Message from Porple
Written by: Porplemontage (talk)
Greetings 'Shroom readers,
Today marks an incredible milestone in the Super Mario Wiki's history as we celebrate 200 issues of The 'Shroom. Reflecting on how far the paper has come from its 2006 origins, I'm filled with senses of both nostalgia and awe. Nostalgia for those early days of the wiki, and awe because this milestone was by no means guaranteed. Far from it. Today was only made possible thanks to generations of 'Shroom staff and writers putting in a ton of work and logistical planning behind the scenes. I have never been a part of that process, but I've gotten enough glimpses of it over the years to know that it's no small task. So kudos to all the volunteers who have made this possible!
When I was invited to submit something for Issue 200, I wanted to contribute more than my congratulations, but I wasn't sure where to go with it at first. Taking inspiration from Anton's Half-Baked Reviews and various Mario Awards presentations, I always think it's cool to see real-world photos and get a little window into people's lives. And given today's milestone, also I wanted to keep things somewhat relevant to the history of the wiki. When you apply these criteria to the reality that is my photo collection, you get this: A history of computer setups which the proprietor of the Super Mario Wiki has used to propriete[sic] the site from. Let's jump in.
Photo Time
2005: Got this Compaq laptop in my room. It was the first computer of my own (as opposed to the family computer) and I started the Super Mario Wiki here.
2006: My first desktop computer, and this was a great desk. Am I browsing the Porplemontage Studios boards or doing homework, we'll never know (hint: it's the boards).
2009: Here's a look at my freshman dorm room. At this point I'm on my college laptop, but at least I have a monitor hooked up.
2011: This is my college apartment and I have an L-desk now. I always wanted an L-desk.
2015: My first place after college and now I have both my monitors hooked up to a single computer. Pretty cool.
2017: I moved, got a new L-desk, and I have three monitors now. I still live here and it hasn't changed much at all. Oh and you can see my pet cookatiel, Tiel Cutlets. I got her earlier in the year. Let me see if we can get a better look at the setup.
2020: Wait no that's just Tiel with some gamer stuff and some other stuff. Hold on...
2022: No that's Tiel on my wrist. This isn't helpful.
2022: Yes there's my coveted Discord Monitor™. Perfect!
2023: Not a bad shot but still mostly the bird.
Well, every photo I have since 2017 is just Tiel, so I'll have to leave it there.
Thanks for reading, thank you to The 'Shroom for inviting me, and happy 200!