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I remember the sound of my modem. I owned only one—a 14.4K baud model that felt like a clunker, compared to what my peers owned. They all had newer computers.

AOL is actually how I first made it fully online—and how I found out I owned a turtle of a modem. Until then, I’d only logged into a free local BBS. But then I learned of the world wide web, and how it held more info about my favorite TV show.

I secretly signed up for a trial without my parents’ permission. I discovered quickly th

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