Adventures in Technology | Rama School, Saskatchewan · circa 1986–1987
There was a time when getting a computer to communicate with another computer was practically a miracle.
There was a time when getting a computer to communicate with another computer was practically a miracle.
I remember being a young student at Rama School when we were shown an Apple II computer communicating with somewhere in California.
California!
From a little school in rural Saskatchewan!
Today, you can video-call somebody on the other side of the planet while standing in line for coffee. Back then, the idea that a computer in our classroom could reach another computer thousands of kilometres away was almost unbelievable.
I wasn't thinking about protocols, telecommunications infrastructure, or how the connection worked.
I was thinking, Holy smokes. We're talking to California!
That little demonstration stuck with me. Looking back, it might have been one of the first moments I realized computers weren't just machines for playing games and typing school assignments. They were going to connect the world.
Of course, there was one problem with this exciting vision of the future.
Somebody still needed the telephone line. 😂
Based on a childhood recollection. Technical details have faded considerably, but the sense of wonder hasn't.