Very cool! Are there tutorials of this DIY online?

Uwe wrote:

Those kits have been around for years and they've been discussed here many times over. I've never understood the attraction of using a straight-to-digital interface (never mind that it's a demeaning contraption for a vintage typewriter to suffer). It seems a novelty to me, one that would wear itself out rather quickly, and as such targeted at the occasional typist.

Someone who types every day, and does so because a typewriter is the main component in a preferred writing process, is not going to want to stare at a tablet mounted on the carriage of their favorite machine. If I'm going to use a monitor of any kind then I'll just use a computer. I prefer to write my drafts and edit them using real paper, and preferably as far from a computer as I can get. And when the time comes to digitize things as they approach a final draft, I just scan the pages and use OCR software to turn it all into a Word file. 

Obviously this is just my opinion, but I consider all of these gadgets, the USB Typewriter Kit and those simulated typewriter keyboards, more of interest to those who aren't actually invested in using a typewriter as a writing tool. 

Of course, I don't mean to press this suggestions onto those traditionalists. I'm just giving awareness of what is out there. I see more values to be had from the original machines. A stark white screen can become a distraction as quickly as it gives its user ease. If anything, I would hope that this nostalgic callbacks make me people more curious about typewriters, even enough to go out and experience one for themselves.

If you haven't heard, there's been two fundraising projects for a callback to the simplicity of a typewriter with the benefits of modernity. I realize there's no replacing the traditional touch of a typewriter but to those who are curious, click the images below.

 



The lofree fundraiser ends April 11, 2017 and the Penna fundraiser ends May 6, 2017.

 

To think our proclivity to clutter and to organize a "mess" is a remarkable and sometimes regretful phenomenon. I call it controlled chaos, like the mad, slapdash pianist and the white and black candy keys that belong to him. It reminds me of the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. Then time and happenstance leaves you a sentimental and nostalgic gift from the past somewhere in the future and the familiarity and unfamiliarity strikes you all at once. I tend to be a pack rat myself, but I make my belongings and environment as minimalistic as possible. It can be a fun surprise to come back to the things we never thought twice about initially. Love those moments!   

The past experiences here were captured for posterity but I wonder if they knew that the typewriter would still have its uses today. Typewriters were a Luddites dream. A big part of the war involved sending coded messages and the way to avoid interception from radio signals for instance, was by typewriters. Love the videos!