one typist in the 21st century

one typist in the 21st century

Monday, January 2, 2012

Travel diary



PS: Thanks to Bill M for sending me a replacement knob for my Royal!

PPS: This is what a Noiseless (not Remington/Underwood Noiseless) Portable looks like, for those who aren't familiar with it. Mine isn't working terribly well, unfortunately.

Typed by Richard P at 1:01 PM

11 comments:

  1. rnJanuary 2, 2012 at 2:36 PM

    I'm glad the Royal got some well-deserved adoration. I flew to Maine & back a few weeks ago with my Groma Kolibri and it didn't get even a raised eyebrow from the screeners at La Guardia or Portland. Nor did it didn't get any props at the place I was staying, as they had a sweet L.C. Smith machine that Edna St. Vincent Millay had supposedly used -- https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-A4gR92qXACQ/S-4TwKt_ZQI/AAAAAAAAdoM/u-uDXRo9fBI/s720/PICT0044.JPG -- in the lobby. The Groma's awfully cute, but I guess it doesn't quite have what it takes to be featured in the centerfold.

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  2. Richard PJanuary 2, 2012 at 4:20 PM

    rn, I'm surprised the Kolibri didn't get more love. Usually people find them adorable.

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  3. maschinengeschriebenJanuary 2, 2012 at 4:32 PM

    I wouldn't have ever imagined you could still use a typewriter on a plane, after all this post-9/11 paranoia.
    I've discovered Tolkien over the holidays and I'm just reading the "Hobbit" (in german) but in the BBC-Book documentary Rob posted they also mentioned SSTLS - Is it a good read?

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  4. Richard PJanuary 2, 2012 at 4:44 PM

    SSTLS is very clever and I did enjoy it. I felt, though, that it could have been cut by 50% -- satire needs to be swift (and Swiftian).

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  5. CameronJanuary 2, 2012 at 5:35 PM

    You write:

    "All we can do is open little bubbles, whether private or public, where a few of us reestablish contact for a few moments with mechanism and flesh."

    Beautifully put!

    A very Happy New Year to you.

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  6. Bill MJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:21 PM

    Glad you had a nice trip. Good to see you could still carry a typewriter on board.

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  7. Rob BowkerJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:29 PM

    Duder (duder?), you heard how scarce lithium is these days? Must keep those bubbles inflated. Love The Noiseless, the definite article says it all.

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  8. notagainJanuary 2, 2012 at 9:57 PM

    Great post. I'm glad to see more of the typosphere at least bringing their irons along. I love the "that's cool!" reactioins. TSA screeners were good to me as well. I was asked if I was a writer and enjoyed saying my novel was not yet published. It's a very delicate question whether to type on the plane. last time I couldn't because I was on redeyes both ways.

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  9. speculatorJanuary 3, 2012 at 7:52 AM

    Bravo!
    All of us could really compare notes- from our respective corners of the world- and find we're getting a lot of consistently positive reactions. I type in coffeehouses, library atriums, on Amtrak trains, and ferry boats. People love the sound as well as the look of typewriters. And- just about everyone has a typewriter story (after just about everyone asks me where I find ribbons)!

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  10. CrystalJanuary 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM

    I've had only positive reactions so far from typing in public. Thanks for sharing your airport typing experiences with us!

    I love Haruki Murakami! Have you read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle?

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  11. Richard PJanuary 3, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    I haven't read it, Crystal -- thanks for the recommendation.

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