A nice Saturday morning typewriter find thanks to my good friend ‘mk’. It is a USB Typewriter, or what they are calling a “retro-futurisitc marvel”. Not sure if I’m down with that categorised description. Apparently, their circuitry can transform nearly any manual typewriter into the digital age, so that the typewriter is still used as your main computer keyboard, being able to type and print with ink-on-paper whilst electronically recording what you type on-screen on virtual paper. In a word…clever…though it tests my personal love-hate relationship of the merging of the traditional and digital age, such as between e-books and real books. You can’t beat the smell of fresh print and the feel of a book or magazine in your hand…just like you can’t beat the sound of a typewriter’s keys hitting the page. This technological wonder was invented by Jack Zylkin, founding member of Philadelphia’s first and only hackerspace, Hive76. He, like me, collects antique typewriters…he also collects electric pianos, oscilloscopes, and other similar music and scientific-based devices. His favorite font is Century Gothic. I like the fact he stated this on the website…after all I am “word girl” (that’s an old nickname). A man after my own heart. I think I might have to invest in one of these at just under £50. I wonder if I could I type my entire PhD using it? More to the point, would the novelty ever wear off? I don’t think so…I love typewriters too much.
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