• Typewriter Rebellion

    From MIKE POWELL@21:1/175 to ALL on Mon Apr 22 09:08:00 2024
    As someone who wouldn't mind having an old IBM electric typewriter (or comparable) but finds them to be way too expensive these days, this video
    was interesting to me. In particular, I had never thought of it but the
    one kid that mentions having ADHD and how the typewriter is better than a computer made sense.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdYPZr1Flog

    SOURCE: KPNX-TV

    I do have an old 1960s era manual typewriter that some of the keys stick on.

    Mike

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  • From Spectre@21:3/101 to MIKE POWELL on Tue Apr 23 08:38:00 2024
    As someone who wouldn't mind having an old IBM electric typewriter (or comparable) but finds them to be way too expensive these days, this video was interesting to me. In particular, I had never thought of it but the

    The ol' golfball? Selectric wasn't it? Dad use to have one, he'd typeset
    stuff on it.

    Spec


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  • From k9zw@21:1/224 to Spectre on Mon Apr 22 20:00:57 2024
    On 23 Apr 2024, Spectre said the following...

    As someone who wouldn't mind having an old IBM electric typewriter (o comparable) but finds them to be way too expensive these days, this v was interesting to me. In particular, I had never thought of it but

    The ol' golfball? Selectric wasn't it? Dad use to have one, he'd typeset stuff on it.

    IBM Selectrics are awesome to use. I had a bunch of extra balls (that is how you changed fonts). Actaully I wouldn't say no to one today.

    https://www.cryptomuseum.com/covert/bugs/selectric/ is an interesting account of how the Soviets compromised the West's IBM selectrics....

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  • From Newtype Len@21:2/148 to MIKE POWELL on Mon Apr 22 20:07:00 2024
    I found an old Selectric at work two years ago. The ribbon wasn't dry and it all actually worked. I tried to save it. Part of the building is just full of antiques that people have forgotten about, and that one was a keeper.


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  • From Spectre@21:3/101 to k9zw on Tue Apr 23 16:05:00 2024
    The ol' golfball? Selectric wasn't it? Dad use to have one, he'd

    IBM Selectrics are awesome to use. I had a bunch of extra balls (that is how you changed fonts). Actaully I wouldn't say no to one today.

    I wasn't of age to let near a typewriter... I suspect the thing was older
    than me. I believe ours had ~12 different fonts. I recall it getting used to envelope addressing, letters and as already mentioned typesetting.. He was running his own printing press business.

    Spec


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  • From MIKE POWELL@21:1/175 to SPECTRE on Tue Apr 23 09:32:00 2024
    � MP> As someone who wouldn't mind having an old IBM electric typewriter (or
    � MP> comparable) but finds them to be way too expensive these days, this video � MP> was interesting to me. In particular, I had never thought of it but the �
    � The ol' golfball? Selectric wasn't it? Dad use to have one, he'd typeset
    � stuff on it.
    ��[S=>MP]

    Yes, that is the one. Selectric rings a bell. We used those in my high
    school typing class, then later in a couple of offices I worked in. At the last office that had them, when they started surplusing them all I managed
    to hoard one away. Kept it at a desk in a storage area. We still had a
    lot of paper forms back then and it was a lot easier (and legible!) to type them up.

    Mike

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  • From MIKE POWELL@21:1/175 to NEWTYPE LEN on Tue Apr 23 09:35:00 2024
    � I found an old Selectric at work two years ago. The ribbon wasn't dry and it � all actually worked. I tried to save it. Part of the building is just full of � antiques that people have forgotten about, and that one was a keeper. ��[NL=>MP]

    Yeah I managed to keep one hidden away for a couple of years after they all
    got surplused. I left that office for a while and when I came back it was gone. :(

    Mike

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  • From Spectre@21:3/101 to MIKE POWELL on Wed Apr 24 12:24:00 2024
    Yes, that is the one. Selectric rings a bell. We used those in my high school typing class, then later in a couple of offices I worked in. At

    Used to be some kind of serial interface for them too...

    Spec


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  • From MIKE POWELL@21:1/175 to SPECTRE on Wed Apr 24 09:38:00 2024
    � MP> Yes, that is the one. Selectric rings a bell. We used those in my high � MP> school typing class, then later in a couple of offices I worked in. At �
    � Used to be some kind of serial interface for them too...
    ��[S=>MP]

    Really? I never realized that. I will have to do some google searching
    now. ;)

    Mike

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  • From Spectre@21:3/101 to MIKE POWELL on Thu Apr 25 23:51:00 2024
    Really? I never realized that. I will have to do some google searching

    Got to remember, printers were pretty primitive... 9 pin dot matrix, and
    daisy wheel jobs... if you could repurpose something that would give you
    decent text half the battle was already won. :)

    Spec


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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@21:4/122 to Spectre on Thu Apr 25 08:32:04 2024
    Re: Typewriter Rebellion
    By: Spectre to MIKE POWELL on Thu Apr 25 2024 11:51 pm

    Got to remember, printers were pretty primitive... 9 pin dot matrix, and daisy wheel jobs... if you could repurpose something that would give you decent text half the battle was already won. :)

    I remember programs that would custom-print a text file using multiple passes per line. Took forever, but you'd get slightly better results than with a cheap 9-pin printer like I had.

    I was thinking today while walking my dog about printers for some reason - thinking that to this date, one line I won't cross is sending out an invoice printed on an inkjet. It's gotta be laser, IMO, otherwise is just looks small-time.

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  • From Spectre@21:3/101 to poindexter FORTRAN on Fri Apr 26 04:53:00 2024
    I remember programs that would custom-print a text file using multiple passes per line. Took forever, but you'd get slightly better results than with a cheap 9-pin printer like I had.

    I was thinking today while walking my dog about printers for some reason - thinking that to this date, one line I won't cross is sending out an invoice printed on an inkjet. It's gotta be laser, IMO, otherwise is just looks small-time.

    Dad being the old school print guy wouldn't even entertain laser printers. A lot of his stuff was hand assembled and put through a camera for negatives.
    If something had to be scaled NONE of the printers output was smooth enough. Certainly wouldn't have looked sideways at any dot matrix for any kind of business use. So far as inkjets go... the output tends to be acceptable, but it'd depend on volume and just what you're sending. Biggest problem is most being water soluble for me...

    Spec


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  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Spectre on Thu Apr 25 12:51:37 2024
    Re: Typewriter Rebellion
    By: Spectre to poindexter FORTRAN on Fri Apr 26 2024 04:53 am

    for any kind of business use. So far as inkjets go... the output tends to be acceptable, but it'd depend on volume and just what you're sending. Biggest problem is most being water soluble for me...

    I occasioanlly print things, but don't print often enough to use an inkjet. I used to use inkjets, but I found that the ink would dry out before I'd want to print something again, so I felt like inkjets weren't really worth it for me (especially since the ink cartridges cost so much). I decided to buy a laser printer years ago (2013, I think). That laser printer finally started to have some issues a couple years ago (faint lines in the printing that I couldn't get rid of, and occasionally it just wouldn't turn on unless I unplgged its power cable for about 30 seconds and plugged it back in). I decided to buy a newer laser printer to replace it.

    Nightfox
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  • From Spectre@21:3/101 to Nightfox on Fri Apr 26 15:16:00 2024
    I occasioanlly print things, but don't print often enough to use an inkjet. I used to use inkjets, but I found that the ink would dry out

    Yeah, I haven't been near an inkjet since.... 96 maybe...an old HP DeskJet, I last saw it running at a paint store I used to work at. For the time it was better than what they had.

    They'd had a POS that used pre printed forms out of a 9" dot matrix of some generic kind. Then replaced it with some new software that couldn't use
    it without a fight, it was easier to just print entire forms.

    Spec


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