- Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are engineering marvels that use electron guns and phosphor to create moving images.
- The author's old computer had an EGA graphics card with two modes: high-resolution (640x350) for business and low-resolution (320x200) for games.
- The CRT developed a distortion that only affected the low-resolution mode, limiting game time to three minutes before the screen warped.
- Unable to afford a new monitor, the author wrote a TSR program that switched the game's mode to high-resolution, making it playable albeit distorted.
- This hack taught the author that creative solutions can overcome seemingly impossible constraints, a lesson that influenced his career.