I keep trying to fix my typewriter

http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1307387319l/218858.jpg

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My current laptop screen shot:

And wasn’t it a profitable investment to have in one’s stock portfolio back then?

For sure if you bought before the war. Afterwards it was mainly a stable investment that grew reliably. Now of course it is heading for oblivion, losing every year for the last 5 and dropping quite a lot the last 2 months. A modern mehitabel would surely be singing a lament for her lost savings.

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My first thought when I saw the pic of the giant typewriter was “I want to try jump-typing and pretend I’m Archy.”

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That is sooo cool!

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Yes! Although I know i’d spend a big chunk of time wondering if I could wedge the shift key down with a deflated basketball or something, to avoid the whole e e cummings thing…

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When I went to university near Toronto in the latter half of the 80s, compsci and math students were still scrambling for summer jobs at Big Blue. But a few intrepid souls were flying out West to work for a still smallish company called Microsoft. Many of those students are, needless to say, now rich and retired.

Edit: I, a physics student, went to work at a nuclear lab. Luckily, owing to the massive worldwide uptake of nuclear power in the 90s that curbed potential climate change, I too am rich and retired … plus I don’t have to explain to my kids how we screwed up the atmosphere. [Wakes up from lucid dream …] Damn, I’m a software developer renting in Vancouver where the rising ocean threatens to consume my neighbourhood.

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California Typewriter will do a great job, I’m certain. By the way, the shop is at the center of a new documentary: http://californiatypewritermovie.com.

Here’s mine:


It’s a Smith-Corona Silent-Super, vintage uncertain. (Meaning, I don’t want to look it up right now.) Everything works, no skipping, jamming, or anything.

I got it from a friend who was going to just throw it away. I figure in twenty years or so, it might actually be worth something, but probably not enough to make me part with it. Who knows, maybe I’ll write a Great American Novel on it.

Okay, I’m not doing that, as evidenced by the “maybe”. But I still think it’s a cool thing to have.

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And if it does jam it has that nifty clear button.

This is the typewriter I grew up with.

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lovely-looking machine.
i bought an olivetti dora last week at the local op shop. it’s in immaculate condition. worked flawlessly straight out of the case. lovely sensation to do bit of typing.

have you ever noticed that no artist draws mehitabel as described by archy

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No, I can’t say as I have. But I do like George Herriman’s work.

Me too! But Mehitabel is a rugged old gal, supposed to have a game leg and at least one ragged ear.

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From what I just looked at on Google, she either looks like Krazy Kat’s sister, or a feline version of Mam’zelle Hepzibah from “Pogo Possum”. I see your point. And dig this:

https://bookpage.com/interviews/8695-michael-sims#.WRof6bhO-uI

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That was very interesting, thank you! I had no idea all those things were connected.

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You’re most welcome! I didn’t either. I Googled Garth Williams, and saw in the blurb under one of the results the Mr. Maquis’s name, so I clicked on that one, read it, and wow!

See, originally, I’d thought of the cat (Harry) in “The Cricket of Times Square”, which was illustrated by Mr. Williams. This was after you’d mentioned the appearance of mehitabel. I wondered, “Hmmm, did Garth Williams ever draw her?”, and went from there.

P.S. & off-topic, I used to have a “Peace” t-shirt, re your avatar.

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