Julie Bogen, Social Media Editor

What's your gadget?

"An Olympus 8mm video camcorder, VX-806."

When was it purchased?

"1992. My grandma bought it for my parents so that they could film me being born (which feels weird to say), which means we've had it for around 24 years."

What's the story of how you got it?

"I actually ended up with it in January when I asked my dad to get our home videos digitized. He tried to take it to BJ's, but I guess they don't do that there anymore. So he brought it to NYC the most recent time he visited — along with all 200-plus hours of 8mm tapes. I've been on the hunt for somewhere affordable that can get them all on a flash drive."

Why can't you get rid of it?

"It's meaningful for a few reasons. First and foremost: the camera came from my father's mother, who passed away when I was around eight years old. She was such a wonderful, prominent caretaker for my sisters and me when we were kids. I find myself missing her and my grandpa, who passed away a couple of years later, and thinking of them more frequently these days. The camera is one of the only things I have that reminds me of the two of them. Along that same vein, the home videos we took on the camera show a really different life than the one I have now. Not necessarily a better life — there was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes — but at least a blissfully ignorant one. My sisters and I were so young and curious and cute! It brings back a lot of bittersweet feelings and memories."