Where were you on Sept. 2, 1969?

Some of us were working, some schooling and some drooling. Some only a twinkle in our parents’ eyes. In White Lake, N.Y., Woodstock had taken place in August; Terry Bradshaw celebrated 21 years of age; and The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” was number one on the radio. Oh, and the Internet came to life at UCLA when two computers had a brief, yet historic, discussion.

Over the next 40 years came a tidal wave of change, exposing us to e-mail, then bulletin board services and now the social Web. Users once navigated the country roads of dial-up and now the highways of broadband connections. My love affair began in the mid-1990s, on dial-up of course. Back when Amazon.com was a logo with centered text and Yahoo.com was a long page of categorized links. Good times.

I owe much to those first two computers talking. I’ve met great people, been exposed to fantastic places to visit, had an outlet for both visual and mental creativity, and earned a living. It continues to challenge, and I’m sure it always will.

Happy birthday to you, Internet! May your next 40 years be as entertaining as your first 40.