The ridiculously expensive Texas Instruments graphing calculator is slowly but surely getting phased out.
The times they are a-changin for the better, but Im feeling nostalgic.
I have some wonderful memories associated with my TIs.
You probably have an expensive Texas Instruments graphing calculator packed away somewhere.
In fact, I still have two.
When I was in school, everybody had one.
Guess what?Theyre still just as expensive, even though your watch probably has more computing power now.
They can cost upwards of $200, depending on the model.
Its also available in your net net app.
This is a welcome thing for just about everyone.
Math will hopefully be more accessible to all.
Its truly for the better.
I am a little sad, however.
During my math journey from algebra to high-level college calculus, my graphing calculators became extensions of my brain.
But thats not where my love for the machines came from.
No, it was thegamesand other apps that sealed my bond with my TIs.
You see, in high school, my friends and I ran an underground ring of calculator game sharing.
The process was simple.
Then, with the same cable, you could transfer the game data over to a different calculator.
My math teachers had no idea the only numbers I was concerned with were my high scores.
Oh, the hours I spent playing Snake, trying to beat my friends high scores.
How I longed to beat Phoenix, a bullet-hell shooter that I still cant believe was written in TI-Basic.
From text-based adventures to a near-perfectly-recreated version of Bubble Bobble, my TI was my favorite gaming machine.
Anybody could play them in class and the teachers would be none the wiser.
My math teachers had no idea that the only numbers I was concerned with were my high scores.
Nobody knew where most of the games originated, but everybody had them.
Yeah, I got the hookup, Id say, But what you got for me?
No, today Im pouring one out for my TIs.
Your reign will soon be over, my friends, but Ill never forget you.
