Olympian brainstorm no. 2: typing as ascetic practice

Here's the second brainstorm that developed on my Olympia SF this Wednesday.

These "brainstorms" are explorations of an idea. The idea isn't necessarily something I believe, and it certainly isn't necessarily true, but I want to see where it goes. The typewriter helps by keeping me moving forward: no editing, no take-backs. (In contrast, this word-processed paragraph has gone through several fussy revisions.) So the idea gets blurted out and developed. Self-criticism can wait for another day.

Olympian brainstorm no. 1: meaning as friction

Why did I pack an Olympia SF and a MacBook Pro to bring to a dance competition in Tennessee, where my daughter is performing in five numbers? So that at idle moments I could take the time to reflect via typewriter, and share the results with the typosphere. (I've also typed up a couple of Insurgency cards, for those special occasions.) Here's the first brainstorm, for whatever it's worth; the next will come online in a couple of days.

Electriting

A year ago I showed readers my new Woodstock Electrite, which I thought I couldn't get to work.

It turned out that even though the motor says DC, it is a universal motor. When I plugged it into AC power with a good new cord, the typewriter sprang to life! Then I promptly busted it. (Expert tip: do not stick your finger in front of the moving typebars of an Electrite. Not only will it hurt your finger, but you can break the teeth on a crucial gear.)

Recently I bought a replacement motor, taken from an Electrite that failed to sell on eBay. It was different: various features had been changed on this newer motor, generally for the better. This motor came sans wiring. I'll spare you the details, but I ended up connecting the electric heart of the old motor to the gear assembly of the new one, lubricated with new grease. Now the typewriter can type again. In fact, it types powerfully enough to punch holes in the paper. It would make 10 copies if you needed them.

For Typewriter Day, I'd like to show you this contraption in action.