Tag: typewriters
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Tyrannies and typewriters
Richard Polt typecasting about why we need typewriters in our age of AI and authoritarianism: When you choose to write with a typewriter, you are quixotically, nobly flying in the face of the assumption that good = fast, efficient, perfect, and productive. Type your gloriously imperfect, expending ineffiencient time and energy — and declare that…
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The AI-powered typewriter
First published as an Instagram Reel just for funsies. Have you heard about the latest hot gadget? It’s called a “typewriter” and it has all the fancy, cutting-edge features you need: High-res screen — the writing surface looks just like real paper because that’s what it is Strong security — your writing is encrypted and…
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A yellow typewriter off to greener pastures
I’m winnowing down my typewriter collection a bit in a bid to maximize our minimal storage space and send my lesser used models off to greener typing pastures. One of those deaccessioned machines is this 1962 Kmart Brother 100, whom my wife affectionately nicknamed Leonard: This was one of the early acquisitions in my initial…
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Burning the midnight typewriter oil
Got these cool artifacts from my dad’s friend, whose late mother kept them with her ancient typewriter for lord knows how long. Perhaps a member of the Typosphere can help with dating them, and explaining the “FR 25” on the oil can?
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Typewriters are better than Bitcoin
Last week I visited a Salvation Army I’d never tried before for some quick typewriter hunting. Between two late-period electric Smith Coronas I spotted a silver fiberglass case that screamed Olympia. And sure enough, I popped it open and beheld this 1959 SM3 (photo taken post-cleanup): The combo of gray body and brown keys was…
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Introducing ‘One Typed Quote’
Here’s a new fun thing from me: One Typed Quote, an online catalog of short, share-worthy quotes typewritten onto paper and lovingly flung onto the internet. This new venture was inspired by the blog One Typed Page, created last year by Typewriter Review purveyor Daniel Marleau. I pitched OTQ to Daniel as an offshoot of…
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A friendly birthday typewriter
This cross-stitch was a belated birthday gift from my mom, who said she used the color of my Olympia SM7 as inspiration. As I don’t have a display room or even nook for my typewriters, I’m not sure where to put it yet. But it’ll brighten up whichever wall it lands on.
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French Dispatch from a Remington Portable 3
Finally took some time to clean up this 1931 Remington Portable 3 with Mr. 2 Years Old, who understandably couldn’t keep his hands off of it. Aside from a faded ribbon, some dried chunks of rubber rattling around inside, and tons of dust bunnies (the compressed air can was a big hit), it’s working fine.…
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On Paper Trails and Typewriting Females
I just finished reading Cameron Blevins’ new book Paper Trails: The US Post and the Making of the American West, which I learned a lot from (see my full book notes). One thing that popped out to me was the role of women in the Post Office’s workforce. Women made up two-thirds of all Post…
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Free typewriter paper? OK
Sometimes it pays for people to know your hobby. Last week, when I was actually working in the office for once, I arrived to find this on my desk: No note, no idea who left it there. Maybe they found it in the library’s supply closest and remembered I was a typewriter guy. Regardless, I’m…
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Little Book of Typewriters
I’m a little tardy on this, but I wanted to share what my wife got me for Father’s Day. After a great deal of secret preparations, she presented a one-of-a-kind Little Book of Typewriters for me and our son: The first page includes a scan of something we got from Tom Hanks in reply to…
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The Smoking Type
Love this photo by Adrian Borda, called “Under An Ocean of Words”, which captures the view from inside a typewriter looking up through smoke. I’ve seen this view plenty during repair and cleaning sessions, but never quite this dramatically. Perhaps I should take up smoking. h/t Kottke
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Advice for selling a typewriter
Here’s my advice for selling a typewriter: Don’t Google it before selling. Don’t see what it’s going for on eBay or Etsy. Especially if it’s a functional model of a popular and photogenic brand you’re just using for decoration and know nothing about. Just sell it to me at a ridiculously low price. That is…
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Scenes from another Evanston type-in
Putting on a type-in last year was a lot of fun, so I was happy to be asked by the Evanston Literary Festival to host one again. This year it was at my favorite secondhand bookstore in Evanston: Squeezebox Books & Music. Rather than setting the typewriters at a table together for a shared typing…
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Not a proper typewriter
Among my blog’s available stats are search terms people used that brought them to my site. One recent search made me chuckle: “smith corona corsair not a proper typewriter” This most likely brought them to my post Cursing the Corsair. Let me tell you, I’ve called my Corsair far worse things than “not proper”.
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Sunday in the living room with Olympia
Spent one of our last pre-baby Sundays repairing a typewriter, watching Jeopardy, and enjoying the snow. This caseless Olympia SM4, owned by a friend of a friend, was rescued from their deceased relative’s basement. It’s in fine shape mechanically. Just needed its metal polished, body scrubbed, innards dusted, and ribbon replaced. Now is (almost) as…
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Tale from an unknown typist
Once in a while I stop by a nearby antique rental shop that is stocked full with all kinds of vintage junk. And in its musty, cavernous basement, among the rotary phones, LPs, radios, and TVs, is a wall of typewriters. I already sifted through most of them awhile back: varying conditions and styles, some…