Check out this article on Louis from way back when Mathea Morais was the editor for Martha's Vineyard Patch!
Apple is in! With the advent of iPads, iPods and everything in between, Islanders love just about everything Apple. This is good news for Louis Hall, a high school science teacher at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School, and also the owner of Anything Apple MV. Anything Apple MV services and repairs Mac and PC computers. They also offer installation of wireless networks, build websites, and setup backup solutions for your home and office.
As a youth, Hall used to spend his time "fixing" computers - though, if you were to hear his mother tell it, he was more just taking them apart and trying to put them together again! After a dreadful experience in college, during which a non-Apple desktop ate a very lengthy and important research paper, Hall switched to Macs and never looked back. Pairing his love of tinkering with electronics with a now vast and rich library of knowledge, Hall is the guy around town you want to talk to - from cracked screens on your iPhone, to head-scratching problems that need expert repairs, there's no problem too big or too small.
Hall took some time out of his busy teaching schedule to chat with us about his love of computers - and about life on our beautiful island, too.
MV Patch: How long have you lived on-Island? When did you start Anything Apple?
Hall: My family has owned a home in the campgrounds for 50 years, so I spent all of my summers growing up here. We moved here permanently when I was 10 - I'm 30 now. I've been with the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School system for four years and I have been fixing computers professionally for about four years, also. I began doing it when I graduated from college, and moved back home to the Island.
MV Patch: What are some of your favorite off-season pastimes?
Hall: I'm a teacher in the off-season, so my business level actually increases and I end up working more! I also ride bikes and surf for pleasure, and really enjoy being involved with the local food movement and gardening at home.
I'm also a total nut about Star Wars so I read SW books quite a bit, not to mention all of the books that I must read for school! Obviously I'm a computer dork, so I do things that most people would think are boring on my computer when I have time.
MV Patch: What's your must-do event of the summer season?
Hall: Picking up our Whipoorwill CSA with my fiancé and surfing at Squibby - although the waves aren't great in the summer, the weather is!
MV Patch: How do you know when the off-season has officially begun?
Hall: Driving through Five corners and not seeing anyone… 'nuff said?
MV Patch: What do you personally find to be the most difficult thing about living here year-round?
Hall: Going off Island is the most difficult thing for me. I kind of hate it. When I was growing up I always longed to escape and now I really am much happier without the hectic speed of life on the mainland.
MV Patch: What's your favorite thing about staying here all year?
Hall: I love being tuned in with our community. Whether it is through Slow Food potlucks, taking or selling chocolate for my mother's shop at the farmers market. The ebb and flow of life on the Island is exciting, and being involved on many levels is key. I am always busy!
MV Patch: In your mind, what is the first sure sign that spring has returned to the Island?
Hall: I always look forward to the return of the Osprey. I know the warm spring weather is coming when the water temperature gets above 50, around April, because it's when I start surfing again… I'm sort of a fair weather surfer.
MV Patch: If you were going to plan a day-trip for some friends who have never been here, but chose to visit during the off-season, what would you have in store for them?
Hall: I always bring friends and family on a pretty similar tour. First, we would head up to Squibnocket to watch the waves. Then we would head to my favorite spot on the Island. Down Island would include lunch and a trip to Memorial wharf.
MV Patch: What advice would you give to those who might consider giving year-round island living a shot?
Hall: Be prepared for quiet time, and no snow!
MV Patch: What's one thing you do to prepare for the on-coming rush of business for the summer season?
Hall: I have to stock up on iPhone and iPad screens! I've already run out twice in the past two weeks. With computer repair, people want their phones and computers done quickly so I make that my main aim with my services. One day service - unless I don't have the parts!
Originally published April 23, 2012 by Maggie Dempsey on Martha's Vineyard Patch
Read the original article: Here All Year: Louis Hall of Anything Apple