For this first post on my new personal website, I will begin with an ending:

On May 14, 2014, I took my black MacBook to the Apple Store for recycling.

Purchased in late 2006 or early 2007 and named Steinway in honor of its sharp, black suit, this was my first personal Mac.

I had used Macs years before, in elementary school. Time has blurred my memory, but with the aid of Wikipedia, my best guess is that I was using various models from their LC line: First, one of the pizza boxes, and later, one of the 500 series models. "LC" here indicated low-cost and color; these were thus an excellent fit for education markets. At best, the LC computers ran an early version of OS 8. (Before these, we used some sort of green-screen computer. Identifying those is a research project for another day.)

Back to my Mac: I don't remember too many specifics of how I used the computer for the first year or two. My primary machine was a small form factor Windows desktop, and the MacBook likely saw little use aside from note-taking and library work.

Then, one summer, I decided to turn a couple of my bookshelves into a standing desk. The taller shelf held the monitor up at eye level with the CPU below, and the keyboard and mouse were atop the shorter shelf.

This ambitious plan worked for a short while, and I'm sure my calves have never looked better. By the end of the year, though, I ended up spending much less time at the standing desk and more time sitting and using my MacBook. Prompted by my laziness, I was soon learning, exploring, and very glad that I had chosen a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop.

The MacBook remained by my side and up to date as Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Lion were released. At one point, a third-party RAM upgrade to a whopping two gigabytes gave the laptop a new burst of vim and vigor.

But it was not to last forever. The laptop couldn't accept Mountain Lion when the OS was released in 2012, and sometime before the summer of 2013, the MacBook's battery discharged for the last time. My options were to replace the battery or the laptop, and I chose a MacBook Air.

Drama aside, I haven't touched the ol' Steinway since, so it was time for it to go. My girlfriend said I could keep it if I wanted, and I had brief visions of a Siracusa-esque Museum of Macintosh History private collection up in the attic... but I don't have an attic. So, here are some dust-free mementos.

iCloud and MobileMe? I wouldn't try it. Come to think of it, I personally only knew one person who had a MobileMe account.

Even without multitouch, this old MacBook's trackpad is much better than any non-Apple trackpad I've ever tried.

The keys are just a bit mushier and deeper than those on the most recent MacBook Air, though I'm not sure if that's from age and use.

If this screensaver pulled images, I'd use it for xkcd or something. — If this screensaver pulled images, I'd use it for xkcd or something.

Tangled concept art for which I have trouble finding the original source.

As a last-chance opportunity, and just for fun, I downloaded a couple of Bitcoin miners and gave them a go. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, it was a no-go.

After a quick boot and nuke that took a couple of hours, the MacBook was ready to move on.

And that was that.

ansonj.org