tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post6672386497726610247..comments2024-03-25T15:02:25.695+11:00Comments on oz.Typewriter: There Must Be 32 Ways Of Losin' the Typewriter Blues That I Got From Lovin' YouRobert Messengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-88333175171487325142019-01-14T21:27:54.655+11:002019-01-14T21:27:54.655+11:00Thanks Bill, John and Richard.
John, good point ab...Thanks Bill, John and Richard.<br />John, good point about 10-finger typing. But it got me thinking on an entirely different tact - nothing to do with your very valid comments - about whether there's a difference people who merely type with typewriters and those who USE typewriters, in the sense they know how to use them to get the most out of them, regardless of model. The 10-finger typists I've seen in action among bloggers, like Richard P and Jasper Lindell, type beautifully but also know how to use typewriters, because they understand the beasts with all their quirks. Jasper and I once had a side-splitting experience with another blogger, who pontificates about different models yet very clearly didn't know to actually USE a typewriter. With print newspaper journalists, it was never a case of simply typing stories, but USING the machine to its utmost capacity. Of course, that most notably included speed. Does this make any sense? <br />Robert Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-709607471066451512019-01-10T12:29:09.443+11:002019-01-10T12:29:09.443+11:00Clearly, your 32 was the right machine for your ne...Clearly, your 32 was the right machine for your needs for a long time. I can certainly understand a lifelong fondness.<br /><br />My own "machine to save in a fire" would, of course, be the first one I ever owned, my Remington Noiseless Portable no. 7. I have many more valuable typewriters in terms of money, but none more valuable in terms of sentiment.Richard Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16232053429935587826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-69941388209589218522019-01-10T03:16:17.088+11:002019-01-10T03:16:17.088+11:00The Magnificent Seven! The superior second edition...<i>The Magnificent Seven!</i> The superior second edition? I can't wait!<br /><br />I've only typed on a very few Olivettis. By great good fortune, I have a taupe, round-keyed Lettera 22 that's virtually identical to the first typewriter I ever typed on: my mother's Lettera 22, which she must have purchased or received about that time that she graduated from college in 1951. I love the way they look, the way they smell (!), and the bold, interesting type that they produce. But both have a peculiarly spongy feel to the keys—the feeling that, even though the typebar has struck the platen, the key still has a way to go, and that instead of a firm stopping point, there's only a feeling of increasing resistance. I know that these machines are tough, but I can't escape the feeling that if I were to test that resistance and type with too much careless strength, I'd bend the key and render it unusable. It's disconcerting. Does this match the feel of the Letteras that you've used? The only other Olivetti that I've typed on was a Studio 44, which was entirely different.<br /><br />Perhaps it's not incidental that I'm a ten-finger typist, while you and Will Self are two-finger typists. Or perhaps it is. I only know that I find I really need a feeling of finality when I press a key to be comfortable. It's the only factor that keeps my love affair with the Lettera 22 from being nearly as strong as yours with the 32, and it's a significant one.John Cooperhttp://atypeofmadness.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-46119122282358624432019-01-09T22:42:14.501+11:002019-01-09T22:42:14.501+11:00Even though I do n ot use it often, and it is not ...Even though I do n ot use it often, and it is not a typewriter to use for travel or hours on end; If the house caught fire I'd have to grab the Hammond Multiplex. For a full featured nice to use typewriter thought probably a ??? I do not know. Too many choices, but good fodder for a future post on my blog.Bill Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14649212489891769390noreply@blogger.com