In 1982 when I was buying my first computer, a man wearing what looked like a farmers outfit. It looked like he had been working in the garden. He was wearing a dirty tan hat. He was also looking at the same computer I was looking at.
It was Robin Williams.
"What do you think is the best one?" He said to me.
I said "This one is just a Franklin clone of an Apple II."
"Are they both the same?"
"Not really, This Franklin will do the same same and run the same programs as the Apple but it is way cheaper."
As I left the store we smiled and knodded to each other. He bought an Apple II. I bought the Clone
Later on I found out he had a home on the hills East of Santa Rosa, toward Sonoma.
May Robin Williams Rest In Peace.
In 1983 when I purchased my first full computer the Franklin 1000, it came with a one floppy 5 1/4 inch disc drive. It was the Apple II true clone.The Franklin Computer company was sued by Apple and in 1984 they stopped producing the Franklins. It is still in my garage. It will run any computer program made for the Apple II. In comparison to the present computers they were infants.
That was 40 years ago.
In the late 90’s (1998) the late great Robin Williams took home Oscar gold for his supporting role in Goodwill Hunting. He left us about 8 years ago but it feels longer than that to me because he was an actor with a lot of gravity. If you only see an actor one-dimensionally (action, comedian; etc) then you miss the depth of their talent and skills.
Ive been kind of down and out and thought of Robin’s performance in the powerful movie “What Dreams May Come”. Its a wonderful cinematic masterpiece that earned many visual awards but unfortunately no Oscars for its actors and actresses. What a shame that his death might overshadow depth. In the movie we are taken on a journey in seemingly different directions. Life and the after life; fantastic joy and dangerous depression. It’s representing of Robin’s acting prowess and speaks to the hidden talent of your favorite comedians.
Robins career started back in ‘67 and he is mostly known for his comedic charm. He was a prolific actor but also a great live performer, those of us of a certain age are well aware of his standup comedy records. He made us laugh until we cried, but like many comedians he had a nack for tugging on your heart-strings in general. Ive gone down that road making people laugh and have dabbled with some other emotional materials too.
One day soon i too will be deserving of that Oscar gold but what journey would that be if i did not invite others along the way. Life is up and down; all around. What are your thoughts on the emotional dynamics of life? Who knows what dreams may come?