On Computers, circa 1994

Following up on the autobiography I found in a collection of Microsoft Works .wps document files I authored in 1994 (third or fourth grade), here’s another gem I wrote on the state of computing at the time. I remember that I volunteered to read this aloud in the front of the class:

Computers have changed the lives of many in the last 10 - 20 years by offering an easy way to calculate mathematical equations, communicate with others via on-line services, Internet, etc., and also giving a wide variety of games and other forms of electronic entertainment.

Electronic Education

Not many computer users recognize how much information is out there for school work, business work, etc.. These sources include electronic encyclopedias, cookbooks, and there are even do-it-yourself guides for construction, and other sources.

The Internet, even as entertaining as it may seem, has loads of information. You could find anything from when King Tutankhamun was born, to how many soldiers were killed in World War I! Don’t trust the Internet as much as much as a computer encyclopedia, for anyone can put false information on the Internet, but major companies cannot give false information.

Computer encyclopedias are probably the best source of information, because they offer sound, picture, animation, and motion picture (which all make up multimedia) to the user, which makes learning a bit more enjoyable.

Electronic cookbooks are a nice way for cooks to look up a recipe, and even see a picture of what the recipe makes up. Some even let you input your own recipes!

Do-it-yourself guides aren’t the thing that I would recommend, for a few reasons. Most of them have a lot of multimedia, which, of course, doesn’t let you print any thing out, and therefore, you have to keep going back to your computer to review the instructions.

Electronic Entertainment

Electronic entertainment is probably the most popular form of entertainment, especially on a computer. There are all sorts of games, and other neat forms of entertainment right in your own home. You can even put an electronic card inside your computer that will let you view television, right on your monitor!

My favorite form of electronic entertainment is probably flight simulation. Flight sims are very lifelike, and offer a wide variety of planes to choose from. You can fly anything from a Learjet, to a B-2 Spirit!

There are also shoot ‘em up type games, but the graphics aren’t always that great. You can make your own levels with these games, which is always fun. But I wouldn’t reccomend spending money on a shoot ‘em up game though, just download the shareware version off the Internet