My eccentric stereo...

It's not often you can buy a computer that has your name all over it. Literally.


As Mac koolaid drinkers know, the debut of the Macintosh was on January 24th, 1984. Coincidentally enough, January 24th is my birthday, too. In May of 1997, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Apple released the computer internally code-named Spartacus; the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh. Mac users immediately started referring to it as the TAM. At the time the sleekly-styled machine, with its Bose sound system and Italian glove-leather palm rest, was stickered at $7500; more than the used Porsche I was driving in those days. There was no way I could swing that kind of dough. But I wanted one. Oh, how I wanted one. Like I said, it was obviously destiny. I was fated to own one.

Fast forward about five years: the 250 MHz Power PC-propelled TAM is now a collector's curiosity more than a serious PC, but they still command prices north of $1k on the used PC market. I sucked it up and bid vigorously for one on eBay.

Now it sits on my coffee table, next to my reloading press, totally obsolete as a PC. It makes for one hella cool bookshelf stereo, though. And it has my name on it. Literally. :)

I'd been spinning an old '94 Waxtrax Records compilation disc on it (Underworld, Die Warzau, Sister Machine Gun, KMFDM, and more,) but thanks to Phlegmfatale it's now spinning Lush's 1990 release, Gala. Fuzzy, jangly guitars; ethereal vocals that seem to make smilie faces float out of the speakers... What a happy way to start a day off work. :)