I'm not quite sure at what age my family first got a computer, but I do know that my brother (who's quite a bit older than me) bought himself a computer long before we had one. I think I was around 6 or 7 at the time, and it was quite a momentous occasion. The computer used to live up in our attic room which I used to always have an aversion too (it was where the monster used to hide at night). Anyway I used to watch my brother play games on it quite a lot, most of which were quite violent and probably not very suitable for my young eyes to view.My parents never used the computer as it was my brothers and so I used to knew more about it, so one night when my brother went out for the night and he accidentally left it on, I was asked whether I could turn it off. I didn't know how to, and I didn't want try playing around with it to work out how because computers were "for big people". I was also terrified that I would break it. So I cried all night, because I was worried that it would break if it didn't get turned off, and that my brother would be cross at me for being rubbish. So I always had a weird kind of aversion to computers after that and have always been scared I would break them - although I've grown out of it somewhat now.
So getting on to my Internet story. I didn't really get to use the internet much when I was younger as only my Dad's computer was connected and he was always doing "serious grown-up" stuff on there (although even then I'm sure he spent a lot of time playing solitaire and space pinball). When I did get to use the internet, it was a slow dial-up affair at 15 minute intervals, because my parents weren't made of money. I'm not quite sure what I used to look at when I was very young, but I'm pretty sure it was mostly to do with looking up cheats for the sims a game which I was completely obsessed with. This hasn't changed much in adult life either really...
Once the Internet was more widely accessible and affordable, I was allowed on it some more. Although I'm not entirely sure what I did, I know a few websites/games I was very much into were a 3D lego game (cutting edge graphics), a Willy Wonka game and a recycling game on the BBC kids website. Oh and dinsey. How could I forget disney?! Actually mentioning the Lego website, there's another mean big brother story there. When I was a bit older (again not sure of the age), shortly after we first got broadband and I was finally allowed to go on the computer for any length of time, I spent a few hours playing the Lego game. I came downstairs and my Mum asked me whether I'd had fun. I replied "Yeah it was good, but there's this one bit of the level that's a right b*****!" This was an expression I'd heard my brother used earlier that week when referring to Tekken (the original one). I'd assumed it meant something was hard, but judging from my Mothers expression, it meant something a bit more than that. When questioned, I blamed a kid at my school for saying that word, because I used to think the sun shone out my brother's backside and I didn't want him to get in to trouble.
Moving on a few years to when I was a teenager, and along came the first social network I was part of Bebo. Although I didn't really understand the point of a social network, and I didn't used to have many friends on there (because I was a bit of a loner). Although I was very pleased to be able to customize my own page and distinctly remembering searching the terms "pink" "butterfly" "love" and other such things to try and find the like perfect background. Around this time I also set up my own website with my "big sister" a friend also called Alison. This was around the time when creating a website was "totally cool". The whole of the page was dedicated to how similar we were; we both played clarinet, our favourite colour was purple, we both had a defect in our right knees to name but a few gems. I also set up a neopets account and aspired to have a faerie coloured Uni, an ambition which I am sad to admit I fulfilled last year (I did have a sabbatical of several years though). There was also many internet search engine mishaps around this time - a particular one involving my brother having to explain to me what viagra was comes to mind.
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| OMG LOOK AT ALL THE PINK SPARKLES. Its lk sooooooooo prettyzzzzzzz! |
The summer of my 14th Birthday, I was uprooted from my home in South London to move to Countryside in the South West. As we moved during the summer, I didn't know any people my age, so had an extended amount of time to spend on the internet. I then began being involved in I-am-Bored.com. I used to look at every damn post on there, sometimes several times. This was when I discovered things which went on to become internet memes. I also watched lots of odd videos on Albino Black Sheep. This my internet habit up until near my 16th Birthday.
Youtube happened. I mean, yes youtube had been around for a while, and I'd been on it before, but my youtube life began. To cut a long story short, I started following Charlie Mcdonnell, and everything spiralled out from there. For the long story, please refer to my post entitled "Once upon a Time".
This brings us pretty much up to date. I still watch a lot of youtube videos, look at cute cat photos and play games every now and then.
If you made it this far, then congratulations, I'm aware this blog post is quite long. I apologise. I also apologise on the lack of recent posts, I had some personal things going on and a 3rd year maths degree is difficult. Anyway enough with the excuses.
I'm aware that I've not really had much time to read other people's posts for a while now and haven't read new peoples introduction posts, but I will be doing that at some point this week, I promise!
In the mean time, feel free to ask my any questions, and if anyone wants to have hear more of how mean my brother used to be when it came to computers and the internet, let me know and I'll divulge.
Until next time DFTBA :) xx
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