In Praise of Old Technology

The recent gift of a vintage portable manual typewriter from kind friends set me reminiscing about old technology and, as the world wearies of constant connection to the internet, its place in our future.

I use a computer keyboard every day, but it’s been decades since I used a manual typewriter keyboard. Typing my first letter on my little machine jogged my memory about forgotten differences between keyboards ancient and modern.

Depressing the typewriter’s keys requires a much more forceful action than a computer keyboard, because you must physically force the little metal letters to rise from the type basket (the arc of letters in front of the paper) and hit the page, their shape imprinted via the inked ribbon.

The typebasket

The choice of font is restricted to one style and size, specified by the manufacturer. Not until electric typewriters were invented, where the letters sat on a rotating “golf ball”, could the user vary the font, and only then by removing and replacing one golf ball with another.

The ‘golf ball’ – a little revolving globe covered in letters – is concealed beneath the IBM logo in this machine

The choice of characters is much smaller too.

No emojis here.

In fact, there’s not even an exclamation mark on the compact keyboard of my portable typewriter. Instead, you have to type a full stop, then backspace, then add an apostrophe above it. When I showed my Gen Z daughter, she was perplexed. How could it be possible to place two characters in the same space on the line? On the computer keyboards that she’s grown up with, backspaces are destructive, used to erase a typo.

The sound of a manual typewriter’s keyboard is entirely different to a computer’s. The sound of the little metal keys hitting the page is followed by the distinctive “ping” as you near the end of a line, warning you to return the carriage (the roller holding the paper) to start a new line. To me, these sounds are pleasantly nostalgic. Not so for my daughter.

Taking a phone call while I typed a letter, she told her caller, “I’ll have to take this in the other room – Mum’s making a noise with her typewriter.”

Noisy, but fun

There are lots of reasons I think manual typewriters deserve to make the comeback currently enjoyed by vinyl LPs and audio cassette tapes.

While typing on a typewriter, you can’t be distracted by people sending you messages.Nor can you distract yourself by surfing the internet.Neither can you be hacked.

Rumour has it that the KGB bought typewriters a few years ago to make sure messages stayed secret. Enigma machine it ain’t, but I can see the appeal of the manual typewriter to anyone sensitive about safeguarding privacy.

The Enigma Machine for breaking coded German military messages, credited with shortening World War II and saving at least 14 million lives

 

So, what will be the next piece of old technology to be revived for entirely twenty-first century reasons? My money’s on implements for writing by hand. Irked by the wastefulness of disposable, short-lived plastic ballpoint pens and by tree-slaying pencils always blunt or broken when you need them, I wonder whether I can start a movement for the return of the quill pen, surely the most environmentally-friendly and compostable writing device ever invented. Now I just need to find a cooperative goose…

When only a quill pen will do: the Governor of Pennsylvania signing the Suffrage Amendment

This post was written for the October 2024 issue of the Hawkesbury Parish News.

IN OTHER NEWS

My latest cosy mystery novel, Death at the Old Curiosity Shop, has now finished its blog tour, and I’m delighted by the many lovely things that bookbloggers have been saying about it.

Order your copy from your local bookshop or library or online (click image for Amazon buying link).

In the meantime, Boldwood Books has announced the publication date for the second in this new Cotswold Curiosity Shop series: 3rd March 2025. It’s already available for pre-order on Amazon here as an ebook, and on the launch date will be available as an ebook on other platforms too, and as a paperback,  hardcover and audiobook. You’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the title and cover!

The title’s coming soon, as well as the cover…

And there’s never an idle moment for me, because as soon as I’ve processed my editor’s comments on this second book, I’ll be starting to write the third. It’s all happening for Alice Carroll!

Meanwhile I’m looking forward to hosting the third Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival Christmas Special on Saturday 7th December, here in my home village. It’s a celebration of festive books of all kinds, and will include:

performances of seasonal short stories written especially for the occasionreadings of classic Christmas poetry and prosetalks by local authors about their festive books

Our special festive guests will include:

thriller writer AA Abbottchildren’s author Linda Alvistravel writer Steve Berryhistorical novelist Jean Burnetthistorical novelist and historian Lucienne Boycevoice artist Gerard BoyceLinda Cohen, CEO of local children’s charity Read With Memystery writer Frances Eveshamchildren’s author Tiggy Greenwoodromantic novelist Stefania Hartleytravel writer/biographer Carole Mitchelldocumentary maker John Ruthvenshort story writer Mark Rutterfordchildren’s author Betty Salthouse and me!

Advance booking is essential as space is limited and the price of £5 (plus small booking fee), including tea and cake and a £2 book voucher, is such a bargain that we’re sure to sell out! 

Book your tickets for the HULF Christmas Special here.