Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/02/15/spuds-for-everything.html
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The is a delightful device. I like the printer.
I tried something like this as a writing aid. I had a keyboard talking to a tablet running a Google Doc. I found that the lack of mouse was very difficult to work around. Apparently my writing process involves quite a bit of reordering, reading back from higher in the text, and cursor placement. And I like keyboard shortcuts. Even with the touchscreen able to (kind of) place the cursor or scroll, I couldn’t get into flow in this setup.
Going to locations without wifi, on the other hand, I found to be a powerful brain hack.
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I like the receipt-paper printer. I often long for this when I want to get a shopping list out of my phone. Also, it seems like a roll of receipt paper would be the proper medium for sketching web wireframes for mobile layouts…
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Or, wild idea, you could just buy a typewriter. But this is a solution, I’ll admit it.
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Isn’t there a way to plug a mouse into an Android tablet and get a cursor? I vaguely remember a demo some time ago where someone did that.
This eInk contraption seems to have several drawbacks in the design. While yes some of it is intentional, the slow update on the eInk screen necessitating a second screen seems like a pretty dreadful design compromise that would have been unnecessary if he had just gone with a boring old LCD from the start.
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Yes, you can totally plug a USB mouse into an Android phone or tablet. At least the ones I have. It’s an important trick to have in your arsenal if you break the screen and digitizer. Being able to plug a mouse in can help you access the contents of your device even if the digitizer is broken.
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I don’t know whether you can type on these stand-alone or if you need a mainframe.
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I really don’t understand the obsession with all these minimalist text entry devices.
Yes, I can see how some people need to be denied access to the internet on their writing device or they will distract themselves instead of writing. Whereas if I tried to write without internet access I’d just generate an ever growing list of things I needed to research or fact check.
But why, why in the name of all that is holy would you want to use what sounds basically like a glorified line editor instead of a real word processor? Typewriters are an abandoned relic of a more primitive era for a very damn good reason.
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Dunno, as do-it-yourself projects, they seem like a good way to do a simple project that’s actually achievable. However, in the commercial realm they often seem like an excuse to create a lackluster software or hardware product, claiming the lack of features, that would cost money to develop, is a feature and not a bug.
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“Look at this gadget I made that will help me with my creative writing” strikes me as a very elaborate form of cat polishing, aka, procrastination to avoid actually doing your creative writing. THink of all the pages you could have typed in the dozens of hours you spent designing, making, and debugging that gadget.
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But then, what would you write about?
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Or you can get the commercial produced hipster version, the Freewrite (née Hemingwrite): https://getfreewrite.com/products/freewrite-smart-typewriter
Got one from their kickstarter back in the day. Thoroughly enjoy it.
You could find on ebay ot in a pawn shop a lot of typewriters, mechanica typewiters don’t need electricity to work and mos of them are pretty reliable, I have a couple of Olivetti typewriter made in the 1950s that are still working. If you want a more ergonomic experience if you are lucky you can still find some new old stock electronic portable typewriter
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I’ve never heard this phrase, but I love it. Instead of writing tonight, I’m going to look into starting a cat polishing business to help others fight procrastination.
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I’m more used to hearing it as cat vacuuming - but either way the cat should be wary when there’s procrastination going on.
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Ooo, I wonder if I’ll actually be the first to bring up the AlphaSmart series this time. Portable word processors mass-produced in the education market, they’re plentiful selling used for US$30-40. Most have no internet capability, can print to nearly any printer with a USB port, and can output to any computing device capable of recognizing a USB keyboard. What’s even better is they can last for a year on 3 AA batteries.
Downsides are the LCD screen can be difficult to see in some lighting situations and is at a fixed angle, there’s no easy way to get existing text onto the device, while the keyboard is pretty good it’s not the best, and it’s not really meant for editing.
While it’s a good device and I love my Neo model, there’s room for other devices to exist happily. I just like pointing out they’re cheap and accessible.
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Position a big Fresnel lens in front of the display… and think of Brazil.
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Ah, you beat me. Mine just resurfaced in my sea freight after a move, and I’m so happy to have it back.
Perhaps a dicey analogy, but oil paint is still very much a medium for creating paintings. Genuine creativeness knows no boundaries. I believe the e-ink typewriter was a labor of love, and therefore released from any obligation to subjective practicalities.
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Perhaps he’s multi-talented and wants to satisfy more than one urge. It’s not as if he’s promised us his next article or book.
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