Computers and a lot about Noras Birthday

Send us Fan Mail Computers used to feel like a destination. You walked into a school computer lab like it was a clean room, kept your snacks far away, and hoped your floppy disk would cooperate. That’s where we start: the very specific nostalgia of growing up with Apple IIe machines, dot matrix printers, Number Munchers, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and the loud click-clack keyboards that made you feel official even when you were just messing around. From there, we follow the timeline into dial-up internet, AOL, instant messages, and the first email addresses we will never live down. We talk about the weird logistics of being online when it tied up the family phone line, the era of internet cafes while traveling, and the college years of burning CDs and building mix collections. It’s a reminder that “tech skills” used to include patience, planning, and a lot of improvising. Then we jump to now: working retail tech (including an Apple Store job), what customers are really asking for when they ask for help, and the simplest troubleshooting step that still solves most problems: turn it off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on. We also get into modern AI tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT, how quickly they’ve become workplace sidekicks, and why it’s both helpful and a little unnerving when technology mirrors your tone and calls you by name. Along the way, we sprinkle in real life too: birthday highs, a delivery mix-up, and the parenting scramble that makes apps like Uber Eats feel like a rescue button. If you love tech nostalgia, digital life stories, and practical tech tips you can actually use, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who remembers dial-up, and leave a review. What piece of old-school tech do you weirdly miss most? Mike Haggerty Buick GMC Right on the corner, right on the price! Head down to 93rd & Cicero & tell them the Noras sent you! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.