#IBM selectric I

[vinshuka]

It's Selectric

[one-hit-boy-wonder]

ford and mcgucket were both poor college students during the 70s, they probably wrote their school essays on clunky mechanical typewriters

[mellonhead58]

So I was going thrifting because I was bored and I came across a cool typewriter and I was like

"yooo what the fuuuuuuck"

And then I looked a little closer at the label and I was like

"YOOOOOOOOOOOO"

AND THEN I LOOKED AT THE PRICE TAG AND I WAS LIKE

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

AND THEN IT STARTED TO RUN AND I WAS LIKE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[netscapenavigator-official]

You guys are never gonna believe what I found online:

A 3D-Printed, Comic Sans Mono Typeball for an IBM Selectric II Typewriter! Why does this font actually look so natural and fitting for a typewriter?? And it's only $8! This guy is doing the lord's work.

[rendakuenthusiast]

I was idly reading about the Cherokee syllabary when I came across the line: "A Cherokee syllabary typewriter ball was developed for the IBM Selectric in the late 1970s."

So I went to look and see if there was an example photo online, and I discovered that someone went to the trouble of making a 3D printable version of the IBM selectric Cherokee syllabary typeball.

Anyway I thought that was neat.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

More on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Many readers sent notes saying that they read MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail after I linked to it in the newsletter on MLK Day earlier this week. Everyone who wrote to me said they were moved and impressed by Dr. King’s message. One reader, Nancy C., sent a note with a link to a story explaining how Dr. King wrote the Letter from a Birmingham Jail.  

As Dr. King sat in jail, eight ministers published a letter rebuking his non-violent movement. He decided to respond. Here is what happened next, in the words of Willie Pearl Mackey King, who served as a receptionist / typist for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference:

Dr. King decided that he was going to write an answer. He was in jail, and he asked the jailers for pen and paper. They said, “You’re not in a library! You don’t get anything to write with.” He wrote on the edges of newspaper, on toilet paper, on sandwich bags. His attorney Clarence Jones hid the scraps under his suit jacket and slipped them out of the jail. We had to put together this jigsaw puzzle. We were on the floor, trying to figure it out, Scotch-taping things together. Dr. King’s handwriting was not the best. The lighting was terrible in his jail cell. I was not allowed to leave the office for three days and two nights. I typed this document on an IBM Selectric typewriter, not a computer where you could cut and paste. If I made a mistake, I had to redo everything. [¶] That is how we developed the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” When we released it, no one paid attention at first. Only when Bull Connor [the city’s commissioner of public safety] ordered fire hoses and dogs onto the demonstrators in Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park did we start getting requests for the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” I could not mimeograph enough copies.

If you haven’t had a chance to read Letter from Birmingham Jail, the week honoring Dr. King’s birthday is a good time to do so!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[trivialbob]

It was during my junior and senior years of college when the little Mac desktop computers started appearing. Some were available in computer labs students could use. Eventually two of my roommates got them and kindly allowed me to use them.

I thought the Macs were mind-blowing. Before their arrival we wrote papers on typewriters. I had my dad's old IBM Selectric, the one with the typeball that quickly moved across the paper instead of having a carriage that moved right and left across a "basket" of type bars.

Some students had compact manual typewriters, where the typist would have to slap a metal arm at the end of each sentence for a carriage return. Some of those typewriters were enclosed in a case with a handle. I guess that made them portable.

Special onion skin paper and eraser sticks helped with fixing typos. You could also use Wite-Out correction fluid or this white tape to "delete" words. That was fine for small errors. You cried and threw crumpled sheets of paper at the wall if you had to insert a whole paragraph. If this got to be too much, there were flyers around campus where people offered to type papers for $1 per page.

With Macs I loved playing around with font settings. I don't know if there were many to choose from, but I do remember the outline, shadow, italic, and underline options. On the first paper I ever typed on a Mac my title page incorporated ALL of these options.

It looked ridiculous.

The professor or TA even left a comment for me saying something to that effect. I'm glad I didn't put the entire paper in underlined italics, though I thought that would have looked cool. It was a good example of just because "you can" doesn't mean "you should."

What made me think of this today is something at work. Someone gave me a checklist to help with a project I just was assigned to.

There are a lot of Very Important things in this checklist. The author put them in red, bold, italic font. 75% of the checklist is like this. A quarter of the list is covered in yellow and green highlighting. It's to the point were standard black font items stand out.

It looks ridiculous.

[typefacetournament]

ROUND 4

Propaganda under the cut.

American Typewriter: "Has great vibes. Makes me feel like a true Author™️. I picked it as my favourite at like 5 years old and it still slaps"

Prestige Elite: "It’s the font that a lot of old US top secret documents were written in, because it was one of the stock fonts for the IBM Selectric series of typewriters. Also, the Soviets made a really cool keylogger bug specifically for the IBM selectric, where the entire bug fits into a modified support bar in the machine and digitally transmits keystrokes over the air. It had 4 bit digital logic! In the 70s!"

[a-typewritten-blog]

Photo taken October 11 and they're both still on the shelf on the 25th. The IBM Selectric 2 at left works just fine, the issue is that the type ball is missing its clamp -- I mean, it's a 5 second fix, just replace the ball with a different font! I haven't touched the IBM Wheelriter 3.

[saturnineighth]

five songs i’ve been enjoying lately

tagged by pookie @21407 ty <3

tagging @ibm-selectric-light @zindabad @timetravelingmachine

[timetravelingmachine]

thanks for tagging me @asocialpessimist 💞

tagging @thearchdemongreatlydisapproves @elvhenn @hanarinhightown @artemisinfurs @architetturacannibale @ibm-selectric-light @nymphastral @zehaenre

rules: bold the things that apply to you.

APPEARANCE

Blonde hair // I prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // I have one or more piercings // I have at least one tattoo // I have dyed or highlighted my hair // I have gotten plastic surgery // I have or had braces // I sunburn easily // I have freckles // I paint my nails (when i find the time. not often) // I typically wear makeup // I don’t often smile // I am pleased with how I look // I prefer Nike to Adidas // I wear baseball hats backwards

ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS

I play a sport // I can play an instrument // I am artistic // I know more than one language // I have won a trophy in some sort of competition // I can cook or bake without a recipe // I know how to swim // I enjoy writing // I can do origami // I prefer movies to TV shows // I can execute a perfect somersault // I enjoy singing // I could survive in the wild on my own // I have read a new book series this year // I enjoy spending time with friends // I travel during work or school breaks // I can do a handstand

RELATIONSHIPS

I am in a relationship // I have been single for over a year // I have a crush // I have a best friend I’ve known for ten years // My parents are together // I have dated my best friend // I am adopted // My crush has confessed to me // I have a long distance relationship // I am an only child // I give advice to my friends // I have made an online friend // I met up with someone I have met online (i wish)

SEASONAL

I have heard the ocean in a conch shell // I have watched the sunrise // I enjoy rainy days // I have slept under the stars // I meditate outside // The sound of chirping calms me // I enjoy the smell of the beach // I know what snow tastes like // I listen to music to fall asleep // I enjoy thunderstorms // I enjoy cloud watching // I have attended a bonfire // I pay close attention to colours // I find mystery in the ocean // I enjoy hiking on nature paths // Autumn is my favourite season

MISC(ELLANEOUS)

I can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // I am the mom friend (sometimes) // I live by a certain quote // I like the smell of Sharpies // I am involved in extracurricular activities (this is giving high school. god have mercy on yall) // I enjoy Mexican food // I can drive a stick shift (crying shaking throwing up) // I believe in true love // I make up scenarios to fall asleep // I sing in the shower (without sound) // I wish I lived in a video game // I have a canopy above my bed // I am multiracial // I am a redhead // I own at least 3 dogs

[ironfoxtypewriters]

There's something very interesting to me about the technical methods they developed in the last days before the fall of the typewriter gave way to the rise of the word processor. My fascination with the IBM selectrics and their varied and curious little type elements is no secret at this point but it's worth mentioning that they weren't the only innovation when electric typewriters were en vogue. 

Enter: The Daisy Wheel. These flat diskettes typically contained 96 characters (much like the later Selectric 3 elements) and boasted the ability to print type up to 3 times faster than that of typical IBM electric typewriters. While I cannot personally attest to this claim I can say that I have found them to provide a much quieter typing experience than the selectrics or comparable Smith Corona machines. In fact, once you get over the nagging expectation of thrashing percussion there's almost a calming, white noise effect to it that really makes you wish they'd been produced in smaller portable sizes that don't claim an entire workspace. 

But for those entrepid typists who've got space to spare and an affinity for tactile tactics executed quickly, quietly and qwerty you can start your new addiction with this awesome Daisy wheel diskette specifically for brother typewriters. 

The typeface on this daisy wheel diskette is "Prestige 1012" which is clean and professional and might be best suited for business or more formal submissions. This daisy wheel has been inspected, cleaned and tested for for full use and functionality.  Before purchasing please be advised that Daisy wheels can be machine specific so do your research prior to purchase. 

The wheel of progress kills fascists.

.

..

#thismachinekillsfascists #ironfoxtypewriters #typewriterjunkies #typewriterrevolution #writeintentionally #writenow  #vintagetypewriter #typewritersofinstagram #igwriters #igpoets #igauthors #authorsofig #authorsofinstagram #poetsofinstagram #poetsofig #writers #typewriter #newjersey #literacy  #wheelwriter #vintagecool #counterculture #typewriterrepair #daisywheel #newjerseyisntboring #typewritercommunity #typosphere #retrolife #retrostyle

[hydralisk98]

Pseudo-historical project about 1912 unit record equipment computation aka the "Symbolic Analyst Processor" full stack!

(above pictures emulate the looks of what this tech stack documentation and actual use may look like, still very early in the process though)

It is still coming together by my head as I write infodump notes and research various aspects of the whole time, (including the WIMP & MERN/MEAN stack) but yk, things are coming together nicely to give some milestone project mid-way between my current phase in life and the next where I go develop a fully alternative INTJ lively stack of tools. Explanations, history dives, lively reaction studies and a couple more content suggestions related to it are on the way.

Behold, the infodumps

"Top-bottom and back up workflow" 1910 / 1912 Unit Record Equipment Tabulator Computation "Bundle" Project (Pflaumen & Utalics' SymbolicAnalystProcessor)

Information Processing Language / LISP 1.5 / Bel, A-BASIC / DIBOL, Spreadsheets, Cellular Automaton, COS-310, magnetic tape storage too, TECO / VIM, Assembly, Wirebox, Tabulator, Alphanumeric Interpreter, Printer, RTTY device, Data Recording, Bulk Data Processing Indexed Cards, 60-64 entries Deque, 4K Direct-use RAM, 12K * 24 storage devices, Phonebook, Timeclock, DateTime Calendar, Programmable, Statistics, Demographics, Voting, Ledger, Journal, Logging, Rolodex, 12 Generic-use Registers & 4 Special Registers, Catalog, ~16 Keys Pad, Customized Hexadecimal Numeric Representation for "MachineCode" Hexdumps, 4*12 bits per page of data, Macros, Paracosm, may be useful for Military & Civilian Uses, Electrical Energy (and possibly incorporates some mechanical energy too), Nouns & Verbs, "Vector" XY plotter, Lambda Calculus / Panini Grammar / Universal Turing Machine Thesis, Rotors, Ural TriodeVaccumTube "Mainframe", Interactive-Use, Hypertext Interactive Video Terminal, Memex, Modem, Electric + Radio Telegraphy, Document-processing, Word-processing, Orange Plasma Touchscreen Terminal, Time-sharing, Cash Register, Bank, Automatic Teller Machine, Vending Machine, Oracle, Typewriter / Selectric, IBM 701, IBM 1440, IBM 403, IBM System/360, OpenPOWER, F#, IBM Tellum, MUD, TextWorld, solo text-adventures, Email, AIX, z/OS, Linux for IBM mainframes, Symbolic Processing System, Autocoder, modular, IBM Lotus Suite, interface with KDE or CDE, paper handling equipment, Addventure, 12-bit basic data unit as designated word, Distributed Interactive System, VeneraFS (cladogram Parade+DolDoc), GNU Hurd / MINIX3-style Microkernel, either permissive FLOSS license or public domain waiver, extensive documentation, printed illustrated booklets, music-playback, emulator / compiler / bytecode / interpreter, analog media-friendly, mostly for didactic tinkering educational uses, multilingual reconfigurable programming, HTML+CSS, Markdown, Argdown, DMA, hardware-friendly, software development environment for direct-access programmers and aesthetic designers, sub-version control system like Git, various hardware & software implementations, museum / observatory Toymaker story, constructed languages / imaginative paracosm influences around the immersive in-world lore of the "16^12" pseudo-historical setting…

Back to the point

The list is far from exhaustive or finished, as life is so much more than meets the eye. But this should be a good start to remind myself what I am working towards, a full revamp of the last ~120 years of history with much attention and care put into making it as satisfying to me as possible, despite the very probable scenario where people take the ideas and incorporate only some of such "modules" in their own workflows. Which is fine but not taking the whole package (and only specific modules) is eventually gonna be a major learning experience for me considering the reason I revamp it all beyond control freak stuff is literally to provide less exclusive / less invasive tools that anyone can learn and customize despite being very... idiosyncratic yk.

Still welcoming suggestions and constructive criticism for such big time, I hope those textual infodumps I do every so often don't bother you too much... Cya soon!

[mindovermuses]

First learned to type on an aunt's pre-Windows PC that required a complex boot sequence of inserting and flipping multiple 5.25" floppy disks to load a DOS menu type interface. We later had one of these in our home as well. Ours was a Zenith brand and I have such nostalgia for that old thing.

In grade school, we used Typing Tutor on Apple IIe computers. We had to tape a sheet of paper to cover our hands on the keyboard in order to prove we'd memorized the keys.

Freshman year of high school, we spent half of the year learning to type on IBM Selectric Typewriters because they were still used heavily in offices (this experience landed me a job in the 2000s- thanks Ms. Blades!). The second half of the year was taught on the school's new early Windows PCs (mid-late '90s? had to be after '95 because I don't think we had Windows 3.0 or 3.1 at school. that was just me at home I think...).

In college, I took a speed typing course on PCs and managed over 100 wpm with high accuracy fairly easily. Couldn't name that software now if my life depended on it, lol!

As long as the keyboard has the pips on the F & J keys, I'm good with never needing to look at the keys for most things. A much lesser used symbol may give me a slight pause at this point, but not much.

I’m curious because my mother was taught to type on a typewriter and can type on a keyboard without looking at her hands. Meanwhile, my older sister was taught in school to type on a keyboard and has to watch her hands, and my father was never taught taught typing at all and does the hunt and poke method (single finger typing, looking at the keyboard).

[netscapenavigator-official]

I wish 3D printers were more accessible. Apparently, if you have a high-res 3D printer, there’s a script on GitHub that lets you make type balls for IBM Selectrics in any font you want. I want a Comic Sans type ball for a 1980s typewriter. Now! And a Zilla Slab one too. If I had a 3D printer I’d be unstoppable.

[billconrad]

Are Today’s Writers Spoiled?

    My father was a hard-core author who published from the mid-70s through the 2000s. He began with an IBM Selectric II typewriter and sought out the only publisher, McMillan, willing to take on a ceramic textbook. Later, he used this same typewriter to typeset and self-publish his books, which were sold mail order from our garage.

    Today, publishing is quite different. A person can use a free online word processor like Google Docs to write a book, convert it to an eBook, or print on-demand book and publish it online where millions of people can download it.

    And the tools we have? Word, Front Page, Excel, Visio, Grammarly, Photoshop, ProWritingAid and Hemmingway. There are even AI-powered resources like ChatGPT. Plus, the internet is a research powerhouse that can fact-check, locate information, find existing works, locate publishing resources, correct flaws, and inspire ideas. Well, I guess that is it. Anybody can publish a book without any effort and make millions of dollars. Umm, no.

    Take the topic of Nelson Mandela. With a few minutes of internet research, ALL the essential facts about this amazing man are available. Are they accurate? Multiple sources can easily confirm the vital facts. What can be done with this verified information? Write a book, report, article, educational pamphlet, children’s book, or fantasy story with Nelson as a character or a parody based on researched facts.

    For example, an author could use Google Docs to write a time travel story where the main character meets Nelson Mandela. Then, check it with Grammarly, import a table from Excel, and use free online tools to place their book on Amazon. Heck, the cover design could be done by the AI image generator SDXL. The resulting book would be wholly fact-checked, grammar-checked, and properly formatted with excellent cover art. The apex of the spoiled author is to use an AI program like ChatGPT to write the entire book. Truly remarkable.

    All true, but there is a problem my father never faced. Readers have a thousand time travel books to choose from or can download a free time travel story from many sites. Do you like horses? “Hey, ChatGPT. Write a time travel story with Nelson Mandela riding horses.” Done!

    This wide variety makes it nearly impossible for an author to get a potential reader’s attention. I did an Amazon search for “Nelson Mandela books,” and 409 results appeared. Poetry book? 80,000 results. Religion book? 100,000 results. Harry Potter book? 4,000 results. Side note: When I did this search, I found “Welcome to Hogwarts (LEGO Harry Potter).” Lego publishes books? I do not even know what to say…

    It gets worse. A nobody reader can leave a scathing review that stays public until the last hard drive in the universe stops spinning. And oops. The server crashed, and your Google Docs book got deleted. Plagiarism? It is now easier than copying files off a floppy disk.

    Alright, I’m getting lazy. “Hey ChatGPT. List the problems facing modern authors.”

1. Oversaturation of the Market: With the rise of self-publishing and digital platforms, more books are being published than ever, making it harder for authors to stand out.

    Discoverability: Competing for attention in a crowded marketplace requires significant effort in marketing and branding.

2. Financial Instability

    Low Royalties: Traditional publishing contracts often offer modest royalties, and self-published authors may struggle to make consistent sales.

    Pressure to Write Quickly: Authors may feel pushed to produce content rapidly to keep up with market demand, which can lead to burnout.

3. Marketing and Promotion

    Lack of Support: Many authors, especially in the self-publishing world, must handle their marketing and promotion, which requires time, money, and expertise.

    Social Media Pressure: Authors are often expected to maintain a solid social media presence to engage readers, which can be overwhelming and detract from writing time.

4. Changing Reader Habits

    Shorter Attention Spans: With the dominance of digital content and streaming services, some readers may have shorter attention spans, impacting interest in lengthy works.

    EBook vs. Print: The shift to eBooks and audiobooks changes how books are consumed, and some authors struggle to adapt.

5. Technological Disruption

    AI and Automation: Tools that generate content, like AI-written texts, are emerging, potentially altering how stories are created and valued.

    Piracy: Digital piracy remains a significant concern, with unauthorized copies of books cutting into authors’ earnings.

6. Diversity and Representation

    Gatekeeping: Some authors face barriers related to race, gender, or identity when trying to break into traditional publishing.

    Pressure to Represent: Authors from marginalized backgrounds may feel obligated to focus on specific narratives, limiting creative freedom.

7. Creative Challenges

    Writer’s Block: Pressure to produce can exacerbate creative blocks.

    Balancing Art and Commerce: Authors may struggle to balance writing what they are passionate about with what sells.

8. Mental Health Concerns

    Isolation: Writing can be a solitary profession, leading to feelings of loneliness or disconnection.

    Public Criticism: Negative reviews, online trolls, and cancel culture can affect an author’s mental health.

9. Industry Gatekeeping

Traditional Publishing Barriers: Many authors face rejections or long waits for decisions from conventional publishers.

Focus on Trends: Publishers may prioritize trendy genres or themes, making it harder for unique or unconventional stories to find a home.

10. Sustainability

Environmental Impact: Authors may grapple with the ethics of traditional publishing’s reliance on paper and physical distribution.

Cultural Shifts: Trends and norms evolve quickly, requiring authors to adapt their writing styles and themes to remain relevant.

    Today, authors face many challenges my father could not have imagined in the seventies. When he started, there were only TWO ceramics textbooks. I searched Amazon for “ceramics textbook,” and 242 books appeared. This number is incorrect because my father amassed over 500 hardcover ceramics textbooks during his writing effort.

    And the quality of the modern ceramic textbook? Nearly every new ceramic textbook, potter’s manual, glaze recipe cookbook, reference book, or guide has my father’s books in the appendix or bibliography. So, I know they must be good.

    My father faced many technical and economic challenges that today’s authors can only read about in history books. Instead, our challenges are the extreme competition, cut-throat marketing, developing new ideas, and utilizing new technology. So, today’s authors have many tools at their fingertips that my father could only dream about, but we face sophisticated modern readers and mountains of existing work. We certainly are not spoiled, but neither was my father.

    You’re the best -Bill

    November 27, 2024

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

   Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.