> How do we get it back?

If by it you mean excitement about a personal computer, I’m not sure.

If you are speaking more generally about having some activity that is creative and all-consuming, then look to the arts. There are people picking up a guitar or paintbrush or bread recipe for the first time today and it’s going to become everything to them.

I am looking forward to trying to make use of a Raspberry Pi 5 as much as is feasible once I get a small tablet shell for mine.

If it works out well, I'm going to see about getting a Wacom One display tablet with touch.

> How do we get it back?

Time machine.

> How do we share it with others?

Just like the church, capture them in their most formative years.

No. There has to be a way.

I have been thinking about this more, about how I spent hours and days exploring everything of my family’s new Mac SE, and then HyperCard, and creating with it.

There is an aspect of creativity that comes from being inspired, taking off from others’ ideas.

But there is also an aspect of creativity that’s more ascetic, and requires being bored—when there’s nothing else to do, turn the computer into a toy, to play with it, so you are not bored. And I am increasingly of the opinion getting to that state, at least for me, requires turning off the internet.

100% agree, you must be bored to be inspired.

I think I know how to recapture that "whole new world" feeling and share it.

It's on the tip of my tongue, and has been for a while.

But I can't fully see it yet. I need to go offline for a while. You're right.