I wonder, does it make me a computer geek if I'm considering upgrading my computer by taking it apart and then putting it back together again with some new parts? Ah, well, so be it then, but I don't feel like a computer geek. For those of you who are interested, read on, for those of you who are as about as computer literate as your average elm tree, you don't have to read all about it, but if you do, you might learn something.

You wouldn't believe how quickly the prices are dropping through the floor for computers these days. The system I bought for about $1600 three years ago goes for about $600-$800 dollars today, depending on who you talk to. One megabyte of RAM (A unit of a computer's short term memory for you elms out there) cost $50 as little as two years ago; these days you can get 1 meg for less than $10. It astounds me how fast things are moving; its tough even for an amateur computer geek like me to keep up with.

Anyway, I've already got the case that all the guts are going to go in, and when my dad comes back from Pennsylvania with all my college boxes, I'm going to cannibalize my desktop for parts, and my family--- in desperate need of a decent computer--- will use all the parts I don't need to put together a usable system of their own. None of us has ever done anything like this before, so it should be interesting.

I've always called my computer my "Renaissance Machine" and the upgraded edition will be no different. If everything goes well, it will be bigger, better, and faster than ever before, even with better and more gadgets inside (I'm one of those people who just loves gadgets). I've got my eyes on something which plugs into the back which would let my computer act as an answering machine when I'm not available to answer the phone, as well as allow me to talk on the phone without using my hands (read full-duplex speaker-phone) I hope all this doesn't seem like boasting or anything, but it is true what they say about your toys as you get older: they don't disappear, they just get more expensive.

Now, I'm not a very big fan of psychology by any means. Probably in any randomly picked group of people, I would be the last person to be convinced of the veracity of anything said by any kind of shrink, that is if I could be convinced at all. Nevertheless, I found the enclosed sheet sitting all by its lonesome in an empty classroom at college and for some reason I was fascinated. Now when I say "fascinated" here, I mean I was a little interested but still skeptical, and I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the authors felt the need to give each category the name of an animal, for Pete's sake. Despite the fact that I don't believe myself or anybody else to be totally and utterly categorizable in terms of mental faculties or characteristics, upon closer inspection I found myself pretty much to be a "beaver". Nevertheless, I'm still inclined to think that it's all a bunch of baloney. Anyway, if you're interested, see if you fit anywhere, and I'd be interested to hear if you do. I offer it merely as a conversation piece, no more and no less.

Keep in Touch!

Speaking of conversation, can we talk? Let me know what you're up to this summer. You may reach me in any number of ways, and here are all of them that I can think of off hand:

Phone #'s
Home: (803) 738-0954
School (as of 9/96): (412) 458-3258

Addresses
Home: 6329 Grosse Point Dr. Columbia, SC 29206
School (effective 9/96): GCC Box #918
200 Campus Dr. Grove City, PA 16127-2197
(Note underlined change from last year's school address.)

E-mail Addresses
Personal (Summer): "benwisdom@aol.com"
Personal (School): "stu952210@gcc.edu"
Family:"104247.3046@compuserve.com"

Hope to hear from you soon! Your friend,