Growing Up Geek: Mat Smith

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have our very own Japan Editor, Mat Smith!

I didn't want to be an Engadget editor. I wanted to be an astronaut. Yes, there are (admittedly few) British astronauts, thank you. Unfortunately, I was completely put off from learning the deeper secrets of science and maths during those lessons at my local leafy comprehensive school. Do I regret not following through on the science stuff? Possibly, but working here has plenty of different perks -- and when Virgin Galactic starts offering space for willing journalists, I'll be one of the first in line.

While I dreamed of space, the school grind (tests, homework) came pretty easily to me, although I was never going to make the local soccer football team. I was a hyperactive, scrawny kid and wearing astonishingly thick glasses since childhood had formed a nervous disposition to never head the ball -- plus a general lack of talent for the sport. So in school, it was back to the books or the sluggish crawl of Yahoo on the library's shaky internet connection. Fortunately, I was already pretty familiar with computers before I even touched one in school. My parents were forward-thinking enough to buy an Atari ST, our family's first computer and one that barreled into a series of Commodores and yet more Atari systems.

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