Anybody else tempted?
'ang on! I thought hedonism was banned aboard Scrivener? 
Amused, and a bit jealous, but at those prices, not really tempted.
Still, it does recall the good old days: torn ribbons, smeared carbons, and false starts wadded up on the floor, of course, but also the immediate tactile pleasures of hitting keys which actually move and cause a physical reaction, of tangible results without having to hit COM-P and hope the printer is in a good mood, of never worrying about a save.
ps
I love the smell of typing correction fluid in the morning.
Honestly? Those prices aren’t that bad. Not only do they have to have the “antique” typewriter in neat pristine condition, they need to add the electronics integrate them fairly well, then they get to support both the hardware and software.
While I may not be interested in one for actual use, they do represent the merging of the true tactile and the true functional. You get your cake and you get to type on it too.
Yeah, if I were better with a soldering iron. 
Think I need to get good at arduino stuff first, before tackling something like that, though.
Not tempted in the slightest. When I typed on my first tty, created my first digital text file, and made corrections by simply hitting the backspace key, I was hooked. No White-Out and negligible time lost when I made a typing mistake. The electric typewriter I used in college is still in the garage and that’s where it’s going to stay.
Fine print on their etsy store says that they’re also functional typewriters, too. Pretty good price for that, IMO.
Ok, way-off-topic. All non-bitheads should skip.
Remember that I have no idea what your level of ee is. So adjust for what doesn’t really apply.
- Open Digi-Key account.
- Look at ladaada.net and sparkfun.com and read up on how to build a bread board power supply.
- go to digikey and order enough parts to make 10 power supplies, add 5 atmel328, 10 28pin dip sockets, a 64 row bread board, one 150pc resister kit, an assortment of PNP and NPN transistors, 10 each red/green/yellow/white diodes, a db9 port and one 15v wall wart (this will be your bench supply).
With this you will build an rs232 interface the base for all your projects and your basic regulated power supply and your off. Once you have this mastered (and given the fact you are not an idiot you are looking at no more than 3 hours from the minute you open your shipment) you will look at the arduino boards are over priced toys. I would only use one if I didn’t have the time to wait for digi to ship. I do have one around for the record.
I believe you are slackware running KDE so look at the arduino ide for the front end and gschema for your design.
Last piece of advice. Get a magnifying glass and a face shield. The first is explained in one word: microchip. The second uses a different word: explode. Let me put it together for you: microchip explode!!! The 5 atmel chips are not for 5 projects.
My curent project is automating positioning of solar cells using low voltage servos. The follow up to that is providing computer interface and automation of the pigeon traps and exits in our lofts. Just remember that there isn’t much you can’t do, but there are things you shouldn’t do.
Have fun.
I might reward myself for completing my current writing project (due September) by getting the 74$ DIY-Kit and have a go at my very first laptop:
typewriters.ch/images/hermes_bab … che_gr.jpg
I like the idea of using this with paper and without screen, ending up wiht a hard copy and a text file that can be imported into Scrivener (at least the video suggests this works). I’ll let you know how it goes.
Happy writing evervybody!
I’m much more inclined to go the other way:
artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/tactus/
artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/maximus/
You had an electric typewrite? Luxury!
I think my idea would sell more to the younger crowd.
I didn’t say they were bad, only that they [were so high that they] didn’t tempt me. I appreciate nostalgia, and do, in moments of contemporary chaos or temporary distress, wish for a few of its blissful artifacts. But there is no selective going back, I think, and all in all, today is a better place than yesterday, and this is where I’d rather spend whatever money comes my way. (Though if I could find a replica of my 1980 Toyota pick-up, I might reconsider.)
Phil
There’s an ex-Taliban importer/exporter in Kabul, got hundreds of 'em. I see if I can find his website.
Vic
Awfully nice of you, Vic, and if you have a chance to mention my name, please don’t. BTW, did I mention that we have moved to Mesopotamia?
Too late. You’re marked now. NSA will be there in
five
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two
crap
Cool, thanks! I’ll have to pick your brain sometime once I get one up and going. I’m looking into doing PIR sensing/multimedia stuff. Actually building stuff with solder and boards is a totally new thing.
Southern Soldering Station
It doesn’t really come as a surprise that the Hamster died. 