OT: New technology!

[Commander Kinsey]

Ever heard of the golf ball typewriter? This is an advert for one:

here's one filmed in slow motion:

[Commander Kinsey]

The design is quite clever:

[Peter]

It was new technology in the 1960s but now is as obsolete as a monophonic LP phonograph record. The ball was replaceable in just seconds to change fonts and the technology avoided the jammed keys you'd get on traditional typewriters when you accidentally struck two keys at the same time. Due to the much faster response time, compared to a traditional typewrite movement, excellent typists could type much faster on a Selectric than on the electric traditional typewriters that didn't use a ball head.

[angelica...]

I used those for years in the 1970s and 1980s. One of them was attached to a computer and it could record what I typed.

Cindy Hamilton

[charles]

Our office had one attached to an IBM typesetting computer. It stopped the printer when you needed to change golf balls to change the typeface.

[Dave Liquorice]

Yes.

Used to have an electronic daisy wheel typewriter.

And a Creed 75 teleprinter with a 4 layer 16 chracters/layer cylindrical print head. Character selected by vertical and rotational motion of the head that then struck the ribbon/paper. Pretty sure it was a Creed 75 that used to print the football results for Final Score in the 60's/70's. The fairly small, round, bobbing head is distinctive.

And a Teletype Model 28 teleprinter that had a "pin box" with 4 rows of 16 characters. The box moved vertically and horizontally to select the character. A hammer then whacked the back of the selected characters pin to print it.

Still have a Creed 444 teleprinter that has travelling print basket, which has a fair bit of mass and a pnematic damper to catch it when doing a carriage return.

[rbowman]

In the early '80s I rented a Selectric from an office supply place for documents that had to be a little fancier than dot matrix. When the rental term expired they showed zero interest in getting it back.

[dpb]

Made writing technical reports much simpler with the symbols -- although nothing like TeX when it came, a big step up.

We had technical typist who was phenomenal; when we got her the first PC that we figured would be even better, she was so fast she completely lockup the keyboard within the first paragraph if not sentence.

Wasn't until the AT the PC could keep up with her...

[micky]

Wow.

I myself type about 60 wpm and 4 epm. Errors per minute.

60 until I have to stop and backtrack because I made another error. Even when I slow down I make lots of errors. I think if I concentrate on what the words are, I do better, but instead I'm thinking about the next sentence.

[micky]

**Most interesting part at *******

Yes, I have one.

I found it about 20 years ago on the grass between the sidewalk and the street. It looks beautiful, and it almost works. I wanted it because I'd wanted one for years, and I told myself I needed it to fill out forms. Computers woudln't fill out forms then, but of course I could do them by hand. And I only had one or two forms a year.

I would filddle with it and get it working, and it would work for a paragraph or two and then jamb, but unlike most typewriters, I couldn't see where the jamb was.

Now it just takes up a lot of space and if I wait another 20 years, I'll be too weak to take it to the car.

I googled and found about 8 places within 75 miles that still mentioned them, and I hope to offer it to them before the cold weather. I'll deliver. Easier than wrapping.

I used to have a Royal typewriter with transparent, glass sides but I gave it to my brother.

****************

I also have an Oliver Standard Visible Typewriter, model no. 9 Made in Chicago, with English and German characters. Made between

1915 and 1920. (Still time to give it a 100th birthday party.)

It says in gold letters on the front, Keep Machine cleaned and oiled.

It has only 3 rows of keys but it has 3 symbols per key, using Shift Up for upper case and Shift Down for numbers and symbols.

It's called a Visible Typewriter because earlier ones printed on the bottom of the platen, and the typist coudln't see what was written until several lines later. This one has half the keys (the part that prints) standing up on the left and half on the right, and they lower towards the center where they make the letter, so you can see it immediately. .

When I got it 40 years ago the strap that pulls the carriage was broken. I got another one somewhere and wound up the spring-cylinder that the strap winds onto and which pulls the carriage and attached the strap. No trouble getting a ribbon. It types but not that well. I've meant to figure out the problem, maybe just needs oiling like the gold letters say, but I'm waiting until I have to type something in German.

There are several similar ones for sale. Some call it a batwing typewriter!! Didn't know that. Bidding for models 5, 9, etc. starting between $90 and 300, and one for 800 obo!

But mine's in much better condition, No rust. And all the keys work. He says some don't.

They didn't have Wikip or computers when I got this. Time to learn more about it.

for a bunch of them.

[gfretwell]

Some of that may have been the keyboard itself. The AT came with a lot better keyboard. (the buckling spring precursor to the Model M) A selectric runs at 15CPS wide open and any PC, even your old Sinclare should be able to keep up with that unless you have a software problem..

[JohnP]

"Commander Kinsey" [e-mail]> wrote in news:op.0qfktkocwdg98l@glass:

I am involved with a museum - we had a good collection of old typewriters but we struggled to get one of these IBMs as they were all chucked out and replaced with computer printers as part of a job-lot - company wide upgrade one weekend. Sometimes newer stuff gets overlooked as an interesting artifact.

[Brian Gaff]

Yes my Mother used one at work. She also had one based on a daisy wheel. IBM were the golf ball people of course. A clever idea, as it did not need the device with the letters on it to flex and hence break as daisy wheel typewriters did, but the little teeth in the drive mechanism could wear out lose teeth or jam. Atari had a little personal printer for home computers that used several bands similar to those on a date stamp as the print head which worked fine until the drive wore and the otherwise excellent alignment began to be a little wobbly!

Brian

[rbowman]

iirc, I left mine on the sidewalk as part of an informal freecycle plan. It was a rental from an office supply company and they didn't want it back.

[gfretwell]

The main problem with keeping a selectric is finding someone to maintain it and the availability of parts.

[Phil Kangas]

This has been an interesting thread about typing and how it has advanced. The one thing I find unusual is the continued use of the QWERTY layout which I think is the worst ever created. It was used to avoid the strikers jamming by a fast typist but is now obsolete. I have been using the DVORAK layout for 20 years now and it is far superior being easier to use and no carpal tunnel issues. phil k.

[Rod Speed]

The alternatives are available but few choose to use them.

[No Name]

Where can you buy a Dvorak keyboard?

All teh keyboards I have bought over the years for my Linux/Windows boxes such as Cherry, Logitech etc are all the Qwertyuiop layout...

Ditto for Macs, where can I get a Dvorak Mac keyboard?

How long does it take to learn Dvorak?

S.

[angelica...]

You don't need a Dvorak keyboard if you're a touch typist. You can get software to reprogram your QWERTY keyboard.

I already can type too fast on a QWERTY keyboard. My accuracy is crap now that I don't have to use correction fluid.

Cindy Hamilton

[Ed Pawlowski]

I was a better typist in high school than now. Errors were rare and if you were making a couple of carbon copies, a real PITA to correct. It kept you more alert. I can still do 40 wpm but now have to go back and correct more.