Summary: I was trying to think the other day, about how old I might have been when I first heard about it. It’s odd, a memory like that you’d imagine would be seared into my very brain, but no… I’d guess, I was maybe seven or eight. I do recall a friend saying his uncle had bought one and he’d seen it himself. Of course, all kids lie and looking back now; I suspect at that age he wouldn’t have actually recognised one if it was stood next to him. However, later in life as you enter your teens, you begin to question things more. You want to know the ‘why‘ as much as the ‘how‘. I remember it seeming odd that everybody talked about this thing, yet nobody could tell me what it looked like. People were always vague when they talked about it. Never really making it clear if they did actually own it, or had once had it, or secretly longed for it. But it quickly became obvious to me, that if anybody did have it, they were keeping it very secret. Also, I had always assumed that it was something you had to buy. I mean how could you not? But the stories I had heard or read, seemed to suggest that some people had been given it, some people had found it, but most worryingly of all; a lot of people had stolen it. Once I knew this, I of course realised why everybody was always so mysterious about whether they had it or not. To admit you have it, or to show it to other people was almost like asking somebody to take it from you. So, as I left my teenage years and strode into adulthood, I found myself living in a world obsessed by it. Despite the fact that it’s image has never been worse. After all, as an object it is often faulty and tends to look out of place no matter where you keep it. As a service it is often slow and rarely up to the task at hand and as an idea, perhaps it’s time has passed. Still, maybe I’m wrong. Many will tell you it’s the greatest thing humanity has ever held in its grasp. It saves many more lives than it kills. It’s brought so many of us together who would otherwise be alone, and the amazing advancements in production, means it’s now small enough to hold in your hand. I don’t have it in case any of you are thinking that. Although maybe that’s just what I want you to think. If I did have it, wouldn’t this be the perfect way to hide it from you? Create a webpage and write as if I have no clue or desire. Maybe, it’s sat next to me as I type these words…Maybe. Whether you think I have it or not. Whether anybody has it, or whether something you’ve never really seen, can ever really exist. Keep in mind, there are millions of ‘things’ you can have, so why limit yourself to just one. I guess ultimately you’ve just got to learn think for yourself and not follow a “McGuffin”
