I so miss the Radio Shack of my youth. Back in the 70s and 80s they had real salesmen, in ties and everything. Those guys knew everything! Or, at least they did to my young mind. It was a real job for people who loved electronics and knew the space. Now it’s bored teenagers trying to sell you a phone and overpriced RC crap.

They had a huge catalog I’d wear out every year, literally in taped-up tatters, lusting over all the goodies, even the parts I was clueless about. (Fuck is an RF choke?! I want one.) I’d count and roll pennies, constantly referencing prices and dad to buy me a switch, LED, lamp, circuit board, anything at all. My first big purchase was a Realistic CD player. You could drop kick that thing and if it skipped at all, it would resume perfectly.