Into the Past: “Okay Google, play Chunky by Bruno Mars.”

When people, especially kids, see something novel, they usually provide big reactions and show great excitement. Well, this was precisely the case for little miss Lianna, or as my family would call me, Yan-yan.

The first computer that I recall getting my hands on was my father’s cellphone, Nokia N73. To those who did not know this, yes, cellphones are considered computers as they too accept input from a user, perform calculations on that input, and provide an output to the user.

Photo source: Wikipedia 

It was in 2006 when our father just came home from Cagayan de Oro City. After settling his luggage, he showed us this chunky, silver box he called a cellphone. Seeing something shiny and new, my sister and I excitedly ran towards our father and urged him to explain what it could do. He started with how the phone could be used for messaging, calling, and taking photographs. Then, as if saving the best for last, he added how we could play games with the rectangular object. Hearing this, our eyes shone as bright as the phone’s color. Since then, when we weren’t at school, napping during afternoons, or playing with our friends outside, we would borrow our father’s phone to play the well-known game Snake.

Photo source: Reddit

Our father’s chunky, silver cellphone brought my sister and me so much joy back then, and it was pleasant taking a look into the past – into the fascination and excitement that I felt upon encountering and interacting with a computer for the first time. 

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Reference:

Computer Hope. (2021, November 6). Are smartphones and tablets computers?. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001540.htm