Some people have an inordinate fondness for their first car. For me, it is my first computer. In Junior High School, I wanted a computer so bad I could taste it. What use did I have for a car? I was a geek and unlikely to get a date. I used to read Sky and Telescope magazine, and in the back they always had an advertisement for a new computer. This was in 1980, before PCs were mainstream. It was called the ZX80. That name caught our fancy. I had a close friend who wanted it as badly as I and used to dream about having my own computer, one small enough to fit on my desk. One that I could program any way I wanted to. The ZX80 came in both kit form and assembled. That year came and went and we never did get our hands on a ZX80. The price tag of $100 was way beyond our means. But about the little black jewel. It was small and weighted just 12 oz. It was small enough to fit in my hand. The ZX81 came with no monitor attached. The computer was designed to use a black and white television as the

Source: Downloadsquad (blog)