My wife thinks I’ve finally lost my mind. My wife’s friend since high school agrees. Me? My heart is pitter-pattering like freshman invited to the senior prom. I got my hands on a piece of Macintosh Lore… a genuine Twentieth Anniversary Mac.

To the average layperson the Twentieth Anniversary Mac (TAM) is nothing but an eight-year-old computer. Weighing in with a 250MHz, 603e PPC processor w/ 32MB RAM, 2GB hard drive, 4x CD ROM, 800 x 600 12.1″ LCD, and a TV/FM tuner… the TAM is no longer state of the art. That, as they say, is not the point. It was released in May of 1997 and retailed for $7499. Apple made around 12,000 TAMs. That is partially the point.

Imagine you really wanted something as a child… say a really expensive toy… but as a child it was unattainable. As an adult, wouldn’t you be a little curious to see what you were missing if someone gave you that toy for free?

It may be eight years later, but I still like to play.