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Typewriters


Is it redundant to say vintage typewriters? After all, who sells new typewriters these days? For that matter, has anyone invented a new model recently?

A girlfriend and I stumbled across this display of typewriters in Downtown Los Altos, California last week. They all looked spic and span. I don't think my fingers are strong enough to make the keys go clickity clack.


We have three, maybe four, portable typewriters in the house. One is an electric, two (or one) are (or is) Brother typewriters from the late 1960s, and one is a very old, but not ancient, clunky typewriter like the ones you see in black and white movies. I bought that in a garage sale, thinking I'd use it. Ha! It needed a lot of cleaning so I put it back in its accompanying case. I have no idea where it is now.


I took a typing class in high school, which was one of two classes that I learned skills I still use today. The teacher roamed around the classroom, making sure we did not peek at our hands as we typed. He also made sure we had perfect posture. Except for the numeral 5 and 6 keys, I can type without looking at my hands, even when I'm slumped on my chair.


Today, I'm linking up at Our World Tuesday. Click here to see what bloggers are sharing about their part of the world.

Comments

  1. Those typewriters are adorable!

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    Replies
    1. I was fawning over them just like I was the baby sheep. LOL!

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  2. I remember the days when my father used the type writer.

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  3. I used typewriters in my day and remember my fingers getting sore:) I never took typewriting and type with 2 fingers

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    1. I was always amazed at folks who could type proficiently with 2 fingers. I suppose I could if I hadn't taken the typewriting class.

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  4. Great pics of the 'vintage typewriters' ~ Fun post and pics from your world!

    Wishing you a wonder filled week,
    artmusedog and carol

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  5. Susie,

    I remember how excited my eldest children were when we bought a secondhand typewriter many years ago. We didn't have a computer at the time, and this was their first experience of tapping out all the stories they were composing in their heads.

    I always loved hearing the ting of the bell as I reached the end of a line of typing, and the zing of the carriage returning, so I could begin a new one. Computers don't sound nearly so good!

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    1. I bet there's an app with the sound a bell and the zing for the computer keyboard. I forgot about that zing. I haven't been prolific with storytelling on the computer as I was on the typewriter. One of the reasons why I bought the old typewriter. Now, I think that I would get frustrated over crossing out typos.

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  6. I started typing just as electric typewriters became popular ... thankfully. My first was a daisy wheel with interchangeable fonts. I thought it was the height of technological sophistication!

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    1. Oooh, the daisy wheel. I was very grateful when the electric typewriter had that whiteout paper for correcting typos right on the wheel. And that whiteout liquid was heaven.

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    2. I never waited quite long enough for the whiteout to dry properly!

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  7. Aside from the display you visited, your words could have come from me. We have an old manual typewriter and an electric - neither of which I can bear to get rid of but you are correct, I probably would need to retrain the fingers to push the keys. And I have often said my typing class and drivers ed. were the two skill classes that have consistently been used the most by me. I recall my typing teacher not only checking posture but the position of the feet on the floor, the right foot was to be slightly in front of the left (and not wrapped around the chair as so many of us did) Great post!

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    1. Thank you! I forgot about driver's ed. So, I must amend myself and say that I had 3 classes which taught me life-long skills. The other one was journalism.

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  8. Love seeing these old typewriters. I had a few in the past.

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    1. It's always funny to hear little kids ask their adult, "What is that?" when seeing a typewriter for the first time.

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  9. I recall reading that when typewriters became electrified, secretaries gained weight!

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  10. These old typewriters bring back bad memories ! I often had an inflammation in my wrists, was I happy when we got electric once !

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    Replies
    1. Bummer, Gattina. Yes, I was quite happy when electric portables were affordable. Now, I wonder what ever happened to mine.

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