I even made a t-shirt to remember it: http://swain.webframe.org/tshirts/ (eight from the top)

I wonder if growing up with a computer where you can poke bytes directly to its memory and video hardware makes you fundamentally less afraid or mystifyed by the technology

I have a disk at my office that my five-year-old brother labeled:

"poke, peak"

PEEK

Yes, that's where the five-year-old brother part comes in.