The 8-Bit Era's Weird Uncle: The TI-99/4A

I loved my little TI-99/4A...

I used to lay down in the living room and transcribe BASIC from COMPUTE! magazine into it, and customize them, and that's how I learned to program.

Same here. I specifically remember staying home "sick" from school just so I could transfer those COMPUTE! programs from paper to screen and eventually to cassette tape! Still have the entire setup except for the 13" Montgomery Ward TV it was connected to. I owe my entire tech career to my parents buying me that little TI from Shopko in 1983.