“Operation: Lain no Ruumu” Commences

So, this is the thing. I’m good at computers. It is, after all, a hobby that I got into without really knowing what I was getting into. It was just a means to an end… I wanted to have a medium on which to create and store my written works. This began on my Commodore 64. I remember when I was just getting started. The C-64 was actually my parents’ machine, and my aunt knew how to work it more than I did. At the same time, I was writing stories on leftover looseleaf and unused notebooks. Those were the days. My aunt picked up a copy of GEOS, the first GUI-driven operating system for C-64. I, of course, was intrigued. There was a word processor, a paint program, and other fun stuff. I was a very terrible kid when I was young. I tore stuff up, I took stuff apart, I broke stuff, I liked pushing buttons. Of course, I grew out of that stage. However, my parents banned me from touching anything, even the TV remote. But, I had a tendency to find a way around it by using the stuff when they weren’t around. The same thing happened with the C-64. At first, I was limited to just using the C-64 for gaming for a limited amount of time per day. I eventually replaced that gaming with BASIC programming. So, when GEOS came out, I just HAD to use it. Now, I swear, GEOS was the first and only manual for an operating system that I have ever read in my entire life. After that, everything else just made sense. I guess it’s because I’m an organized person, so I logically think of all the places you would sort things. I mastered GEOS. Eventually, my parents realized that sound effects were no longer coming out of the computer when I was using it. My aunt had subscribed to this monthly software magazine disk called LOADstar. Anybody remember that?? I collected fonts and other neat GEOS tools off each issue. I made archive disks so that I wouldn’t have to go looking for certain utils and stuff. So, I eventually sat on the C-64 all the time. Hahaha, the beginnings of a hacker. It’s too bad my dad wouldn’t let me hook up the modem or buy me a new mouse or 3½” floppy drive. Throughout all this, though, my computer was an @home only hobby. When I went to school, I was just a kid who didn’t talk much to anybody. So, in a way, I was like Lain when I grew up. Yes, the same Lain from Serial Experiments Lain. Hahaha, I never realized that until now! I was a closet g33k without even knowing it. There wasn’t really a name for it back then, I guess. Of course, I didn’t have internet access until 1995, so if there was a community, I didn’t know about it.

Where was I? Right, computers was a hobby that I got into without any encouragement from anybody. Just a passing fascination I saw sitting in my parents’ room one day. ^_^

So, what is Operation: Lain no Ruumu all about? It’s about buying computers or acquiring computers – new or old, working or broken – and turning my room into… well… Lain’s room. Heck, I’m even considering the huge water tanks. Hahaha. Anyway, right now, I’m only at two computers, because the other two are my two brothers’ computers, so they don’t count. I just created a theme for Windows that simulates the Copland OS, so it’s running on both Mai-chan and Ami-chan. I’m planning on buying an Apple G4, an HP Pavilion laptop, a Compaq iPaq, and a low-end Duron PC, which I will be using as a PC-Mod tester. That’s right, etched windows, neon lights, and water cooling systems. Of course, to reduce heat, I’ll have to reduce light as well, so I’ll be reducing the amount of light I have in my room. Maybe a lava lamp or some extra neon lights, something to that effect. I also have plenty of stuff – those may also be going elsewhere. A garage sale or eBay, perhaps. Either way, my English CD collection has to go bye-bye soon. I also have plans to pick up some other nifty systems, like the mini-PC (which uses the Flex-ATX form factor) and maybe an SGI, if I can get my hands on it. I’ll also be revitalizing my old C-64 and 486SX, since parts will be easy to come by on eBay. Since I’m making more money these days, a little more debt isn’t gonna kill me, since I’m already in it. Besides, if I don’t spend my money, then why am I earning it in the first place? ^_^

Lain no Ruumu: Layer 01 (2002-07-22, Monday)

So, I’ll be adding another segment to my website which will chronicle each new change in my room. Hopefully, it’ll be interesting enough. I hope to become more proficient in PC-Modding, as well as filling the floors with water. Hahaha, just kidding.