
The Last Generation of Typewriter Repairmen (2010) - Tomte
http://www.wired.com/2010/05/gallery-typewriters/all/1
======
bootload
_" Despite these inefficiencies, there are a few places where typewriters
still clack away. New York City police stations, the desks of a few stubborn
hangers-on, and, increasingly, the apartments of hip young people who have a
fetish for the retro."_

And those who have a passing interest in securing certain types of
information. [0] Why? Each machine uniquely fingerprints a typed document
making it easier to trace leaks. [1]

[0]
[https://duckduckgo.com/?q=typewriters+security](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=typewriters+security)

[1] _" Unlike printers, every typewriter had its own individual typing pattern
which made it possible to link every document to a particular machine,
Izvestiya said."_

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
europe-23282308](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23282308)

~~~
ics
For all practical purposes, so does any other way of producing a document from
plain old desktop printing ([http://33bits.org/2011/10/11/everything-has-a-
fingerprint-%E...](http://33bits.org/2011/10/11/everything-has-a-
fingerprint-%E2%80%94-dont-forget-scanners-and-printers/)) to handwritten
letters.

~~~
bootload
Agreed, though I think the idea was also to remove the chance of any snooping
via elint. I do notice the Ruskies choosing electric type writers probably for
reliability and evenness of the print output. I remember the IBM Selectrics
[0] I used hacking up for _" text repro"_, [1] far superior to manual
typewriters that had, depending on the quality of the machine uneven
application of ink. If you scan a copy you get superior reproduction.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter)

[1] To make print ready artwork you can type up the text, print a negative and
reproduce positive film copy to work with. Old school optical reproduction
technology.

------
glossyscr
My dad had an IBM Selectric typewriter with a typeball head. I remember I was
9 or 10 and it was so satisfying how a soft key press let the typeball moving
& rotating incredibly fast to the right letter and hammering the paper.
Actually it was so fast you barely could see any movement. The printed letters
were ultra crisp and clear (like a today's 2400dpi b/w laser printer) since it
was kind of an one time ribbon. A total different experience to previous
typewriters where you needed to hit the keys hard and the printed letters were
of inconsistent quality.

Since then I was fascinated by devices with keyboards.

I found a commercial where you can see the typeball in action including slow
motion:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNUEUth7qjc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNUEUth7qjc)

