The writer of a Macintosh (like, from the 80s) review for the LA Times posted the review, and it’s astonishing how much has and hasn’t changed since the beginning of personal computing. One of my favorite things to do is to poke fun at the old software and stuff people back then had to make do with, in retrospect. And my favorite section is about MacWrite.

You can vary the type size from 9 point (about the size used in most newspapers) to 72 point headlines. You can also change your type style, selecting an Old English font or one of the more common type styles. Your type can be in bold, italic, underline or even shadow print. All this magic is controlled by the computer itself — the software merely takes advantage of it.

WOW! Changing font sizes! More on this and that magical MacPaint stuff here.

Jonathan Blome, San Francisco Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO — Hookers may have to find more respectable jobs somewhere else.

This comes after new statistics from pimps across the country as well as legal brothel establishments have reported a shocking new low in hooker customer sales. A pimp in a Brooklyn neighborhood who declined to give us his name said, “We’s losing sales from the computer things.” His sentiment was echoed by the many other fleshmongers we interviewed.

Statistics have shown that in the past year, only 200,000 customers made use of the women, compared to the previous year of 1993’s number of 500,000. The culprit? The increasing use of Internet services. According to many leading experts on the matter, men who feel slightly ashamed of using a callgirl can simply pay a nominal fee on AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy and many other online service providers to engage in online sexual activities. Skilled artists create adult images and material using a next-generation technology known as ASCII, which is known for high definition imagery. One can also take part in online sex chats with women, meaning one can enjoy female companionship in his own home without having fear of getting arrested.

This does not mean that the callgirl industry is under threat. Pimps are considering expanding into the online industry, allowing for customers to order prostitutes online from anywhere on the globe and have them mailed to them by priority mail. An online presence will also be used to allow customers to take part in sex chats with professional prostitutes. The future of female companionship will be very interesting indeed.