Just a brief post on this rainy thundery Friday evening.
The American Library Association Conference is going on in Washington D.C. right now. If I were there you would be able to find me at the Electronic Gadget Petting Zoo, a booth at which you can play with the latest gadgets. Wouldn’t that be fun? And I love that they are calling it a petting zoo.
A gadget that won’t be at the “petting zoo” is a USBTypewriter. Take a look:
Your eyes and ears are not deceiving you, that is a manual typewriter being used as a computer keyboard. How fun is that?
And while we are on the subject of gadgets, I brought home You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier from the library the other day. Lanier is a “computer visionary” and the book is about the positive and negative ways the internet has changed the world.
I also brought home Reader’s Block by David Markson because I have been wanting to read Markson and he died recently. Why is it that an author’s death makes me suddenly feel compelled to read his/her books right now? How I am going to find the time to read either of these books in addition to a bunch of other books I have checked out from the library is beyond me. But not having time has never deterred me before so why should it now?
Have a good weekend everyone!
That USB typewriter is crazy!
I share the phenomenon of feeling motivated to read authors’ books right after they die – after Madeline L’Engle died I hied me to the bookstore & was genuinely surprised that they were all sold out of A Wrinkle in Time. Apparently my idea was not that original.
I do sort of miss typewriters. The sound and physical feedback from punching keys was phenomenal. I’ve read a bit about the Jaron Lanier book, and I can’t wait to read your thoughts about it.
I love that typewriter keyboard! My mom would type letters at night to earn extra money when I was little — the sound is so comforting. We have a manual typewriter at my office that gets used every once in awhile and I just love the sound.
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I’d be at the Electronic Gadgets Petting Zoo too!
I always wanted to have a typewriter. I don’t think I would buy a USB one though. But it does look like fun!
I love the USB typewriter!
Ooh, that typewriter thing looks so cool! but my husb just laughed when I showed him. I actually have an old Underwood typewriter that I picked up at a garage sale once. I used to type letters to friends on it just for fun.
I’ll be very interested to know what you make of Writer’s Block. I wrote about it earlier this year but could only do critical commentary on it as it’s one of those books that are tricky to encompass in a straight description. The typewriter takes me back! My little finger was never strong enough to get a decent ‘a’ out of one!
Emily, it was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to computerize a typewriter. I think being motivated to read recently deceased writers is a common phenomenon. When my husband worked at bookstores he was always making displays when a writer died and the books usually sold out.
Juanita, I kinda miss typewriters too. I learned to type on a manual typewriter, used my Mom’s enormous electric typewriter for all my high school papers, and had a nice little one-line “word processing” typewriter that got me through college. I hope to get to the Lanier book soon. I suspect I will both agree and disagree with him.
Daphne, there is something about the sound of a typewriter that is so much more satisfying than the sound of a computer keyboard, isn’t there?
whisperinggums, I think the petting zoo is a great idea. I have no desire for a smartphone or an iPad but that doesn’t mean I don’t want the chance to play with one and see how it works!
Iris, you must be a digital native to not ever have had a typewriter
I am tempted to go looking in antique stores for one from time to time just for the nostalgia.
Nymeth, isn’t it great? More lust-worthy than an iPad
Jeane, oh you could get the kit and convert your Underwood to a usb keyboard!
Litlove, I thought I remembered you writing about Writer’s Block. We’ll see how it goes when the time comes. LOL. that’s pretty funny about the typewriter. I have small hands but my fingers must have had more strength than I thought because I don’t recall having trouble with hitting the keys hard enough. Perhaps it was because my junior high typing teacher inspired great fear in his classes