Remembering the Speak & Spell

Educational toys sure were the shizznat. Not only did the computronic voice of the mini-computer teach me to spell, it served as a companion and prepared me for a life without human friends spent waiting on the phone only to talk to computer-voiced automated mail programs. It also made me feel very good about my spelling career, which would top off in a sixth grade school championship. ‘Twas ironic indeed that the Speak & Spell and the artificial intelligence it distributed would one day be rendered obsolete by the all-seeing eye known as the Spell Check. I take solace in my Speak & Spell training with the knowledge that if computers ever go out of style and typewriters come back, I’ll be one step ahead of the other kids.