I am usually slow to notice trends. A few years ago, I was probably the last person on earth to learn that there was a subculture called "hipsters" that was being associated with typewriters.
As for podcasts, I vaguely thought they were a circa-2000 phenomenon, associated with the original iPod. But I've been hearing a lot more about them over the last year, and I've started to listen to a few while driving or repairing typewriters (usually I do not do all three activities simultaneously). Of course, quality varies, but in principle, podcasts are an ideal use of the Internet—not unlike blogs. Both blogs and podcasts offer the individual creator a lot of control, and the opportunity for the audience to encounter an extensive creation without being deluged by ads or swallowed up in a feed of other stuff.
Typewriters, too, are part of the podcast universe. Here are a few notes on three such efforts:
TYPE O + VE (pronounced Typo-positive) is produced by Australian Scott Kernaghan, also author of the blog The Filthy Platen. Scott works at a hospital and is a busy man, so his episodes aren't frequent, but they are all interesting. They include interviews and "Filthy Labs," where Scott delves into materials and techniques for typewriter maintenance and repair.
Typewriter Rodeo is a frequent mini-podcast from a successful poetry-typing team from Austin, Texas. Each little episode is a recitation of one of their poems. They've also published a great book!
Austin Typewriter, Ink. is another podcast from the Texas capital, featuring Everitto, The Shy, and Gimmeit. This local group has shown wonderful enthusiasm and initiative recently; check out their website and Facebook page. The podcast is being published about once a week, and it's infectious fun, with lots of joking around and personal stories, plus hard-core geeking about all things typewriterly. This is the "Car Talk" of typewriters.
What other podcasts are out there? Qwerty Rotten Scoundrels seems to have disappeared. Other podcasts have "typewriter" in their titles but aren't really about the machines we love.
As I was composing this post, I discovered that Ted Munk recently wrote about this topic, too. I encourage you to check out his words of wisdom.
As for podcasts, I vaguely thought they were a circa-2000 phenomenon, associated with the original iPod. But I've been hearing a lot more about them over the last year, and I've started to listen to a few while driving or repairing typewriters (usually I do not do all three activities simultaneously). Of course, quality varies, but in principle, podcasts are an ideal use of the Internet—not unlike blogs. Both blogs and podcasts offer the individual creator a lot of control, and the opportunity for the audience to encounter an extensive creation without being deluged by ads or swallowed up in a feed of other stuff.
Typewriters, too, are part of the podcast universe. Here are a few notes on three such efforts:
TYPE O + VE (pronounced Typo-positive) is produced by Australian Scott Kernaghan, also author of the blog The Filthy Platen. Scott works at a hospital and is a busy man, so his episodes aren't frequent, but they are all interesting. They include interviews and "Filthy Labs," where Scott delves into materials and techniques for typewriter maintenance and repair.
Typewriter Rodeo is a frequent mini-podcast from a successful poetry-typing team from Austin, Texas. Each little episode is a recitation of one of their poems. They've also published a great book!
Austin Typewriter, Ink. is another podcast from the Texas capital, featuring Everitto, The Shy, and Gimmeit. This local group has shown wonderful enthusiasm and initiative recently; check out their website and Facebook page. The podcast is being published about once a week, and it's infectious fun, with lots of joking around and personal stories, plus hard-core geeking about all things typewriterly. This is the "Car Talk" of typewriters.
What other podcasts are out there? Qwerty Rotten Scoundrels seems to have disappeared. Other podcasts have "typewriter" in their titles but aren't really about the machines we love.
As I was composing this post, I discovered that Ted Munk recently wrote about this topic, too. I encourage you to check out his words of wisdom.
