The speaker is sharing their personal experience with early electronic calculators, specifically a Texas Instruments (TI) 2500 data math calculator they acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. They were amazed by its functionality and display, which featured a Panaplex display made up of individual strips of neon gas that glowed when current was applied. The speaker notes that these displays were relatively expensive and had a lifespan of about two years before being replaced by vacuum fluorescent displays. They also mention that nixie tubes were used in some calculators before the Panaplex display, but are now rare and mostly found in vintage or antique devices. Overall, the speaker is excited about the history and rarity of this early calculator technology.

The speaker is sharing their personal experience with early electronic calculators, specifically a Texas Instruments (TI) 2500 data math calculator they acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. They were amazed by its functionality and display, which featured a Panaplex display made up of individual strips of neon gas that glowed when current was applied. The speaker notes that these displays were relatively expensive and had a lifespan of about two years before being replaced by vacuum fluorescent displays. They also mention that nixie tubes were used in some calculators before the Panaplex display, but are now rare and mostly found in vintage or antique devices. Overall, the speaker is excited about the history and rarity of this early calculator technology.