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First typewriter safari of 2024
Today I visited a couple of local antique malls and spotted the following typewriters.I've seen photos of the Tomy's Tutor Typer before, but don't think I've actually tried one before today. Note how...
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A new frontier in fake typewriters
My eye was just caught by this item on eBay. It's a contemporary agglomeration based on an old clock and an Ideal-keyboard Hammond typewriter, like this one from Geoff Flash's collection.The intricacy...
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I'm a star in Saskatoon
Well, sorta.Many bits of my recent conversation with reporter Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix (now there's a proper newspaper name for you) made it into his recent article. There's even a...
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Changing of the typewriter guard in Missouri
Jones Typewriter Co. is—or rather, was—a St. Louis institution, full of the glorious chaos that I know from my own workshop. At least, so I understand; sadly, I never got the opportunity to visit the...
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An Imperial telegrapher's typewriter
Thanks to Leicester Museum and Galleries for permission to publish these photos of an extraordinary Imperial portable, made in Leicester. This is a Model T, serial 2N 634 (1940), with a three-row...
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One weird trick for making a cotter pin
The left Magic Margin stop on a customer's Royal Quiet De Luxe wasn't working. When I peeked at it, the problem was evident.I removed the carriage's back panel and took a closer look.Evidently, the...
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Jewett no. 2 typewriter
This 1895 Jewett no. 2 is a recent addition to my collection. I haven't bought a 19th-century typewriter for years—much less a big one—but this was so pretty that I couldn't resist. It's in near-mint...
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WCPO story on WordPlay Cincy and Urban Legend Typewriters
Kristen Skovira of local TV station WCPO visited my basement last week for a story on WordPlay Cincy, the kids' creative writing center that my typewriter repair work helps to support.You can see the...
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Vinukonda
I was paging through the first volume of my journal today and was delighted to find this story, written by hand on February 8, 1982. I had forgotten its details and didn't know whether a copy still...
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My interview on Techtonic
Mark Hurst interviewed me on Techtonic, his great show about the dangers of big tech, on April 15. You can hear the interview here (click on "Pop-up player"):https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/138921
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Free Thoughts (with a Blick)
My friend and I continued our end-of-the-academic-year tradition for one last time, before she's off to a tenure-track position in Minnesota.This time, I ramped up the eccentricity by typing on my 1912...
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Mark Hurst on robots vs. typewriters
Typewriter robot, as generated by a robot (Midjourney)Mark Hurst, who recently interviewed me for his show Techtonic, has come up with the following list of ten differences between robots and...
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Want to run a typewriter shop?
This is Tom Furrier, owner of the beloved Cambridge Typewriter in Arlington, Massachusetts. You may have read his blog or seen that Tom Hanks gave him a machine.Tom is ready to retire, and he'd like to...
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A visit to TB Writers Plus
I'm currently in the middle of a four-day writing retreat generously sponsored by Xavier Universty. They house 35 faculty at a Marianist retreat center in suburban Dayton, Ohio, feed us, and give us...
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Cincinnati type-in celebrates Woz Flint's “The Distraction-Free First Draft"
This happened a few weeks ago (April 22), but it's still worth recording on this blog. Woz Flint, of Albuquerque, has (type)written a delightful little book about the joys and advantages of composing...
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A wooden typewriter kit
For those who've built their Lego typewriter and are looking for a new challenge, here's a neat concept.More evidence of the continuing popularity of typewriters in the 21st century!
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Fumio Yoshimura's wooden typewriters
Yesterday's post reminded me of Japanese-American sculptor Fumio Yoshimura and his wooden typewriters.This sculpture from 1972 is called "Alger Hiss' Woodstock Typewriter." The depressed keys reflect...
View ArticlePhilly Typewriter starts a trade school
We have reached a notable moment in the history of typewriters in the 21st century. Philly Typewriter has just graduated its first certified typewriter technician, Ryan Anderson, and is now officially...
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