Tales of Term Papers and Fake I.D.S

Jonathan S. Steuer '88 was showing a prospective student and his father the typical freshman room. Steuer said to the prospective. "Look, this room's got all the comforts of home--a stereo, a toaster oven, and a Mac." For many Harvard students, life just would not be the same without their home computers.

Steuer councils, "Be sure either to get a Mac or to get a roommate that has one."

Once you have the personal computer, there are plenty things you can do with it. As head of the Macintosh User's Group Christopher Carroll '86 says, "Most people just use the word processor for normal boring things like word processing."

But not all. "I would have gone and spent 15 dollars on a fake I.D. in New York or something, but I made my own on my Mac instead," said one freshman. Another freshman said that his roommate borrowed his Mac to make a fake I.D. on it. He refused to explain exactly how, saying only, "It was an elaborate process."

This process can be well worth it, says another freshman. "I have another fake I.D., but I made one on the Macintosh to back it up. Now that I have two different I.D.'s with the same birthdate and everything I can get served absolutely anywhere. Well, maybe not the Pro, but almost, anywhere."

Most students, however, have tamer uses for their computers. Joshua F. Thorpe '88 has an entire baseball league at his fingertips in his computer. "Computer baseball is addictive, but you just have to play because it's baseball," says Thorpe. He adds that he prefers computer baseball to field baseball because "It's faster and allows you to make decisions."

Thorpe and his roommate play about a game a day now--he says. "It's the height of baseball season." They are "incredibly serious," adds Thorpe, keeping draft choices, records, and statistics, which they update every two games.

Baseball is not the only addictive game, as Joseph L. Huang '88 well knows. Huang, who is known as "the Lode Runner" by people in his dorm, says he has played the game for as long as eight straight hours. He explains, "I'm just a gameplayer. The nice thing about video games is you don't have to leave the comfort of your own home to play."

One ex-addict, Scott R. Panzer '88, who owns what he calls a "I rash-80," said that he outgrew the video games habit in eleventh grade. "Before I was a social misfit," he said. "As I started to have a better time sociality, I stopped using the computer.

Steuer on the other hand has capitalized socially with his Mac, using it to make "some really intense parts invitations." Carroll has also realized the artistic potentials of the Mac, and says. "Postering, as I am sure everyone has noticed, is one thing which the Mac is very good for."

The Macpaint program is for some people, one of the best features of the Mac. Clifford S. Goodstein '88 had a friend from high school visit him who was "sometimes hyperactive." He quickly discovered. "The one thing which was good for getting him out of the way, was putting him domain in front of the Mac and letting him quickly discovered, "The one thing which was good for getting him out of the way, was putting him down in front of the Mac and letting him loose with the paint."

And students are not the only ones, Goodstein adds. When his father visited him after he had bought his Mac, "he did his own rendition of a Modigliani painting."

No matter how much people use their home computers for non-academic work, all agree that the computers are most valuable for taking the bite off schoolwork. Says one freshmen, "I can edit a paper that is due at 5:00 at 4:30."

Steuer says that when he first got his Mac, his roommate was hesitant to use it "because he said that he didn't think it was worth it. But two months later, he bought one for himself."

One of the reasons he might have been fearful of the computer is the numerous stories about seniors losing theses and other nightmares. But for some students, these stories are true.

Fred Fletcher '88 ran a paper through his new spelling program one day, and lost the whole paper. Thorpe's roommate finished writing a paper one day, got up, stretched and kicked the power out, turning the computer off and losing his paper And the stories of 20-page papers lost though pushing one wrong button go on.

Students seem to have better luck with projects done for other functions. Aron L. Silverstone '87, treasurer of the User's Group says he uses his computer to balance his checkbook.

Carroll composed much on his while taking Literature and Arts B-59. He also used it to do calculations "that would otherwise be tedious." This can sometimes pay off, says Goodstein, who used his Mac for chem problem sets. "I made a nice little diagram and I think I picked up a couple of points with that."

One of David S. Cohen's '88 favorite memories about his Apple II happened a couple of years ago, he says. His father was playing games on it and got mad, and hit the computer. The computer died, so the two brought it in for repair.

It turned out that something was loose, and just as the serviceman discovered what was wrong, the phone rang, say Cohen. While the serviceman was talking on the phone, the Apple started smoking. Cohen remembers that the serviceman looked over and said. "Ah, hah--baked apple."