With nothing better to do one day, I decided to run a quick question by My Mac subscribers. So, one Sunny day when I should have been out working on my car, I sent this letter:
Dear My Mac subscribers,
Okay, here’s the deal. You can have, free of charge, ANY computer related items of your choice. Pick anything you like, up to three items.
This is the premise I want to put to you for an upcoming issue of My Mac. Of course, you don’t have to play along. But I hope many of you do! We will compile a list of all the answers and replies to this letter, and present them in My Mac. Hey, we will even print some of the more creative responses:-)
So, what would you want? Hey, three things, no matter what the cost. The choices are endless!
Reply to this message by the 15th. of this month, and look for the results in My Mac, The Macintosh Users Magazine!
That’s it. That was my question. I was curious on what would make the “Top Ten†list, so to speak. Hoping for a hundred replies at most, a few thousand of you wrote back! I had tried to answer each of you personally, but after the first few hundred letters or so, my fingers got sore! So I am sorry if you got a generic reply from me:-) I DID read every one of them, and kept a very detailed list of your wishes. The “Top ten things YOU want the most†appears on the next page. But first, here is a sample of some of the letters you sent in:
(Letters may be edited for space)
•••••
‘Man I wish’ list
1. direct mental interface – do away with typing and voice rec. problems totally!
2. multi, multi processor computer- ie: at least 100 PPC 603’s
3. Unlimited storage space
Michael Rasmuson <mar@biz-law.com>
•••••
Anything?
1) a Pattern buffer. Like those in Marathon and Star Trek. So that way I can move myself anywhere I want. Or I let my molecules be kept inside it for 10 years and see what the future holds.
2) An artificial Brain, one that can think for me, it can tell me what to do, better yet, it can do it for me. Works in bed too! (Guess I don’t need a wife anymore ;-D
3) And last, a computer maid, it hooks up to the modem port and can be controlled by that artificial brain. It cleans up in the computer and in real life. Does anything I want. It even works in bed! (Guess I don’t need a wife anymore more 😉
-Phillip
•••••
I would like a copy of Adobe PageMill, Adobe Illustrator 6.0 (I currently have Freehand 3.1, so maybe you can get it for me cheap as a competitive upgrade) and a legal copy of QuarkXpress (current version). Thanx for asking.
Pam MacKenzie
•••••
I want a very fast computer that can run MacOS, a UNIX, Linux, OS/2, BeOS, NextStep, Windows 95, and Windows NT natively. I want a Postscript imagesetter. I want a 21″ active-matrix high-resolution color monitor.
Russell Johannesson [russell@critpath.org]
•••••
I would buy Iomega, Motorola, and Apple.
Joel M. Wood
•••••
Hi Tim, thanks for the great e-mag. The 3 items that I would choose are: 1. A 200Mhz Macintosh with maximum RAM & the fastest video card when it becomes available. 2. An NSA Hitachi SuperScan Mc 21HR 21″ monitor. 3. An Apple Color LaserWriter 12/600 PS printer. Thanks for helping me dream!
P.S. I have been a very good boy this year. Please notify Santa.
Steve Christensen
Williston, ND
•••••
The three computer-related items I need most, only one of which actually exists:
1. “Service-Bureau-In-A-Box”: imagesetter, dye sub printer, drum scanner, the works — all packed into an attractive cardboard box and priced well below the cost of buying each component separately. Each item is of course scaled down for desktop use except the printer, which can handle documents the size of bed sheets.
2. “Software du Jour” Spinner. By special license with every software company in the world, this inexpensive little gizmo will provide you with a new program every day — just close your eyes, spin the wheel, and PRESTO — right there on your
hard drive, it’s Live Picture! Bryce! Director! Solitaire! (win a few, lose a few). NOTE: These are full working programs, not demos; the “Demo of the Day” Spinner is freeware.
3. The “Computer Voodoo Doll.” (Actually I have one already, but you can never be too careful)
If you haven’t seen this, it’s brilliant — you stick white pins in the parts that say FATAL VIRUS, etc, to protect your own computer from mishap, and there are black pins too if you want to sabotage the computers of others. (Around the middle of April, I stuck black pins in the SYSTEM CRASH area and thought about the federal government, but other than that I’ve been good about not using them). Best of all, the “doll” is shaped just like a little Mac Classic. (I think you can only get this by mail order from Archie McPhee Co. but maybe some computer stores would have them).
marla@accoutrements.com (Marla Erwin)
•••••
I need a 8500. A REAL 8500. THE 8500 Machine!
🙂
-Jody
•••••
I want an ISDN router, wireless networking solution from Metricom, and the futuristic PowerBook (designed by Frog Design) featured in the latest issue of Macworld! Why do I want them? The router is too expensive for me to buy; the wireless networking solution is not available in Vancouver; and the PowerBook is not yet available at all! 🙂
BTW, can you mention my “Unofficial eWorld Farewell Web Site” in your publications?
<http://edie.cprost.sfu.ca/~rkam/eworld> It is for former eWorld members to post messages about how much they miss eWorld.
Raymond Kam <raymondk@portal.ca>
•••••
1) Color QuickCam w/ CU-SeeMe
2) EZ-Flyer drive
3) Claris Home Page
Oh, all right, they seem kind of weak, but I don’t expect to see my dream of a personal ISDN line anytime soon. These are realistic and practical.
No, I won’t wish for “the fastest Mac on Earth”, because if you knew the speed at which I type, it would be an injustice. My 6100/80 w/ 40 Mb RAM and 512K L2 works just fine for me!
Cheers,
John Klym
Huntsville, Alabama
•••••
A VR set up!
A “Smart House” (a house that runs off a computer) run on my Mac (what else!)
And AI software for my Mac (fuss text-to-speech, speech recognition, AppleScript and artificial intelligence to make my Mac smart (or smarter))
-Stephen Snyder
•••••
Ok, MacSanta. Here’s what I’d want:
1) A 200Mhz PowerBook with 4 processors built inside a _MacPlus case_.
I’m not kidding. It would be like a 5300 that recharges its battery via AC, has sleep mode, etc… but the 9″ screen is LCD, leaving a large cavity behind the screen for 5 1/4″ drive bays on the back (for HDs) and PCI slots, and 3.5″ slots & PCMCIA slots on the front below the screen. It would use regular ADB peripherals, and would be basically a “PowerBook” for the house, being small enough move all over the house just by picking it up, but much more expandable and sturdy than a PowerBook. You could probably tilt the screen on dials for viewing angle and include a video out port for a second monitor. Call it a PowerBox or “Apple Personal Computer Desktop Space Solution Kit.”
2) A Zaz drive, i.e. something from Iomega to read both Jaz and Zip disks in the same chassis.
3) A Visual Programming environment from Apple and a simplified API, so the Mac became as easy to program as it is to use (or just easier…).
Ian K. Erickson” <ierickson@ewu.edu>
•••••
1. A HUGE monitor.
2. Stock in Apple, Motorola, Microsoft, and Intel. (A large sum of Apple and Motorola because one day they will be tops. One share each of Microsoft and Intel so I can one day go to the shareholders’ meetings to gloat about the demise of the Windows/Intel environment and its dead-end architecture.)
I don’t need three things. My Mac does everything I ask of it.
jjmac@viaduct.custom.net (Jeff Johnson)
•••••
1. I think it’s called phone link or telepict, but it takes 3 ISDN lines and creates a very passable 2-way video audio with remote control pan tilt zoom focus. 24 frames real time. Only $100,000 per box and camera. I am currently using it on soon to be premiered tv show “Love Lines”
2. Multiprocessor Mac
3. The best color laser printer made.
Andrew400
•••••
#1
Apple!
I want Apple!
I could do it better, smarter more efficiently; and (GASP!?!) dare I say turn a profit with increased market share again. ME FOR CEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#2
That Mac on the MacWorld cover.
#3
A Quickcam would be nice for now though.
>czel@norwalk.com<
•••••
I would love a Power PC, a direct SLIP account and a scanner.
Megan
Publisher, Preschool PlayROM and Elementary ClasROM
Meganehs@aol.com
•••••
A genuine patent mousepad (stitched from the finest mice hides).
A virtual reality keyboard (with goggles and gloves of course).
A cupholder that slides out from the computer (or maybe just a CD port).
moore@cshl.org (James (Jay) Moore
•••••
My Power Mac respectfully requests another 64MB of ram s’il vous plaît?
As for me, my needs are very simple. I am going to France for two weeks and would love a PowerBook to take along. One with 64MB ram, 117 MHz co-processor, 28.8 modem and of course a 1GB hard drive, floppy drive, and all my favorite software; Illustrator, Quark and Photoshop. Throw in a couple of extra batteries for good measure I’ll send you e-mail while I’m gone!
Judy Springsteen
•••••
I’d like:
1. A (much) bigger hard disk
2. A (much) faster modem and net connection
3. as Madonna is a Mac user, I think I’d like to show her my hard disk, plug something into her parallel port, and touch her floppies!
•••••
Good ways to insult pc’s and win 95(didn’t use caps, they would imply importance)I guess that’s all I can think of. Might mail with more ideas when I get them.
FANGO@aol.com
•••••
1- Copland before the year 2001…
2- The Macintosh Bill Gates used to invent Windows 95…
3- A Powerbook with a 15X CD-ROM drive, active matrix billions color display, 3D stereo speaker, 500 MHz, 512 Mb of RAM, 9.9 Gb of HD, a removable magneto-optic, a videocam on the front, 24 hours of battery duration… but please all weighing 2 Kg.
Antonio Giungato http://www.pair.com/triozzi/web/antonio.htm
•••••
If I could have any 3 computer related items…hmmm. I just want Microsoft – the whole company. I could then change it to a MacOS company, fire Bill Gates, or do anything I wanted to do!
David M. Koeth
•••••
1. I would like a powerful CPU with 2-gigabyte memory.
2. A 30-inch monitor.
3. All loaded with graphic software.
However, if money was no problem, I would want My Mac to start an exclusive hot international-online, whereby any “member”, for a fee, could access any of the graphic software for “use only” without the capability of actually down-loading them. The software stays as the property of My Mac, and the “members” will pay for “use only”. I know there are many legal problems involved regarding property rights, copy rights, etc. But since these laws are passing through an evolution stage to suit the new technology, My Mac should be there in front of the line with a foot in the door. Since the software upgrading does not seem to abate soon, this service would be invaluable to students, professionals, economically-handicapped and just curious users. BUY A MAC, JOIN MY MAC & USE ANY SOFTWARE. (I would like to be the first “member” of this service!!!!).
MADIGAN229@aol.com
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