While cleaning out some old papers, I found a copy of my 6th grade class newspaper for which I was a contributor. Here’s my take on home computers from 1986-87:

Home computers are becoming as common as the T.V. in an average American home. There are many things the computer has to offer. In the next few paragraphs, I will tell you about some of the innovative ways to use a home computer.

When people hear the word computer, they usually think of entertainment first. In the entertainment category there are three main types of programs. These are: text-adventures, programs where you read a story on screen and make choices; action games, programs that use a joystick or keyboard to command action on the monitor, and simulators, programs that simulate something such as a plane.

Phone modems have opened a new world to computers. Phone modems are devices which dial up and connect your computer with another computer or a database by telephone lines. When you connect your computer to a friend’s, you may play a game together or exchange programs. When your computer is connected to a database, you can load programs either by cassette or disk, and pay nothing for them except the telephone fee.

Word processors and printers have made writing reports faster and easier. Word processors are programs that edit and process words. With a printer you can quickly print out an entry written with a word processor.

As you can see, home computers have very wide application. Uses for the computer are expanding rapidly. The computer is truly the machine of the 80’s.