Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Lazy blogging: from the newsdesk

A few instances of typewriters in the news lately:

From the crime desk, a brief item on a typewriter being used to forge W-2 forms in Mississippi, and some details on the sparse offices of suspected Ponzi schemer, Allen Stanford. Remember people, if typewriters are outlawed, then only outlaws will have typewriters. Unless they can't.

On the literary front, a number of sites marked the passing of Christy Nolan, who managed to peck out novels despite sever mobility problems from cerebral palsy. From the article:

With the exception of email, which allowed Nolan to communicate more freely than before, the technological developments of recent years were of little help to him: his keyboard touch was too heavy, and, besides, he enjoyed the sound and rhythm of the typewriter.


Other aficionados include Pearl S. Buck. Her typewritten manuscript for The Good Earth is about to go on display. Contemporary raconteur Kinky Friedman likes to cause a little trouble with his typewriter:

Q: What do you never leave home without?

A: Cigars, No. 1, and a couple of good books. That's about it. I'm a pretty simple, Gandhi-like man. If I'm working or editing, I bring the typewriter. I carry it on the plane, and it makes me look like a mad scientist. People think it's some high-tech computer. Especially young people who've never seen a typewriter.


Finally, a bit of celebrity gossip, the fact that Tom Hanks is a typewriter collector (known to members of the portable typewriters group for a while now.) Reportedly he's got around 100, and my first reaction to this news was, "that's it?"

Wired news picked up on the Chinese typewriter but I think they've been scooped by about 70 years. If Eastern languages baffle you, though, you can still set up shop in your local gallery and churn out some poetry. I'm all for the starving artist, but you think this guy could invest in a slightly better machine.

2 comments:

Mike Speegle said...

You say lazy, but I say that this was just what I needed today.

Duffy Moon said...

Didn't know that about Tom Hanks.

Lotta good stuff here, Mike.

I made Brookpark Middle School's most awesome stick-person flip-art in the margins of my copy of "The Good Earth." Still have it. The next time I have several hours to spare, I'll scan that bad boy.