This year Typewriter Day is a bit special because it is also the 150th anniversary of Charles Latham Sholes‘ patent of „the typewriter“.
I celebrate this day with my wife’s brother AX-15, an electronic machine that she gave to me yesterday. And though I am a fan of mechanical typewriters I could not say no to this.
Typing with this electronic machine is a bit unfamiliar. When typing fast, the type wheel has a little delay and I start waiting for the machine. The advantage of the brother compared to electric machines is their quiet job. My father’s IBM Selectric had the always on motor that called for action, even if my brain was not ready to type the next word.
And a plus of the type wheel compared to my mechanic typewriters is the ability to switch from 10 to 12 chars per inch, so I can change the look of the typing. Of course, I can switch between my mechanical typewriters, or use the half space.
And typing without electric power and using the ink ribbon instead of the one time carbon ribbon that also has the full plastic body seems a bit more ecologic.
