One Last Hoorah
Post-Script: It's funny how something as seemingly mundane as a typewriter can bring back so many memories from long ago. In the case of this particular machine, its so-called "techno" font reminds me of having taken several computer programming classes, in high school in the early 1970s (Basic, Fortran and Algol). We typed each line of our program onto individual IBM punch cards, one line of code per card. Along the top edge of the card could be the plaintext equivalent character for each set of punched holes below. This style of printing, from a dot-matrix printer, is somewhat indicative of this Olympia's, hence the remembrance.
In the course of preparing the typewriter for sale, I decided to type up a "brief" instruction sheet of the machine's various controls, along with its care and feeding. It will also serve as an example of the machine's typing quality. Well, that "brief" instruction sheet is now three pages, and of course I could have gone on and on.
Being as how I have some spare correction tape cartridges (from one of my spontaneous office supply store binges - yes, I need a 12-step program), I'm going to include one along with the machine. And for another $3 I'll include an unopened 100-sheet pack of the Mead "general purpose" typing paper that I purchased online several months ago. Because I'd like to make the new owner's typing experience go as well as possible.
Which reminds me, I got an email today from a person in Albuquerque who found my blog online and has a question about a Smith-Corona Silent typewriter, of the same color and model as one I own. So that's kind of neat, now I'm starting to answer typewriter questions.
The top photo was made some years ago using my old Lumix G1, in the front courtyard late in the day. Because of the time of day, the brown stucco house and brick-colored courtyard paving, its very warm in tone, which the camera somehow rendered rather vividly, but I made no attempt to correct the tones; I have a whole set of these typewriter portraits, from that same day, on my Flickr stream, and rather like them.
Labels: memories, Olympia, Olympia SM9, techno font, Toltec Middle School
posted by Joe V at 5:20 PM
3 Comments:
Nice SM9. That was a great way to get it originally. I like the typeface. Then I never liked serifs. They clutter the page. All our broadcast copy was sans serif because that typeface is easier to read. Same reason all the interstate highway signs were chosen without serifs. Much easier to read.
I hope the SM9's new owner has a great time using it.
On the Smith-Corona, perhaps the two of you could get together for a mini-type-in.
Very good point about the disposability of most of our things.
I hope the Olympia's new caretaker will enjoy it.
I'm sure the new owner will love the history that you've imbued the machine with just as well as how it operates (:
Did you upload this one to TWDB? :D
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