contra, and R.B.I. Baseball. As we were both sports orientated as well as competitive many of these games ended in arguments, fights, or just general pouting. In addition to games that either literally or figuratively ended in blood shed or tearful calls to Kohl's Department store where my mom worked in the shoes and sporting goods department, the television acted as the most important piece of technology in the house, a nineteen inch remoteless television that often needed a good thwack on the side so the picture would come in clear. From these early experiences with technology, two bad habits stuck: