Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have our very own Contributing Editor, Billy Steele.
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See that dapper young fellow right there? You’d never think someone dressed that goofily as a kid would grow up to be a tech blogger, now would you? It’s true – and I never thought so either – but, as I would come to find out, my unorthodox childhood would help shape my nerd sensibilities in more ways than one. It all starts with the fact that I was raised by my grandparents, which was awesome, but usually meant that I was at least a year behind on all the popular gadgetry. This also meant that I was forced to hold on to things a bit longer, so while my friends were sportin’ the N64, I was still rockin’ Contra on the NES (no shame).
Let me take a step back for a moment. My first exposure to technology of any substance was a high-mileage Atari at my mom’s place. She had an entire library of games, but the only two that I cared about were Frogger and Grand Prix. A couple of years later, when I obtained that coveted O.G. Nintendo, I survived on a constant diet of Excitebike, Bases Loaded and Tecmo Super Bowl. After playing until I couldn’t see straight – on several occasions as an elementary lad – I was able to string together a handful of undefeated seasons with America’s team the Dallas Cowboys. I’ve now taken on the plight of a Panthers’ fan, but I digress.Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Billy Steele
Growing Up Geek: Billy Steele originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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