h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just saw the first episode of the new Doctor Who series.

Until now I have only seen one episode (on BBC Entertainment) since they haven't aired the show here (Denmark) for years.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that a part of the dashboard of the is an ancient typewriter. Not only that, it looked like the exact same make and model of typewriter my father used. An Olympia I inherited from him - and intend to keep for as long as I live.

As some of you may know my father passed away when I was just 20 years and 4 days old. Only a few days ago I could tell my youngest sibling that she - just like her four siblings - is now older than her father was. 53 years and 50 days.

Coincidences? Yes, I think so, but it makes a nice story, don't you think?



PS: Oh, by the way, I like the and his and the young he goes travelling with and will try to follow the series as much as I can

What an unusual artifact to uncover. Good for you for hanging on to the Olympia. I inherited an Olivetti.

Everyone likes Amy Pond.

I'm working my way through a box set of 'The Wire'. Best TV series *ever* - and I'm counting 'Forbrydelsen'. I notice that the cash-strapped Baltimore Police Department use typewriters. Where do they fins the ribbons?

I imagine there is a w*rking museum still manufacturing ribbons

Dr who?

I remember the first manual typewriter that I learned to type on and I think it was a singer model and it looked like it was made sometime in the 50's.

It was very similar to this model:
http://matildakay.com/images/typewriter.bmp

My mother had an Underwood; I learnt first at school and then at college - probably Triumphs or Olivettis.

In Germany, the most common typewriter was the "Adler" which translates as "Eagle". People who couldn't type with the ten-finger system used to talk about the "System Adler" - which was the technique of circling your finger above the keyboard and then swooping down and hitting the right key once you'd located it.

The type writer I 'played' on at the age of seven didn't have a tape it had an ink pad. As I remember it was named Imperial.

The machine I first learned to type on was a mechanical Underwood.

I had one of my own and it was the same type used in my jr. high school touch-typing class.

I hated that machine.

Agonizingly painful to work, since the keys had to be stepped, to allow adequate travel for the keys, with mechanical linkages, else ones' fingers would get caught between the keys.

By the end of a session I'd have cramps so bad between my shoulders painkillers were indicated.

Thankfully they've gotten away from that with the better ergonomics of the modern flat keyboards.

Painless typing.

my first ever typerwriter was a royal, with no return spring, lol had a strong elstice band instead.

it was only the other day i was saying to kat, why doesnt one of the programmes do a full repeat of the old black and white first series of drwho, instead of fools and horses, and carry on films over and over jim

Some of the tapes were destroyed or lost, I think, Jim. We'll just have to watch William Hartnell in our black and white memories.

hi when i have time i think i might be able to find some links to stored ones by a searchengine i have on my emails to look on all the storage areas, ie, rapidshare, uploading and so on. jim

I has not ever had the pleasure of an old typewriter, does a fortran machine count.

http://www.typewritersupply.com/olympia_ribbons.htm

Ooch, my first typewriter was very much like the old Adlers. Fortunately I never learned how to type...

My first years of w*rking as a journalist were of course also my first years of consuming alcohol. Many are the times I had to pry my fingers out between the - what do you call them, buttons?

Oh yeah, long hours of late w*rk

hi all

there is something on the text about bbc is to release archives of past programmes, for a small fee each download jim

Hi Jim

I saw the report but I'm very vary about paying for anything online.