According to this history, my dad was an even earlier adopter of audio CDs than I'd thought: I remember being not-even-kintergarten age, and listening to what had to be one of the first-ever audio CDs-- a Disney disc with Christmas-themed songs voiced by the characters' actual voice actors. Specifically, I remember having my mom replay "The Twelve Days of Christmas" track over and over, where Goofy would sing, "Fiiiive, onnnion riings!"

Based on my age, that would have placed the year as either 1985, or 1986. The player itself was, in fact, this exact unit: a Pioneer PD-5010. When searching for "first cd players" via DuckDuckGo, I recognized the picture immediately. Interestingly, here is someone who owned the exact same player, purchased in 1985. Incidentally, I love the Polaroid photo of their TI-99 computer, sitting the floor, hooked up a television which looks very similar to the TV I used to play Atari 2600 and 7800 via.

I can also relate to getting a stereo for the first time. In the very early 90s, my dad handed me down his matching stereo and tape deck units, plus a pair of "Realistic" speakers, all purchased in 1977-- in fact, I have preserved the original receipt! I still use the unit at the bug out house for my classic games setup. At the time, I used to record music from my Genesis and 3DO onto audio cassettes, then listen to them on the school bus via a black Sony Walkman, which looked like this-- still a sexy piece of electronics, I might add.

In other news, here is David Stockman breaking down the "Coronavirus" infection and morbitity statistics in his usual, compulsively detailed style. If you aren't eighty five and in a nursing home, in practical terms this is your average flu season, and you are being Michael Jackson levels of mysophobic kooky by walking around with a mask on. More broadly, it's interesting how since I discovered Anarcho-Capitalism many years ago and started surrounding myself with the right influences, I've been right about almost everything-- that's what good models gets you.