Email. I had a friend in another country while in college who was a computer science major. He told me (in an actual letter), to go to my university's computer lab and sign up for an email account. It was called Eudora or something like that. Then we would make "dates" in our respective computer labs and send emails back and forth. It was the early "chat". I remember thinking it was the best invention ever!

Email.
Texting.

I remember the summer I got my first answering machine. It was in the late 80s, and I was in college. It was an actual machine, with tape I think. Like a tape recorder. You could not access messages remotely, you had to be there and punch the button to listen.

My first email address was at my college and used "funny money" per message. The address was the last two digits of my SSN and my last name.

During a college internship (ca 1990) an employer lent me his personal laptop computer to do a longterm assignment offsite. All my friends ended up borrowing it to write papers on those weeks.

My workplace had an early digital camera in 1997 that used floppy (hard) disks to store the images. I used to borrow it all the time.

My husband admired early e-readers produced by Borders and B&N and wanted one, and I scoffed at the idea.

I remember going into Sears or some other department store, the basic operating system

I would type something like

10 "Happy"
20 Goto 10

and the screen would fill with happy. At least that's how I remember it. And then, when using Windows, exiting out to a DOS screen to type commands.

I don't even know what year stores began carrying basic computers. But I also remember having access to an Apple McIntosh computer in college (1991 isn through work/study), something many of my classmates did not and typing papers for class.

Kettle corn. I was at work and someone had bright some in and went around giving everyone some.

I remember when I was a grad student/working at AU and we were told we were all getting an email account and were expected to use it (c 1993). It was Netscape and I was like, "What is this crap?" I just perceived it as adding to my already huge workload. Which it did.

I remember a colleague telling us that we were all getting voice mail.

We got a microwave oven and a Betamax recorder the same week in the early '80s. They were both huge, but magnificent. You mean I can heat up this food quickly?? You mean I can tape General Hospital and watch it later?? What would they think of next??

Now we know, of course.

The first email account I ever signed up for. It was something like dfgxs6774@rocketmail.com.

Also, my first webpage on Geocities. Deciding on a neighborhood was so hard!

Not an item, but I was interested in yoga before it was really mainstream (starting in the late nineties). Also supported gay rights at that time, which was aberrant from the common view.

I remember someone saying to call them and leave a voicemail. I asked my coworker what the heck this voicemail thing was.

I also remember seeing the first blackberry, I was in my early 20's I think. My first thought was why do I need to see my emails when I walk around? I can just wait till I get home!

How things change!

I remember the first time I had ethnic food that wasn't Italian or Chinese. It was at a Vietnamese restaurant in Los Angeles, circa 1983.

My dad worked with computers when I was little. One day probably around 1990, he brought home a computer. I was about 5 and totally hooked on the car and driver demo. I think they showed up at school a year or two later.

I remember the first time I saw Star Wars (1979). I'll never forget the experience.