A visit to Berkeley Typewriter & the Dayton type-in

The Berkeley Typewriter storefront:

Joe and Ken:

This ancient Remington no. 6 purrs like a kitten after Joe's ministrations:

I just love the color of this Empress.

Hermes Ambassador. Ken and I agreed that it's ugly but impressive:

Here's a spectacular gift from Tom Hanks (who called it a Selectric but we'll let that slide):

A couple of Olivers hanging out:

Every kind of ribbon you could want:

Yes, Ken uses WD-40. He says it's great and causes no problems if applied lightly.

I'd never heard of charcoal lighter as a cleaner. Ken sings its praises. Good thing he doesn't smoke.

Some Valentines stick out:

A '50s Smith-Corona electric portable getting a spa treatment:

A Personal Selectric getting overhauled:

Lots of special characters on this Olympia:

A typewritten portrait of Steve Jobs by Kelye Kneeland features text from the notorious "no more typewriters" memo in the background:

The Human Words Project

Here's the abstract of Chris's talk:

“To Feel the Meaning": A Manual Typewriter Intervention Toward Authentic Written Language 

This workshop will be a facilitated encounter with mid-century manual typewriters as an exploration of the limits and affordances of machine-mediated analog text creation. Beginning with [Susanne] Langer’s 1957 tripartite definition of "living form"--dynamism, organism, and rhythm (p. 53) --the experience will consider what "authentic" written language is in the age of ChatGPT. The presenter will bring several exquisite manual typewriters from their personal collection for participant use during the workshop, and will make them available in the lounge for the duration of the conference for those who wish to experience them further individually. This typewriter encounter with the dynamic, organic, and rhythmic qualities of analog text creation will invite a renewal of our relation to language, and a re-engagement with previously-settled and newly-urgent questions about why we ask our students to write at all.

PS: Check out Chris's blog.

 

New 3D-printed elements for the IBM Selectric

Dave Hayden's website, including installation tips

His shop

3D-printed Blick typewheels