I bought my computer in the summer of 1996. It was a sort of big investment for me because I was not sure if I would like to use it. Until then, I'd never liked or even wanted to touch computers. "They always seem to have some kind of problems."

I used to own the IBM laptop, Windows 3.1 installed. That was my first computer - A cool looking black boy. He's slim, handy, neat, but difficult. I mean, he was difficult for me to fix. Although he was a trouble maker, he was qualified enough to type my college papers. I didn't expect him to be anything more than a word processor.

Then I met Macintosh system in my college computer lab. They seemed easier from the beginning. Maybe just because their monitors were wider than my old laptop's, or all the icons looked fancy. Anyway, I was convinced to buy my Mac.

 

Although I don't have any knowledge of computer engineering, I wanted to make my computer customized - Only one computer in the world. I downloaded ResEdit from the Web and started messing around the system. This was one of the most exciting moments I have ever experienced. The desktop turned into my favorite place to play.

Since I work with graphic applications, I installed a graphics card and added enough memory and cache. I am pretty happy with my Mac, though, updating its extensions, control panels, and applications is really time-consuming. I'm more like my computer's baby-sitter than an artist who use it as a tool. But the difference between my old laptop and my Mac is that I can take care of my Mac myself without asking other people's help.

There are two major reasons I rely on my computer. First, I make graphic images with it. My computer has many my favorite applications: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Strata Studio Pro, Macromedia Director, Dreamweaver, GoLive CyberStudio, BBEdit, etc..... I can't think of my computer without Photoshop. I am making this page with Photoshop + EyeCandy, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver.

The Web needs to be connected. Yes, the second most important thing that I use my computer for is the Internet. I could say that my computer is "the another form of my telephone." Since I subscribed the Internet, I have kept in touch with my friends in Japan by e-mailing. E-mail correspondence does not get distracted by long distance, time differences, or mailing fee. And it gives us the opportunities to meet people that we would not be able to meet without the Internet. And the Internet is my information bank - I do researches, check the latest news, look up something interesting - Its use is endless.

If my computer suddenly dies, I will panic. Although I can use my school computer lab, it is not the same way that I love my computer. My computer is just like my bathroom - It's private, clean, organized, and good looking. I don't hesitate to call my computer "My buddy." Oh, but I haven't given it a name yet. Will you name it for me?