Respected biographer Meryle Secrest seeks to uncover a Cold War era conspiracy in her new book The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti: IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to Shut Down Production of the World’s First Desktop Computer. The story revolves around the Olivetti company and family, best known for their typewriters, but also the brand behind the first personal computer—some 10 years before …
In his Hollywood studio, Tim Youd is standing next to a giant sculpture of an Underwood typewriter. His passion for classic manual typewriters is immediately noticeable: they can be found on surfaces everywhere, and there are supplies for them packed to the rafters. There are sculptures of them, made by piecing together layer upon layer of cardboard. He blind-draws typewriters over each other—with a tabulate …
Writers know the value of being connected to the internet for research, fact-checking and so much more. And yet, connectivity consistently poses problems—from interruption to procrastination. Astrohaus’ Freewrite Smart Typewriter, now in its improved second generation, offers an alternative. There’s a satisfying, high-end mechanical keyboard, weeks of battery life and an e INK screen that looks like ink on paper. Of course, work typed here …
