(Image by trekkyandy)
(Image by trekkyandy)

I’ve noticed a trend…

My high school calculus teacher used a calculator that looked like it had been built in 1985. My undergraduate algebra professor used a calculator that looked like it had been built in 1990 (perhaps earlier).

And though I hate to admit it in some strange sense, my calculator of choice is my TI-85, which was introduced to the world in 1992.

Maybe it’s nostalgia that I always reach for my TI-85 when sitting down to do personal finances. Maybe it’s the fact that I must’ve spent YEARS of my life playing Tetris on that sucker. But it’s probably because I’ve learned how to use it with incredible efficiency over the years. For some reason the calculator seems to violate my desire for extreme technological innovation. I constantly desire the cutting edge in consumer electronics. So what is it exactly that keeps me from updating to a TI-89? I may never know.

So does anyone out there have a specific piece of technology (calculator or otherwise) that has followed you through the years? Leave a comment if you have something. And if you’re looking to have some Texas Instruments nostalgia of your own you should check out ticalc.org. They’ve got some good stuff over there.