Into Antiquity ...

This past weekend I explored a new gallery at the 

Indianapolis Museum of Art, 

one showing a large part of the museum's 

growing collection of decorative and industrial design. 

A lot of the items I've been familiar with since college, 

such as the work of Charles and Ray Eames; 

their work transformed our lives in ways we cannot 

imagine until we have it pointed out to us.

There are examples of beautifully made silverware,

twinkling chandeliers, clever lighting,

wonderful furniture, and a Dyson vacuum cleaner

to keep it all tidy. 

And then there was this, 

the 1985 Macintosh Plus computer.

Using elements from Pagemaker -- bullets, borders, 

Dingbats, lines and textures, I used the computer 

to design display ads for a local agency.

The bosses I had at that agency were evil cusses,

but I loved their Macs. Still do.

It was the first computer I'd ever used. Period.

The user-friendly Mac was a revelation to me. 

It felt odd to see my old friend on show 

in a Plexiglas case like some 

archaeological curiosity, but I guess it is.