“The correcting feature of typewriters is not what I thought ”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0U018Copw
Meet the typewriters that could literally lift mistakes off the page.
Tangentially, one thing I really like about this video is how it shines a light on how much modern computer keyboards and word processors are electronic abstractions of the old mechanical typewriters.
And while sometimes it makes senses or is as good as a choice as any other, sometimes it’s plain wrong. Society evolved past the need for staggered keyboards, damnit!
@Sylvhem And I notice that the soft keyboard I’m using to type this on my iPhone still has some staggering, but not the same staggering as you’d find on any physical keyboard
Speaking of typewriters, I really enjoyed this exhibition in the National Museum of Scotland here in Edinburgh: https://www.nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/national-museum-of-scotland/typewriter-revolution/
I went to see it last here, and I’m tempted to visit again before it ends next month
It was one of my best museum experiences in recent memory, partly because of the fascinating subject, but also because it was almost empty, and I had no one with me, so I could examine each typewriter at length, and read all the accompanying texts 🥰
@Sylvhem yeah, my selectric does that
@wxcafe Oh that’s right, you have one of those. I totally forgot.
I think I will add it to the list of cool things I want to own one day.
@Sylvhem Just finished watching it, that's so cool!
As someone who is born after typewriters have been a thing, I never even knew correction features like those existed.