Go get one.

I don't consider myself a material guy, I don't boost my ego by purchasing expensive cell phones nor do I brag about my fishing rods when I attend a board of directors, although the rod could be handy to remind some directors to pay more attention.

Yet, if there is one small thing I truly I enjoy it is my collection of HP 12c calculators. I still have the first one I bought in '82 (it's broken, sadly enough), I have a 2003 Platinum edition in my car at all time, I have a 20th anniversary edition on my night stand in case I woke up at night with nightmares of red ink, there is a 25th anniversary edition in my home office, there's even a standard 12c in the bathroom for those long minutes where there's nothing to do, and I had a few over the years at the office that show intense wearing after a couple of years, much like good shoes those little guys can handle abuse but after a while you need to consider a replacement.

Truth is, CGI would not be standing where it is today if I had not been using a 12c day and night. When I purchase a suit at Harry Rosen, the first thing I check is whether or not the 12c fits into the jacket's pocket - it always does, but I did encounter a sport jacket once in '98 that had a pocket so small the 12c was not at ease. Harry took notice and returned all those jackets to the manufacturer with a stern note that they had serious defects usually associated with subpar Chinese factories and not to bother him again with this kind of crap. What can I say, this guy is a class act.

So back to the 12c, I learned this morning that they plan to release a 30th anniversary edition. No, I didn't check HP's Web site, I got a VIP invitation from HP to attend the official launch in California. After what I said last month about Hewlett Packard, I think I ow them an apology. They really worked on this one. The VIP package contained a 12c-themed fleece jacket, a pack of golf ball with the 12c logo on it, a large coffee mug featuring all the keys found on the 12c, as well as a 12c leather document portfolio.

If you care about having a place in this world, this is the kind of item you need on your desk. It doesn't play MP3 files nor does it run game apps, so other CGI members will notice that you are taking your work very seriously.

Slackers do not go for the 12c.