i'm 44 because i think the specific years i was a kid have specific context. like many, many of us here but not all or even most.

in the 80s, tools were toy quality. phone systems, cable boxes, internet protocols, all of these things were invented without concern of their abuse.

people were able to play with them. they invented future careers out of tinkering. and they invented their own playthings in the meanwhile.

think of this measurement - the ability to completely devour a random magazine: back in those days, we were not overstimulated by data. we could re-read a magazine, and all of it's ads, editorials, literally all of it - because we were starved for material. think of the deep thoughts, the creative expanse, the opportunity to sit quietly and imagine something new, when we had those pre-historic days of mass media.

i believe nostalgia is dangerous to experience but maybe that's because i agree simpler times made for easier toys and easier toys made for more creative childhood. i would not re-roll my childhood experience but i also come from tremendous luck and opportunity, getting to play with computers, tromp around unsupervised in the woods on a bmx bike, and deliver news papers as an 8 year old to half the town through my teens.