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A Typewriter for Y2K?

For some people under the age of, say, twenty, this is a very strange and mysterious sound. They may never have heard a typewriter before. Maybe there's one in the attic or tucked away in the office closet. But what if Y2K brings computer disaster? One of the last typewriter makers around, the Brother Corporation, wants you to think about that. Have you heard this commercial? (sound) The tongue in cheek ad was created by Sam Ash of the Milton Samuels Agency. Today's typewriter doesn't sound like the old one with the carriage return...

"Yeah, it's not one of those old manual ones with the bell. It's gone electronic. It's daisy wheel, there's models with spelling corrector and automatic word lift off so your page or whatever your typing does look seamless if you do make a mistake. There's no place to plug in a mouse though but otherwise it's a standard classic typewriter interface. Just a keyboard and a daisy wheel. Very organic."

Ash says sales of typewriters have been on the return lately. Thanks, to some extent, to the ad and fears about Y2K.

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