As a kid, I had the hardest time understanding what a computer was. At 9 years old in 1977, I had a friend whose dad was a computer programmer. The friend tried to explain to me what a computer was, but I just couldn't understand it. We even took a field trip to a National Weather Service office where they talked a lot about their computers and showed us one that filled a room, but I still didn't understand. None of the explanations made it sound like anything other than magic happening in a big set of boxes.

At 12 years old in 1980, I bought Atari BASIC Programming (it wasn't yet called the 2600). Minutes after plugging it in, the idea of a computer clicked for me. That quickly led to getting bored with that game system and convincing my parents to buy me a "real" computer. Eventually that led to a long career as a software developer. Thanks for opening that door for me Atari BASIC Programming!