BLOOMINGTON - Prescott "Pete" Lustig typed quickly on his computer keyboard. He was eager to let loyal readers know he was being interviewed for a newspaper story. He ended his message with "another 15 minutes of fame."

Lustig, 84, began his Internet blog last year and never looked back. A few months ago, he was honored as a top blogger on MSN Spaces, which hosts his free Web log. He's believed to be among the oldest participants of an online journal craze that attracts many people, many of them in their teens, 20s and 30s.

"It's fun," he said.

Lustig's blog, named "The Late Life Crisis," is a reflection of himself. He's written about his birthday and a dinner date with his wife, his health and the high cost of medicine.

"I guess I'm the oldest blogger I know," he said.

Lustig, a retired advertising executive who still consults, lives in Bloomington. He earlier lived in Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco, among other places.

A blogger of Lustig's age is thought to be rare, said Rochelle Hartman, a reference librarian at Bloomington Public Library.

"For older people, e-mail is a more common use of the computer," she said, adding librarians have introduced many seniors to electronic mail.

MSN Spaces, through which Lustig has his free blog, doesn't track the age of its bloggers, but product manager Karin Muskopf speculates Lustig is among the oldest.

Research by Pew Internet and American Life Project also suggests Lustig might be an exception. Internet users ages 12 to 28 are significantly more likely than older users to create blogs, the research showed.

Regardless of who uses them, blogs are becoming increasingly popular. MSN Spaces has attracted more than 40 million bloggers worldwide, Muskopf said.

"People are using blogs to express their individuality," she said. By the same token, people read blogs because they're curious what others have to say, she said.

"Our home page has a search button and you can type in any topic," Muskopf said.

As the name of his blog implies, Lustig believes "late life" is more descriptive and less patronizing than the term 'senior citizen.' He started "The Late Life Crisis" last May and the site has had more than 100,000 visitors.

Besides allowing him to interact with interesting people, the blog helps keep him busy.

"I write quickly," he said, and something always pops into his head when he sees a blank computer screen.

He tries to avoid politics and religion because he doesn't want to offend anyone, especially regular readers - many of them middle-aged - who've become close friends.

"They either know they'll be here (late life) before too long," he said, "or they have aging parents."