My Desktop Now vs. Then

Found this old (I’m thinking 2003) photo of my computer setup. Enough time has passed now that most of this hardware is already nostalgic. The tape backup drive which held about 8GB compressed, and of course those wonderful flatbed scanners. In case you’re wondering, the ridiculous server rack came from a company that crashed and burned along with so many others around that time.

I was a bit of a hardware hoarder to say the least.

At the time I lived in a tiny guest house in Hollywood, and this monster was right next to my bed. Actually it was a futon so I’m not sure that qualifies as a bed. It’s amazing I was able to get laid at the time.

Once Laurie and I moved in together much of my hardware hoarding had to end. Our first few apartments were so tiny there was simply nowhere to put the stuff. Around this time desktop computer technology (and pricing) was also changing. It was much easier to just punch up Dell and build your own system instead of the Frankenstein machines I was building from both found and stolen parts.

Now that I can actually afford some decent hardware I keep it pretty simple. For the desktop it’s Dell XPS system. I usually rotate out the complete system every 2-3 years. After playing with a few monitor configurations I’m now using three 30” monitors. I still spend the same amount of endless nights staring into these windows; they’re just a little bigger than they were in 2003. :)

Even though the laptop has become a standard for most, I still really enjoying having a big ol’ desktop setup. It’s always here at home waiting for me and does so many wonderful things.

Long live the desktop.