TECH, GADGETS & GEN-X

Long before the internet shaped the world and technology became the air we breathe, there was a boy—a preteen with a spark in his eye and a fascination with the unknown world of technology. That boy was me.

It all began with a Spectrum 128 console—our first glimpse into the digital frontier. A gift from my father, it opened a doorway to possibility. I remember the day I bought a book on programming pyramids. I didn't get very far. In the end, it was Street Fighter that claimed most of my attention. But something had shifted—curiosity had taken root.

Then came the IBM PS/2, a monolithic machine of its time, shared between three brothers—though, in truth, my older brother and I wielded it most. It ran a basic word processor, a spreadsheet app, and Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat—flickering across the screen in bold, 16-bit glory. Windows 3.11 came on a stack of install diskettes, and I still remember the click of the drives and the hum of discovery. That was the true beginning. That was where computing and I shook hands for the first time.

Time moved forward—as it does—and with it came my own space. My sister moved out, and I claimed my own room. My sanctuary. My command center. That’s when the machines began to evolve. Gateway delivered my first personal system—an Intel Pentium 75MHz beast. Then came 100MHz, 133, 166, 266, 500, and eventually the mythical climb beyond 1000MHz. Each leap was monumental, and I chased them like milestones in a quest. I devoured Personal Computer World magazine each month, flipping pages with reverence, eyes scanning the latest specs like scripture.

From Windows 3.11 to 95, from 98 to Millennium, Vista, XP and beyond—I was there. Riding the wave of innovation, building not just systems but knowledge. It wasn't just a hobby. It was a calling.

In the quiet halls of my father’s freight forwarding company, I found my first professional foothold in IT. I worked alongside the IT manager, navigating the AS/400 systems—dusty, loud, and powerful in their own right. It was 1998, the web was young, and I could feel it calling. I began learning HTML, graphic design, and web structure. I built jonesintl.com, the first digital face of my father’s business. I started designing logos—often inspired by the elegant arc of a waxing moon.

Fresh out of secondary school, I found myself in a design college in the south of Dublin—then known as Blackrock College. I began with accounting technician studies and law, but my heart wasn’t in it. After two years, I made a bold choice—I pivoted to multimedia and web design. It felt right. I wasn’t just chasing a career anymore; I was following purpose.

But life, as it often does, changed course.

At the end of that year, I made another leap—this time across the Atlantic, chasing love to the United States. It wasn't meant to be. Heartbroken but not defeated, I returned to Ireland with clarity and a renewed desire to build something of my own.

So I took a step in a new direction—one I hadn’t explored before. I joined Gateway Technical Support, just across the motorway from my father’s office. It was humble work, but it mattered. I was learning. Growing.

Then, love found me again—this time online, through the blinking green light of ICQ. That spark led me to Austria, a new land, a new life.

My first job in Austria was building computer systems by hand—each one a physical extension of all I'd learned. And then came the American International School. There, I took everything I had gathered over the years—every call centre experience, every trial and error, every byte of knowledge—and put it to use. I earned my Microsoft, Apple, and Google certifications. I grew. I thrived.

From programming pyramids to real-world systems. From Street Fighter to scripting the web. From a shared IBM PS/2 to shaping digital education for an international community. This has been more than a journey. It’s been a transformation.

And it’s only the beginning.