From Wires to Wi-Fi: A Tech Tribute to My Dad

My dad was the original techie in our family. Long before smartphones and wireless everything, he worked for British Telecom and had a genuine love for the magic of connection — both technical and human. He passed away in 1993, and I often find myself wondering what he’d make of the world today.

Being a child of the late 70s and 80s, my childhood was generally tech free — a time when there were only three channels on the TV, a dial on the telephone, and trolls were a funny little toy with funky coloured hair.

However, I was introduced to tech at quite an early age. My dad was a fairly senior engineer at BT, involved in the early development of radio services and mobile technology. He was one of those inquisitive people who liked to know how everything worked — taking things apart, fixing them again, and always questioning everything.

We lived in a very affluent village on the Suffolk/Essex border, but we were definitely at the bottom of the rung in terms of social status. And while Dad liked to think he was at the forefront of technology, he was also very frugal. I was mortified bringing friends round to see our very small black and white TV, which was only marginally improved when Dad found a colour set at the local tip that cost him less than £5 to fix.

I wasn’t very old when he introduced me to the Sinclair ZX81. We spent many evenings coding little trains running across the screen, tackling logic adventures, and playing Breakout — the simplest but most addictive game ever.

When he brought home an old BBC Microcomputer in all its brown, beige, and orange glory that he had found in the company skip, I thought all my Christmases had come at once! I proudly used it for all my school homework (and shed many tears over the loss of unsaved work). My collection of floppy disks grew (when they were actually floppy), and I became a pro Chuckie Egg player. 🐤🐤🐤

By the time I was in my early teens, Nintendo Gameboys and Sega Mega Drives were a normal part of our household — the birth of the games console had well and truly arrived.

Sadly, Dad died in 1993, when the World Wide Web was on the cusp of becoming worldwide and mobile phones and text messaging were about to become the number one way to communicate. A year later, Amazon and Google were founded, Windows and Internet Explorer went from strength to strength, and Apple became consumer friendly.

On 24th August, my Dad would be turning 76.

Imagine if he came back today in 2025... his mind would be blown. 🤯

The last 30 years have seen incredible developments in the world of tech, and now we couldn’t imagine life without it. I feel very lucky that I’m part of a generation that did experience life before it all — but was also young enough to quickly adapt and learn to live with it.

Since 1993, technology has exploded in ways I don’t think any of us could have imagined. The internet became a part of everyday life, then moved into our pockets. Google changed the way we find information. By 2007, the iPhone arrived and turned a phone into a camera, calculator, map, torch, and entertainment hub. Social media reshaped how we connect, while streaming replaced tapes and CDs. Smart homes, cloud computing, AI… it’s been a whirlwind.

And while so much of it is complex, I think Dad would’ve loved the simplicity of some of it too. A smart speaker that plays the radio on command? That would’ve delighted him. Video calls with family on the other side of the world? He’d have marvelled. The idea of controlling the heating from your phone would’ve blown his mind.

He was always curious about what was next — always excited by new possibilities. I like to think I inherited that from him. These days, I help other small business owners feel less overwhelmed by tech — designing websites and setting up systems that simplify instead of complicate. I often wish I could show him what I do. I think he’d be proud. Maybe even a little surprised that his love for all things wired and blinking found its way into my work, too.

The world has changed beyond recognition since 1993. But one thing hasn’t: the feeling of wonder when tech just works — when it connects people, ideas, and places in ways we never thought possible.

I hope he’d still recognise that feeling.