I dream lo-tech

Fully booked in Chicago: O'Gara & Wilson

2012-02-25T15:49:00.008-06:00

Stepping into O'Gara & Wilson feels like time travelling to 1937, the year the business opened. It has the vintage design elements and feel down pat. Even the storekeeper looks like an import from a bygone era. It reminds me of the Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris," where the central character- a writer, of course- boards a mysterious vintage car and time travels to the 1920s, the period he considers the literary/artistic golden age.

You might have guessed what I thought of this piece of lo-tech;

at first glance, I thought it was an Edison mimeograph

typewriter or something. It turned out to be an Ideal

Stencil Machine from the early 1900s.

Bison head anyone? Having this looming over

your head as you browse is a tad disquieting.

A vintage camera seems to be "costume de rigueur" for antiquarian bookstores. The design of the gold leaf (?) cabinet on the right is just stunning. I should have asked how much it costs, if it's for sale at all. Not that I can afford to buy it or anything.

Oh... lo siento, Dom Serafin, perdone que le moleste pero... you aren't real!

I couldn't get a close-up, some boxes obstructed

the view, but I found this on their website.

So creepy, I love it!

I asked the storekeeper Rory Preston the question, "What is the most costly book on the floor?" He brought out a pristine looking leather bound copy of Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" (Boston: Thomas & Andrews, 1792). Price: $3,000.00.

Rory has been working here for more than a year now. He has a degree in Philosophy from UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago); obviously, he loves books. And bookbinding. What typewriters are to typospherians is what bookbinding is to Rory. With a surge of passion that breaks through his initially formal bearing, he shares about the art and skill it takes to do bookbinding restoration. He talks about coating the leather spine with egg white prior to embossing with gold leaf. He mentions the lack of vintage tools that are now sourced from ebay and etsy.

And he makes clear that he does not try to look "retro" in keeping with the theme of the bookstore, that is his normal style.

He is also just 23 years old.

I find it fascinating that while his peers are now putzing around on their iPads and Kindles, Rory has taken the road less travelled. He chose books. Books he can leaf through. Books he can smell. Books that don't crash when he drops them. And yes, books that give him the opportunity to practice the exceptional art of bookbinding.

After a trip to O'Gara & Wilson, I'm a bit more bullish about the survival of printed books. And bookstores.

* Visit O'Gara & Wilson online.
* Many thanks again to Rory Preston for his openness. As promised, the next time I visit, I will actually buy something. ( :
* Typecast via Remington Portable Model 1

lo-tech type-in: a surprise guest

2012-02-22T09:46:00.017-06:00

CHRISTOPHER

Filmmaker & Motorcycle Typer

Ton, thetypewriter in the photo is a 1959 Olympia SM3. Got it for $55 from Craiglist here locally in Los Angeles. I also own the following:

Hermes Baby, 1951

Royal Quiet De Luxe, 1948
Hermes 3000 with techno font, 1968
Olivetti Lettera 35, 1972ish
Olivetti Lettera 22m 1964ish
Royal Royalite that I just won on ebay

I write freeform journal entries more or less everyday, mostly on the Olympia. The Quiet De Luxe needs some work, but it types very well. The Hermes 3000 is the easiest to type on, but I can get the Baby in my backpack, which is important because I ride a motorcycle. Sometimes I take the Hermes Baby to Griffith Park with me. Machine I want- Groma Kolibri with the "Occupied USSR" stamp on the back, QWERTY keyboard.

Best,

CHRISTOPHER LOCKETT
Filmmaker, "The Typewriter in the 21st Century"

Los Angeles

The last thing a sleep-deprived filmmaker
in the thick of post-production work
needs is to be asked to take photos of himself.
Chris, many thanks for indulging my
disruptive request. Your participation in this
lo-tech type-in is an encouragement and
inspiration to the Typosphere.

A QWERTY Groma Kolibri with the
"Occupied USSR" stamp. Exciting!
When you do find your holy grail,
let us know.

Christopher's documentary, which features a number of our esteemed typospherians, is nearing completion and we're all thrilled about it. Wouldn't it be great if we could all make it to the premiere and hold a massive type-in at the theater lobby?

For more info on the docu, check out the link at the right box under "Typewriter News." And in the meantime, let's re-visit the trailer:

lo-tech type-in Chicago

2012-02-17T21:01:00.023-06:00

ADWOA

Geneva's Typewriter Diva

From the astonishing typewriters she periodically spots in flea markets- machines with distinctive European names like Swissa, Scheidegger, Brosette, Rooy, Maritsa 22 -to a Hermes 3000 she recently rescued from a neighbor's trash, no typewriter escapes the eye of Adwoa Bagalini. It helps, of course, that she lives in Geneva, which is reputed to be the capital of the Typosphere because of the proliferation of typewriter finds in that city. Adwoa's collection is among the most handsome (not to mention the most envied) in the Typosphere. Her blog Retro Tech Geneva is a joy to read- always sensible, well-researched, and yes, bursting at the seams with Class-A typewriters. Here, Adwoa uses a find from Austria- an exquisite 1956 Rheinmetall KST. So luminous. Both of them.

FERNANDO

Portuguese Man o' War

The last time we heard, Fernando Antunes of Oporto, Portugal, was fighting to revive the badly damaged Consul 212 he bought from an auction. The typospherian's nightmare- an inadequately packed and shipped typewriter -was the source of his conundrum. But through gritted teeth, Fernando declared, "So tomorrow, I'm going to grab pliers and fix the damn machine!" In the hands of the fighting typospherian, the Consul 212 will have to die another day. Follow his battle in Maquinas de Outrora. As seen in the pic above, Fernando is typing on the Triumph Gabriele he bought last November.

RICHARD

Typewriter Jedi Master

Richard Polt will consistently deny it but he is the the high priest of Typospheria. His website The Classic Typewriter Page and blog Writing Ball attest to this. Always willing to share his vast typewriter knowledge (he has "amassed" 197 typewriters, 'nuff said) to lesser mortals (read: lo-tech folks), I officially call him Richard Wan Kenobi. Richard is the chair of the Philosophy Dept. at Xavier University in Cincinnati and that means tension, "creative tension," that is. "I think I've spent about 90% of my free time since the academic year ended on typewriters, and 10% on research. I might need to change that proportion," he good-naturedly wrote in an email exchange we had last summer. Of course, the Typosphere won't complain about the disproportion. As you see in his photo, Richard chose a scarlet 1938 Olivetti MP1, which he purchased from ebay-Italia five years ago. No mean feat considering the typewriter superabundance we see in the background. Mike Speegle interviewed Richard and posted it on his blog; the link to that piece appears in the write-up on Mike below.

MIKE

The Closet Writer.

Literally.

For the sake of the unacquainted, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, "thirty days and nights of writing abandon" that happens each November. For aspiring writer Mike Speegle, a resident of Kennewick, Washington, that meant regularly sneaking into the womb-like space of a closet while his family lay fast asleep, and writing short stories "the long way"- using fountain pens and a vintage manual typewriter. When the baby was born, he named it "Pen & Platen," and it is now a well-reviewed book on Amazon. So before Speegle becomes famous and out-of-reach, visit his blog Just Write. In the photo he sent, Mike uses a Remington Touchmaster 5, which he bought last year from Blue Moon Camera & Machine.

LAUREN

Honorary Typospherian

The lovely Wichita-based Lauren Hairston Collado cooks from vintage recipes and then matches them thematically with classic movies. How creative is that? Reading her blog The Past on a Plate will make you hungry. Very hungry. At the time of writing, Lauren paired the Clark Gable classic Idiot's Delight- which is set in an Alpine resort -with a 1935 Wiener Schnitzel recipe. I've also come to discover that Lauren is the proud owner of a 1930s Corona Standard, which makes her an honorary typospherian. I'm reserving the close-up of the Corona for a future post.

TON

Lo-Tech Dreamer

As for my photo, all I can say is that I am so in love with my Olivetti Studio 44 that I am currently searching for another one in taupe (confession: I was crushed when Adwoa decided to let go of her taupe Studio 44. Oh to live in Geneva where typewriter dreams come true. Lol).

* As a courtesy to my blogger friends featured here, please send me a note if you wish to re-post their photos. I will gladly ask for their permission. Cheers.

Coming Soon: Art in Typospheria

2012-02-06T21:21:00.001-06:00

now showing:

Art in Typospheria (teaser)

Special online screening for the Typosphere and for

blogger friends on June 23, 2012, World Typewriter Day,

here on I dream lo-tech.

Special thanks to Richard Polt for the Remington
Noiseless font I used in the film.

Why do (Eames) chairs suddenly appear...

2012-02-01T22:39:00.012-06:00

If one of the functions of art is to destroy old forms, then Charles and Ray Eames were consummate destroyers. As Gloria Koenig, author of the book Eames (Taschen, 2005) puts it, "together they dared to disturb the universe, altering it forever with their Eamesian touch."

A single plastic-fiberglass piece molded to an organic shape, the Eames chair- first launched in 1948 -"constituted the first major development in chair design since the Breuer chair of 1928."

I spent days restoring these vintage treasures- washing, soaping, brushing, drying, and polishing both the chrome legs and vinyl upholstery. Thankfully, both chairs were in very good condition and only had some minor, non-distracting surface wear. The year of manufacture had been torn off but my "guesstimate" is the 1960's.

I saved a piece of label that had already partially peeled off. The name "Miller" ascertains the authenticity of these chairs; the Herman Miller Furniture Company has been the official distributor of Eames chairs since 1950. The chairs are still among the company's current bestsellers. A couple of plastic feet are missing from one of the chairs so I snagged a few from ebay. I've tried, to the point of desperation, to install them but didn't succeed. Oh well.

And since we're in the topic of chairs, I might as well share images of my cool 1960's orange student chair (what do you expect from an academic?) on the right, and my camel-brown leather chair with brass rivets. I scored both from my office storage; absolutely free, of course. If you recall, I used the student chair to make my then newly acquired Hermes Media 3 levitate. Re-visit the post here

Okay, I need to stop right now, sit on the Eames chair, and read for my lecture tomorrow.

* Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44

* Eames b&w photo source here

* Dana of Mid2Mod recently posted about the docu Charles and Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter, which is now available online. Click here

Display Typewriters: Beauty in the Afterlife

2012-01-25T07:55:00.015-06:00

Folding Coronas from the early 20th Century make for attractive, if not cute, window displays. These are working machines in pristine condition.

$280 each at this Berkeley antique shop. The pics are from last summer.

Another fetching Corona 3 Folding, this time, a real

display-only piece. I took this shot in Orlando,

Florida, just a couple of weeks ago, at the house of

Ben Berinti, a friend of mine who is a co-retrophile.

Note the interesting vintage ensemble that complements

the Corona. The colorful tin on the top shelf is a 1933

Chicago World's Fair memento.

Ben has a second display-Corona
parked in his bedroom. I find

the oddly placed ~~space bar~~
back-space key of these machines
- upper right, below the platen -
utterly fascinating.

And below is a contribution from another friend, Juan Acuña, who took this shot at a shop window in Vancouver, Canada, during the Christmas holiday. Easily one of the most photogenic machines around, the Oliver #9 was one of the stars of the film Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991). This model was produced in Chicago between 1915-1922. For me, it is the quintessential example of a typewriter whose astonishing beauty outlives it's functionality.

I will snag me an Oliver one day.

Universe, are you listening?

* Typecast via Triumph Perfekt

Typewriters... more than meets the eye

2012-01-16T22:40:00.026-06:00

Virtual typewriter sightings, I know, but sightings nonetheless...

These ribbons did not come with matching receiving spools but for 75 cents each, who's to complain?! As to why I only bought nine, there really is no acceptable scientific explanation.

Philippine martyr-hero Benigno Aquino knew about the power of words in the fight for democracy. Aquino's typewriter- what looks like a ~~portable Olympia SM3~~ Smith Corona Skyriter -is immortalized with him on the 500-peso bill. I wonder if this is the only currency note in the world that carries the image of a typewriter. Incidentally, Aquino's son Benigno III or "Noynoy" is the country's current president.

Update: my prior online research says Aquino's typewriter was a portable Olympia but the ever sharp Typosphere (Adwoa, maschinengeschreiben, Richard P.) disagreed; what is actually pictured on the bill is a Smith Corona Skyriter. I did extra research and finally came across more credible info from the Aquino Museum. Here is the quote:

"Ninoy’s stuff during his detention are seen inside the replica of his prison cell—a white coffee mug adorned with blades of wheat and grains, his green Torpedo typewriter, rubber slippers dented by his weight, books, stainless steel pans and plastic pails."

So the real thing is a Torpedo (probably a model 18) but the image on the bill is indeed a Smith Corona Skyriter. Bill designer, you should have hired a creative consultant from the Typosphere!

Virtual white-out and a typewriter sighting from

The Help, one of 100(!)film choices in Cathay Pacific's

long-haul flights. It was like Netflix streaming at

30,000 feet!

Budding author Skeeter Phelan (played by Emma Stone) uses what appears to be a Royal Futura 800. I was ready not to like The Help because it seemed predictable but it turned out to be an earnest film with wonderful performances. Oscar contender, definitely.

Allow me to cheat a little bit- I received this U.S. Holocaust Museum (in D.C.) calendar, not in HK, but in Chicago, the day I arrived. On the cover and on a full page inside spread- a handsome Continental.

"Despite warnings from the police, he

(Pastor Martin Niemöller) delivered sermons

critical of Nazism, which he composed on this

typewriter..."

75-cent ribbons, a typewriter in a great in-flight movie, and a couple of very noble typers, my virtual sightings turned out to be more than what I had (not) seen.

* Typecast via Royal Caravan
* Typo error, 5th line: "I learned that there are a few government..."

My inner fish out of the water (travel notes 2)

2012-01-08T12:14:00.011-06:00

Goldfish Market, where you find rows of shops

selling tropical fish. Funny how my HK experience

quickly became yet another encounter with fish.

Scenes such as these- fish exhibited in oxygenated polythene bags -line the entire street. "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag..." That ludicrous Katy Perry song kept playing in my mind aaarrrggghhh!

They take their fish very seriously in HK.

Customers swarm to the bags scrutinizing

fish. In the Chinese lunar calendar, 2012

is the year of the Water Dragon and feng

shui recommends keeping an aquarium close

to the house entrance to attract wealth.

I surmise this has something to do with it.

Then again, the practice of raising fish started in China so it's also just part of
the culture.

I had wanted to shoot at the wet market but the hotel staff misunderstood me and gave directions to the hyper-modern Seibu Center, which has an incredible 15-story shopping mall. Talk about irony! The skyscraper is a sight to behold. Seibu is the it-place for the younger, hip set.

I leave you with the kaleidoscope of neon on Argyle street.

新年快乐

Early greetings for the Lunar New Year!

* Typecast via Hermes Media 3
* I just want to say that right now, it's bright and sunny, and nearly 50 degrees in Chicago. Whoa?!
* Was I on the prowl for typewriters in HK, or for that matter, in the Philippines? Duh, of course. Any luck? Yes... well, kinda. Up next!

Tropical waters for my inner fish (travel notes 1)

2011-12-30T20:43:00.012-06:00

Watch 1-minute vid:

At the Nalusuan Fish Sanctuary, there were literally hundreds of reef fish of varying shapes and sizes- Cowfish, Grouper, Pipefish, Parrotfish, Malayan Angel, just to name a few -nibbling my hand. What a surreal experience! My only regret was that I failed to bring an underwater camera.

That's me marveling at the dramatic, painterly contrast between the white sands of the shallows and the dark azure of the deeper end. Unbelievable.

The Cebu trip was also a food trip...

The Philippine national dish "Lechon" (pig on a bamboo
spit slow-roasted over glowing coals), specifically from
the Cebu restaurant Zubuchon, was adjudged "Best Pig Ever"
by no less than Anthony Bourdain, food critic and host of
the food & travel show "No Reservations." UK Esquire's
food columnist Tom Parker Bowles(Camilla's son) concurs.

I say, aye, this pig is to die for! I'm

having severe lechon cravings as I blog.

* Typecast (with jet lag) via Hermes Media 3
* Beach photo by my sister-in-law Meg
* Next stop: Hong Kong

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Up in the Air

2011-12-07T00:24:00.002-06:00

When you read this,

I'll be 30,000 feet

above the Pacific Ocean.

Reading a book.

Watching an in-flight movie.

Eating a cold noodle dinner.

Seatbelt fastened.

Total travel time: 22 hours.

I'll be back in 3 weeks,

before New Year's,

with pictures to post

and stories to typecast.

Have a great Christmas,

Typosphere. Blogosphere.

The Perfekt Triumph

2011-11-26T23:34:00.007-06:00

... Triumph Norm Perfekt in matte gold. With milk chocolate
keys, complemented by dark chocolate space bar, tab, shift
keys, and type lever.

Quite a clean machine, although I did give it a shower to
get rid of hard-to-reach dust. The keys work fine, nice and
springy. After I re-spooled a new ribbon, die schreibmaschine
was all set.

My first non-QWERTY typer. Takes some

getting used to, but typing action is

good.

The case is of heavy metal, almost weighs as much
as the machine itself. Lots of paint crazing but
that actually adds character.

Ephemera certainly provide an overlay of soul

and story to this find. A legibly written receipt

reveals that a shop in Aachen, Germany called

"Erich Klein" sold the Triumph Norm Perfekt to

a certain Robert Beistel. Price tag: DM 406.00

(€207.58 or $274.77). This model is not listed on

the typewriter data base so I can't establish its

exact vintage. Auspiciously, the receipt gives a

clue: 1956.

Scribbled on a piece of paper is Mr. Beistel's
occupation. Priceless. I'm honored to use this
typer.

*I found scant online references for this model (the more common being the equally attractive Triumph DeJur Perfekt)- a couple of records of sale from German online stores, and a sighting of the same model in military green by Adwoa of Retro Tech Geneva.

*Typecast via Triumph Norm Perfekt

Mid Mod manna

2011-11-15T00:36:00.009-06:00

My mid-century mod find from last May. I rescued the desk set from storage limbo in my office building in Hyde Park, Chicago. The find included a couple of two-tiered accent tables (I featured one of them some posts ago).
Total cost: $00.00

I'm a big fan of the industrial look
of the chrome legs and drawer handles.

Is it just me or does the swivel chair have a barber chair charm? There's a tiny tear at the bottom right of the backrest, haven't figured a remedy yet. The tricolor scheme would have matched my Underwood Deluxe Super Tab (inset), but that typer is now sitting proudly in my office.

So now that I've got the mid-century mod aesthetic and

mood all set up, all I have to do is to sit on that chair

and type.

* For more on this May 2011 find, check this older post.
* Typecast via Tower President

中文打字機 Crouching Typer, Double Pigeon

2011-11-10T10:47:00.010-06:00

You are looking at just one of several trays containing about 2,500 characters that constitute the equivalent of typebars on a Chinese typewriter. The symmetry and precision evoked by this image immediately brings to mind the astounding drum sequence of the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

I read that there are several versions of the Chinese typewriter , the one featured in the vintage reel below is a 70s model called "Double Pigeon."

Unbelievable. Can you imagine the slow, painstaking work if you had to use a Double Pigeon for NaNoWriMo?

I didn't know it until now but the Chinese typewriter had been lampooned in pop culture.

In this article, Stanford historian Thomas Mullaney thinks the mockery is unfair considering that the technological challenges that faced the development of the Chinese typewriter may have influenced early computer design.

A Double Pigeon in your typewriter collection, that would be interesting. One thing for sure, you're not likely to find one in your friendly neighborhood thrift store. I will be going to Hongkong for a really brief visit next month, I ought to hunt for one at the Mongkok night market. Not.

* Photo sources here and here.

* Interesting article on how the Chinese typewriter works on Wired and China Beat.
* A foot injury prevents me from typecasting (no, I don't type with my toes, it's just difficult to move around), will resume next post.

The Atoning Typewriter

2011-11-03T00:10:00.029-05:00

A lovely Corona No. 3 portable serves as a trope for Briony's (Saoirse Ronan) brilliant imagination. She is just about to finish writing her play in this opening sequence.

Part of the film's storytelling is artfully layered in its musical score- we hear the clik-clak sound of the typewriter imaginatively harmonizing with the foreboding musical bed. This recurs several times in the film, specifically at turns when Briony's imagination goes awry. The film deservingly won the 2007 Oscar for Best Musical Score. Listen to the short sample posted here. Simply exquisite.

On the other hand, the handsome Royal 10 Robbie (James McAvoy) uses becomes a trope for his passionate longing for the bewitching Cecilia (Keira Knightley), Briony's older sister. Flash cuts of Cecilia are edited in and out as Robbie types an erotically-charged love letter.

Bathed in shadows, the Corona portable re-appears years later and is used by the now mature 18-year-old Briony (Romola Garai). Here, Briony's redemptive moment is sublimated in the form of art- by way of a novel she writes. The enduring Corona becomes the analog for the film's very title, "Atonement."

Atonement (dir. Joe Wright, United Kingdom, 2007) was based on the bestselling novel by writing genius Ewan McEwan. Truth be told, I have yet to read the novel; my copy sits wait-listed in my ever expanding queue of books that are all crying out to be read. My not entirely surprising guess is that the novel trumps the film; but on its own terms, Wright's Atonement is worth seeing. Friends currently immersed in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) parallel universe, this movie is for you.

Atonement is the fourth title on my Typewriter Films series following The Year of Living Dangerously, The End of the Affair, and The Fly.

*Typecast via Royal Caravan

ephemera etcetera

2011-10-25T22:59:00.002-05:00

*Typecast via Royal Caravan
*Check here for more on the "House of Secrets" comics

Aqua: waves of inspiration

2011-10-18T01:25:00.005-05:00

Standing before Aqua, the 86-story sculptural skyscraper in downtown Chicago's North Columbus Drive is such a sublime experience. It is a breathtaking work of expressionistic art as much as it is a feat of practical engineering.

Inspired by the Great Lakes, each floor of Aqua has spectacular undulating balconies that give it a kind of shape-shifting quality; its appearance changes depending on the angle from which it is viewed. The balconies cost about 1 1/2 percent of the $325 million construction cost and has been touted as a triumph of Midwestern practicality despite its design indulgence. It is also quite impressive that Aqua is a green skyscraper; the U.S. Green Building Council awarded it the LEED Silver (Leadership in Energy & Environment Design) for its energy saving features, which include a green roof. In 2009, it won the world renowned Emporis Skyscraper of the Year award.

The mixed-use (hotel and condo) building birthed from the inspired vision of architect Jeanne Gang, a fortysomething woman who was initially sneered at by her male counterparts for such an audacious project. No one is sneering now. Doubtlessly, Aqua is a wonder of contemporary architecture. A must-see in Chicago.

(Nothing like indulging in my "edifice complex" for that occasional break from vintage lo-tech typecasting)

I dream 70's faux bois typewriter

2011-10-11T12:08:00.054-05:00

... as a screensaver hoping that the universe pays attention and grants me a second chance. Exactly four weeks ago, that was indeed what happened. A Royal Caravan faux bois was listed on ebay, not for $12 but for just a slightly higher price. It was up for auction, not "Buy it Now;" I had to fight it out. I felt calculated jolts of electricity each of the six days I visited and re-visited ebay to check if there were other bidders. Blissfully, it seemed to have been overlooked, I was the sole bidder. On the sixth day, I had the biggest smile on my face when I read the ebay message- "Congratulations, you won!"

Looking at the elusive, Japan-made
Royal Caravan from the early 1970's,
it seems fair to say that my lusting
had been understandable,
reasonable even.
A stunner.

Despite a couple of yellowed keys,

this featherweight portable is

in overall great shape.

Only minimal cleaning required.

I'm also quite pleased that it's

got a good feel, a decent typer.

Wood grain typewriter deserves the spotlight of a wood grain tensor lamp. The faux bois family is starting to expand.

*Typecast via Royal Caravan

*9.ai Typewriter in Zurich, if you're reading this, I finally found one!

I heart Apple: a Dutch redux

2011-10-07T14:00:00.021-05:00

Gallimimus

Wilson from the movie Castaway

Apple LC II pizza box

I copied this from a humorous email I wrote to family and friends more than nine years ago when I was doing graduate research in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It recalls what for me was a colorful juncture of my Dutch experience and my insane musings on my dogged refusal to work on computers other than Apple.

The pizza box was practically a typewriter to me. I remember that in our group, I was the only researcher who completed his dissertation on a computer that had no internet connection. My only regret is that I was not able to take the pizza box- I didn't have enough sense to bring even just the bus mouse -to the U.S. with me.

Apple bus mouse

Scoring an Apple LC II pizza box on ebay continues to be a future vintage project for me, as you may have guessed.

Believe it or not, this was my original October 1st entry but it's been a busy couple of weeks and "The Two-Headed Monster" was just a shorter typing job so I deferred this for some later date. I just thought it would be fitting to post this now as a token tribute to the man who made computers that continue to serve as "friends" in the creative, mystical, and exhilarating journey of writing.

For those who had not seen Castaway, here's the "Wilson" scene:

*Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44

Thank you, Steve Jobs.

2011-10-05T19:53:00.016-05:00

The Two-Headed Monster

2011-10-01T20:12:00.003-05:00

The Don Draper version has megaphone shades, not bullet

shades like mine; it's got more of an office look and that

makes complete sense for Mad Men. It's also more pricey than

mine. I don't know if that's because of the style of the lamp

or the refracted light of Don Draper fame. But symbolically

speaking, Draper's lamp is definitely a two-headed monster.
Am I right or am I right?

*Two-Headed Monster image from here
*Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44

Ode to the Sea(food)

2011-09-22T10:55:00.013-05:00

ODE TO THE SEA

Pablo Neruda

O sea, this is your name,

O comrade ocean:

don't waste time or water

getting so upset:

help us instead.

We're meager

fishermen,

men from the shore.

We're hungry and cold

and you're our foe.

Don't beat so hard,

don't shout so loud:

open your green coffers,

place gifts of silver in our hands;

give us this day our daily fish.

_______

And this is my visual "Ode to Seafood"- my exquisitely delicious Korean food memories from Los Angeles last summer.

Tentacle, anyone?

*Typecast via Tower President
*Neruda excerpt from Love: Ten Poems by Pablo Neruda

Video Killed the Radio Star (but my radios are alive and well, thank you)

2011-09-12T18:24:00.007-05:00

The 1952 Motorola Pin-Up Radio on the right is an ebay find, both radio and clock work perfectly. On the left is another ebay steal, a late 70's/early 80's G.E. radio-cassette recorder in mint condition. Playing it transports me back to my teenage life when my sister and I would create our own analog remixes by taping songs played on Casey Kasem's weekly American Top 40 countdown.

The clear standout among my radios is this Japan-made 60's Summit High Sensitivity Transistor Radio, an etsy treasure I snagged for peanuts. The mod space age speaker grill is simply the coolest. In addition, this baby's got power and I mean LOUD.

August 1, 1981 marked what is believed to be the symbolic death of the music radio era with the launch of music television. At exactly 12:01 AM, MTV debuted its first music video, "Video Killed the Radio Star," a techno-dance ditty performed by the British pop group The Buggles. Beneath the song's verve is a rather melancholic eulogy to music radio, which, for many of us, represented the spirit of our youth (geez, did I really say that?!).

Watch the music video in the historic MTV broadcast here.

And watch the updated version, YouTube Killed the Video Star.

*Typecast via Tower President(happy to say this machine works great).

Typewriter shower and other predilections

2011-08-29T23:30:00.024-05:00

I am not interested in ranting about the cluelessness of ebay sellers on the science of packing a typewriter, let's just say that the generally fine condition of this mid-1950s machine plus the $18 price still made this a great buy. I had some real concerns about doing a smooth, clean job of straightening out the metal frame (it really looked more alarming than the photo inset shows)but this was not going to be a major restoration project like Billy Kwan, that's for sure.

The fringe benefit was that I got to be up close and personal with the numerous moving parts of a typewriter. I marveled at the row of springs set very precisely behind the keys.

I also derived a minor thrill in discovering the initials of the former owner etched underneath the protective back cover.

I thought I had the machine cleaned out pretty good but my task lamp revealed that there was a lot more dirt in unreachable areas. A couple of dozen unsuccessful Q-tips after, I decided to give the typer a quick shower. There was no gunk, just the detritus- dust, unidentified lint, human hair -left by its former owners. I know, it's kinda gross. Guess what, I discovered that the hair color of one of the owners was of the same shade of brown as that of the keys. T.M.I. (:

Since it was late in the evening and I could not sun-dry, I thought of using the perfect electric dryer instead. Tadah- vintage GE wind-power!

So with the frame straightened out (not without scars, unfortunately, a couple of dings and chipped paint) and the space bar now released, here's the freshly-showered, very mod-looking Tower President.

*Typecast via Hermes Media 3 (ribbon on the Tower was dry so typecast postponed).
*On the Tower President typewriter, Will's Typewriter Annex was a helpful resource for me. For a more radical typewriter bath, check out clickthing.
*The semester starts next week, work has piled up for all faculty members. Next typecast by September 15. Definitely.

Wind-blown and happy

2011-08-23T00:46:00.004-05:00

Freed from the layers of stubborn gunk, the GE 78X233 is one handsome piece of atomic age tech. It outclasses my cheap plastic box fan on every count- wind power, noise level, make, design, value for money, and, most especially, soul.

The Home 101 version is a GE F115106 (vintage 1950), a model that is easier to find on ebay or etsy. As you see on the inset on the left, the neck of this fan is just a thin piece of incurved iron, certainly less stable and less attractive than the solid, distinctive trumpet base of the model I got on the right. That said, both are astonishingly quiet for their age, which augurs well for the quality of GE vintage tech.

The GE 78X233 pairs up quite well with my Olivetti Studio 44 typer, even the colors match (of course you can't see that but take my word for it). I'm happy.

*Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44

*Addendum to the typecast: estimated dating for the fan is from 1947 to the mid 1950s.

Factoid: a housefly may cause writer's block

2011-08-16T08:56:00.012-05:00

Andre (David Hedison), the scientist, communicates with his wife Helene (Patricia Owens) via his typewriter. Head covered in a black cloth, he keeps the horror to himself.

The housefly's bestial nature now grafted within Andre is gradually crawling its way into his mind and taking over.

The fly appendage tries to stop Andre's hand from typing precisely because his human soul finds expression in his vital connection with his wife by way of his typewritten messages. Andre is not yet a monster for as long as he can type; the typewriter becomes a visual trope of what remains of him that is still human.

I'm not so sure what typewriter this is exactly, my online research did not yield results. My best guess is that it's a Remington (Model 16 to be exact, thanks for the i.d. Richard P. ~~typecasters, perhaps you can help i.d.?~~).

Despite Helene's brave reassurances, she is hit

with a paroxysm of emotion when she discovers that

Andre who once looked like he wouldn't harm a fly

...had become one big housefly of a husband.

Helene had inadvertently proven to herself

that looks do count!

Stylistically speaking, this is my favorite sequence- the reaction shot of Helene as seen through the multi-focal optic of Andre's housefly eyes. Brilliant.

I know it's not for all tastes but for those of you who can enjoy a vintage monster scifi, you'll get a kick out of "The Fly." And let me just say that this original 1958 version is way creepier than the in-your-face, sfx-loaded 80s remake, which is quite bereft of atmosphere and suspense. By the way, the screenwriter for "The Fly" was novelist James Clavell who later wrote "Shogun" (1986).

"The Fly" (dir. Kirk Neumann) is the third title in my Typewriter Film List following The Year of Living Dangerously and The End of the Affair.

*Typecast via Underwood Deluxe Quiet Tab

More flea-ing

2011-08-11T11:17:00.008-05:00

I went back to check out these Kodak movie cameras. Thrice.

Willpower scored this time.

I found the cultural salad inspiriting-

Mexican, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Jamaican,

various African, the list goes on.

The two other typewriters I spotted:

A decent Royal (Academy?) electric for $30. Not bad, actually. If only I were into electric. This was from the same guy who sold me the Underwood Deluxe. Later, at the street corner, I spotted this Royal literally cradled in the arms of a college student. It looked like he was carrying a grossly overweight baby. I just had to offer him a knowing smile; that was exactly how I looked lugging the heavy Underwood!

And here's a clean-looking Smith-Corona Corsair. As you see, the front protection plate was missing so I wasn't motivated to ask about the price. I should've.

I leave you with this particularly winsome image:

*Typo error: ~~explaing~~ explaining

*Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44.
(Notice the ink smudges? The ribbon I got from ebay was over-oiled and messy. Any suggestions for quality ribbons?)

The reveal: flea market beauty

2011-08-06T14:31:00.017-05:00

The Underwood Deluxe Quiet Tab has a solid build and feels like it. It types fast but not overly so. The keys have that "tinny" sound but not particularly noisy. As the images attest, the graceful lines and monochromatic color combo are a sight for sore eyes. Beauty, admittedly, was the clincher. I can ogle at this baby for hours.

I'm curious about "Wellen's."

Found nothing online.

So that's my happy Berkeley ending!

I did go back to the flea market a couple of times to take pictures (e.g. drumming circle) so I'm not quite done with Berkeley yet.

*See also Machines of Loving Grace

*Typecast via Underwood Deluxe Quiet Tab
_______
UPDATE:
Ted of To Type, Shoot Straight, and to Tell the Truth...(yup, he tries to do all that) suggested a "label" theme for the Typosphere. Here's a couple of Dymo labels I found on my typewriters:

"Tommy Tanaka" was the previous owner of the Hermes Media 3, I'm thankful to him for the gentle use. "R.M. Boeke" is the brother of a friend, he used the Remington Star-Tab in the 60s during his college years. By the way, I find Dymo labels fascinating. Office Depot still sells Dymo label-makers but I'll find me a vintage one.

Heartbeat of a flea market

2011-08-04T18:29:00.026-05:00

*Typecast via Billy Kwan

Custodian of Memory: a letter to Shirley

2011-07-30T23:33:00.002-05:00

*Typecast via Hermes Media 3

One Shop Permillion (the sequel)

2011-07-26T00:25:00.030-05:00

As promised, here's part 2 of my visit to California Typewriter in Berkeley. On the right is the customary row of typewriter cases that typospherians and no one else find exciting.

On the top shelf are more machines from owner

Herb Permillion's personal collection.

Not for sale.

Hammond Multiplex, 1915-1920s. Stunning!

Remington 92 (?) from the 1920s

The ever popular Olympia ~~SM4~~ SM3 from the late 1950s in two color variants. For feel and performance, a number of typospherians swear by the German-made Olympia SM's.

Another German-made typer, a duo-tone

Voss Deluxe S-24 from the 1950s.

Torpedo 18, West Germany, 1960. Mustard and cream duo-tone is so mid-century mod. Very cool. I was wondering about the performance of this typer when I remembered that maschinengeschreiben had one in his collection and posted a review. Here's part of what he wrote:

"As an office machine without compromises,

the Torpedo types very fast, comfortable and loud.

It is ideal for long letters, complicated layout

and fast typing."

I was sold until I read "... and fast typing." Sigh.

Underwood Standard with faux bois finish from the 1920s. There's a dark wood variant of this model, check here. I wouldn't mind owning one of these, the dark wood version especially.

Last but not the least, the controversial, love-it-or-hate-it, always over-priced, Olivetti Valentine from 1969-70. This one is nearly $700. Both Herb and his daughter Carmen snickered that the Valentine "isn't a performer" but they said I should go ahead and take a picture because it's photogenic. Truth be told, I was underwhelmed by the make. It's of light plastic, flimsier than I thought, almost like a toy. But I am crazy about the space-age design, which is really a reaction against the conventional lines and the black-gray coat of a number of typewriters.

The Valentine was designed by Italian-born Austrian

architect and designer Ettore Scotsass (1917-2007);

Olivetti hired him as a consultant in the late 1950s.

Unlike the superior writing performance of an Olivetti Studio 44, the Valentine is an example of the primacy of form, more of a design statement than a writing machine. It's no wonder then that it is sought after as a fashion item; that was precisely the point. I would not mind having one if only for the originality of the space-age design but would I spend $600-$900 for one? Naah. Only if the universe cooperates and I find one at Goodwill or a flea market. Yeah, right.

Incidentally, design students of the University of the Applied Arts in Vienna paid homage to Scotsass in 2009 by re-imagining the Valentine as a laptop. Here is the prototype for the Valentine Notebook:

Looks pretty amazing. Read more about it here.

So did I buy anything from California Typewriter? Of course I did, I bought a nylon ribbon/spool for my new typewriter find. From Berkeley? You'll know in due time. ( :

I have a plane to catch in a couple of days, yep, back to real life.

*Many thanks again to Herb and Carmen for their warmth and enthusiasm.

*Scotsass pic from the New York Times. More on him and the Olivetti Valentine at the MOMA site.

The world is my oyster

2011-07-24T20:09:00.005-05:00

"...there is a shock of freshness to it and intimations ofthe ages of man,

some piercing intuition of the sea and all its weeds andbreezes.

They shiver you for a split second."

-British author Eleanor Clark

"The Oysters of Locmariaqer" (1965)

Octopus, scallops, and

other marine invertebrates

welcomed me to Embarcadero
in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I took it as a cue to eat

creatures that fall under

Phyllum Mollusca.

I've long been an avowed seafood lover-

the fish-eye slurping, Anthony Bourdain sort.

First stop:

San Francisco Fish Company for fresh shucked oysters chilled on a bed of crushed ice.

Since it was nearly lunchtime, I decided to start with just two oysters. With a slight drizzle of lemon juice, they were nothing short of magical. Fresh oysters have a fascinating, complex flavor, somewhere between briny, sweetish, and even slightly fruity. The best description really is "oceany." My gastronomic experience with these oysters was so viscerally gratifying, it literally made me feel a rush of happiness. That said, the more spot-on description could well be "sinful."

I hate math but I easily did oyster addition: 2 + 1 + 3 = 6. There's only five in the pics because I ate one before I remembered to click the camera. At $2 each, that's $12 downed in less than two minutes. Not bad. I figured, since I don't have plans to re-locate to typewriter wonderland- Geneva, Switzerland or Mesa, Arizona or Tacoma, Washington -ergo it looks like I won't find a $10 typewriter anytime soon, heck I'll eat my oysters and be happy!

I didn't eat these

Dungeness Crabs.

They seemed so together, 

I didn't have the heart 

to end their relationship. 

For now, at least.

San Francisco is home to the world's biggest Chinatown. More math for dummies: Chinatown = seafood.

Yet again, oysters! This time, deep fried to perfection at Yuet Lee on Broadway, officially one of the best restaurants in the city. Lightly crisp on the outside, delicately flavorful on the inside.

These oysters are XXL, some 4 inches each. Note how just five of them filled a regular plate!

Since I was with a friend with more terrestrial tastes, we also had the standard Peking Duck and some sauteed Chinese water spinach.

Truth be told, my food tripping happened on two separate occasions. I just had to fess-up to this, otherwise, you might think I'm hopelessly addicted to all kinds of oysters when in fact, I will never eat Rocky Mountain Oysters. Ever!

*Bourdain photo from here.

*Note: I did not renege on my promise to post part 2 of "One Shop Permillion," it will be up in a couple of days. I just had to serve the oysters while they're fresh. Cheers!

One Shop Permillion

2011-07-22T18:57:00.023-05:00

I was veryexcited when I caught sight of “California Office Machines” at 2362 San Pablo Ave, a pleasant 40-minute walk from where I live here in Berkeley.

The shop isn't very big but there are typewriters parked at every corner, I had difficulty picking which ones to shoot. I was like a junkie in a pharmacy... I mean, a kid in a candy store. ( :

Aside from the astonishing variety of machines here, prices are quite reasonable as far as refurbished typers go.

The typewriters behind the glass display cabinet are not for sale. If I owned a shop like this, I'd agonize about parting with any one of these machines!

A slick Blick. Looks perfect.

This Royal Standard No. 5 (?) is for sale.

So is Mr. Smith over here.

Anyone wanna i.d. this beauty?

Meet Herb Permillion (what a cool surname), owner of California Office Machines. A warm, soft-spoken man, Herb was more than happy to oblige my paparazzi-style clicking. Herb is very much aware that his trade is fast disappearing but since the next generation of Permillions will be taking over- his daughter Carmen works with him in the shop -he believes that California Office Machines will be the last typewriter shop standing. Amen to that, Herb!

Incidentally, one of Herb's notable clients for typewriter repair is an incurable typewriter collector by the name of Tom Hanks.

Alas, Mr. Hanks has not set foot in the shop.

Not yet, at least.

I was elated to finally see in person the coveted Royal Quiet De Luxe Gold of the 1950s. Bewitching! Like the late James Bond author Ian Fleming and Typospheria's own Richard Polt, Herb Permillion has struck typewriter gold.

I'm not done yet, Part 2 up soon.
Come back, y'hear?

*Thanks to Richard P. for the lead and for the Remington font (at least I get to typecast virtually while in Berkeley).
*Tom Hanks photo from here.

Venus & Shakespeare

2011-07-21T00:40:00.016-05:00

Parked by

our doorway

for days.

Welcome to

the Berkeley

Twilight Zone.

I didn't feel like ending with the macabre

so here's a sighting of another sort:

Shakespeare & Co. is one of several used-books shops in Berkeley. The manager asked me to make an offer for this 1940s Remington Rand Model 17 on display. I had to decline simply because it's too heavy- I live in the faraway Midwest -and the machine was rather sorry-looking. It was a nice sighting nonetheless, certainly more pleasing than a funeral coach!

This is a diary of hate

2011-07-18T00:48:00.030-05:00

The scene opens with close-up shots of a black typewriter. The handsome lines and distinctive glass keys are a dead giveaway- it's a Royal Quiet De Luxe vintage 1941. We see fingers starting to type. The first line is short and acerbic; the literary equivalent of a habanero chili:

"This is a diary of hate." 

The End of the Affair (Neil Jordan, U.K./U.S., 1999) is the cinematic adaptation of Graham Greene's 1951 novel of the same title. Set in 1946, the film tells the story of Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes), a novelist who gets enmeshed in a serious illicit affair with a woman named Sarah Miles (Julianne Moore). Sarah is married to a mouse with money named Henry (Stephen Rea) who has got no roar in him but is a good platonic companion. Bendrix, with his intense, possessive love, fills the void in Sarah's life that Henry has left beggared.

But The End of the Affair is neither simple nor predictable. There is a fourth party involved; Sarah unexpectedly falls for a mysterious new lover. Bendrix can never win against this competitor and he knows it.

For reasons I refuse to divulge, Sarah had fallen in love with God. In her diary entries, she writes, "He (Bendrix) fills me with his jealousy, you (God) fill me with love."

Burning with jealousy, Bendrix wages a war against God. Being a writer, his weapon of choice is his Royal Quiet De Luxe. Bendrix may not win this battle but he sure chose a damn good weapon.

The End of the Affair is an intelligent, masterfully directed film that raises some very intriguing questions on love and faith. Yes, there is unbridled religious irreverence in Bendrix's rage against God but I, for one, find this refreshingly honest. Faith does not mean flight from human finitude; the most transcendent experiences, paradoxically, are also the most human. 

The End of the Affair is my second recommendation for the "typewriter film" list following my earlier find, The Year of Living Dangerously (refer back to that post here). But even if you are not a typewriter enthusiast, this well-made, well-acted film is a must-see.

Watch trailer:

*Mature content; a couple of explicit sensual scenes

Hermes: messenger of the gods

2011-07-13T01:09:00.012-05:00

A lot has been said about the incomparable experience of typing on a Swiss-made Hermes 3000. It has been consistently touted as one of the finest models ever produced; it's versatility and performance, second to none. I had read about the feel of its keys being likened to "butter." And the sound of its keys in action- music to the ears of the typewriting faithful.

Inarguably, it also happens to be a stunning mod typewriter, a clear winner in the style department.

I bid on this Hermes Media 3 out of desperation. This was the time when I had a dead-on-arrival case involving the Hermes Baby I purchased from ebay and I just had to placate my disappointment (I never thought I could restore the Baby but I eventually did. Refer back to this post).

Going by the description I found in a Retro Tech Geneva post, Media 3 is identical to the 3000 save for the absence of some extra tab keys, which I don't care much about, frankly.

Truth be told, the seller's description of the Hermes Media 3 was bereft of details except for the fact that it worked perfectly and that it was in fine cosmetic condition. The price was also quite good, not to mention that the seller was Chicago-based.

I swore to myself that only two things could break my then self-imposed five typewriter limit (hah!):

1. a Hermes 3000- well, Media 3 is practically the same thing.

2. a cursive/italic typewriter- always in demand and ridiculously over-priced so I was not banking on this one.

When the machine finally arrived, I was utterly surprised when I tested it.

I dream Modernaire

2011-07-09T00:04:00.025-05:00

This shop on Shattuck Ave. set off my mid-century mod alarm. Modernaire. On the basis of the name alone, I was already sold.

Furniture, appliances, gadgets, and whatnot, straight out of the Mad Men set. Awesome pair of Sputnik brass lamps with double shades. Check out the giant feeding bottle on the right. That one's from the Jack and the Beanstalk set.

On the left is an enormous starburst clock. This quintessential mid-century mod clock was originally designed by George Nelson, one of the founders of American modernism. The sunburst clock on the right is a variant.

Here's the fetching Mad Men version

behind the equally fetching Joan Harris.

A year ago, I lost an ebay bid for a German Kienzle clock quite similar to this. A handsome piece, I must say.

An array of the wearable kind. I have a couple of vintage wristwatches similar to these.

Don Draper would have picked ice cubes from this

three-legged atomic bucket.

I learned that this cool tube TV needs some work but it does display a grainy b&w image. I dream of watching Alfred Hitchcock movies on a tube TV. How's that for analog love.

These hands belong to shop owner Bruce Crawford, here showing me an extinct 13.5-volt battery from a pocket transistor radio.

And here's one of the standout pieces of the shop. Get a load of this...

It's the 50s precursor of an iPod dock! When you insert the radio into the clock/dock, speakers are activated. Not surprisingly, the mod iPod dock is a German-made Grundig. It does work very well, thank you.

And this is Mr. Modernaire himself. Bruce graciously showed me all these mod treasures and gamely posed like a 60s print ad model notwithstanding the fact that I was just a pesky, ogling customer (Thanks again, Bruce! I know you'll read this).

Bruce's business card has a cool faux bois background.

Check out Modernaire's website here.

And if you're thinking that this post has nothing to do with typewriters, banish that thought.

Hello, Hermes 3000 in mint condition. It's a pleasure meeting you.

What the...?!

2011-07-08T00:20:00.003-05:00

Typewriter magnetism

2011-07-06T17:12:00.012-05:00

So there it was, the portal to Typewriter Paradise.

I was greeted by an astonishing number of antique typewriters, most of them for repair. Jesse Banuelos, presumably one of the owners, gave me leave to take photos but only of the typewriters for sale. Quite understandable. So here are my beauty shots:

I was able to test all of these machines, all were in refurbished, tip-top shape so it was difficult to pick a favorite. But for that strange alchemy of performance, looks, feel, and inexplicable magnetism that typospherians are all too familiar with, I was attracted to this mint-green Olympia SM7. Come to think of it, I was beginning to feel that this typewriter was drawing me to itself. It chose me. Thought balloon: "No Ton, that doesn't give you the license to steal it."

As promised, a typecast!

Learning that I was in the hunt for a mid-century modern typewriter as evidenced by my obvious admiration for the SM7, Mr. Banuelos was convincing me to buy it. Prices here are high-end by my standards, from about $200 to $400. So instead, Banuelos gave me a fridge magnet emblazoned with his name:

Now I can wear a t-shirt that says, "I've been to Berkeley Typewriter and all I got was a lousy fridge magnet." (just kidding, Mr. Banuelos)

Thanks to Richard Wan Kenobi for sending me this lead.