I started reading science fiction almost as soon as I learned to read. My folks belonged to the SF Book Club, and also subscribed to Analog and the magazine of fantasy and Science fiction. One of the first stories I remember was called “Callahan and the Wheelies. That got me started and I never stopped. I still read Analog, but in the online version. Been reading it since the early sixties.
To illustrate how much I was influenced, The story described a Wheelie as about the size of a roller skate, with batteries for power and circuitry based on graphite gel. Now my 7-yr-old logic told me that I had a roller-skate, there were batteries in a flashlight, my dad had graphite in his tool kit, and gel meant Jell-O, didn’t it? I descended into my secret laboratory and, without a faithful minion, began assembling my creation. Some hours later, I was attempting to convince the Court that Genius must not be persecuted, but encouraged…(Perhaps I should have used Lime Jell-O… Read more »
That sounds about right. I was eight or so when I decided to invent solar power with a magnifying glass, a 9V battery, a magnet and some copper wire. The jury is still out on that one.