Bring back The Typewriter

602
April 30th, 2018
Back Bring back The Typewriter

My connection on the Internet broke down today -- again.

I am nowhere near an expert when it comes to repairing my personal computer. I leave that job to Jeff, one of my two roommates, who is the house expert and who can fix anything electronic.

Now I realize the Internet is a great boon to humanity. The people living in the Caribbean on the islands where I once worked -- St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Maarten -- think the Internet is a gift to mankind and they are correct.

The islanders use their computers to set up businesses, make friends, and earn money in a variety of ways. The Internet supplies them with the knowledge that mankind has been able to accumulate over the centuries between wars and rumors of wars.

But -- and this is a big but -- computers are not perfect.

In the early days of the Internet I remember how a bolt of lightning on a clear day could instantly wipe out all the words of a story I had been writing. It was not saved. That technology had not yet been worked out, so I would have to go back to the drawing board and do everything over.

It was a pain I had to learn to live with.

I use my computer for so many things. When I want to brush up on my strategy for poker, horse racing, or controlling my throws at a dice table, I do a simple search and the knowledge appears instantly on the screen. You can't beat that kind of service.

I write my stories for these websites on my computer. In the old days when I used my Remington typewriter, I would sometimes struggle for a lead and throw away sheet after sheet of paper until I came up with the proper words.

Early in my college days, I came across a magazine article that stated Ernest Hemingway, my hero, wrote his books standing up. He claimed it kept the oxygen flowing properly to his brain and helped him think. I tried that a few times but it tired me and I gave it up.

I loved using a typewriter to create my stories. There was a rhythm and flow of words on a typewriter that just don't exist on a computer.

Progress is wonderful, but it does have its limitations. Today I can take my PC with me wherever I go. I can instantly pull up whatever information I need for whatever subject that interests me.

The first typewriter I ever used belonged to a neighbor named Mary. I was 15 and my father had built our family a house on Sutersville Hill in Western Pennsylvania.

Mary was a sweet young woman who lived in the house next to ours. When she learned I was an aspiring author, she insisted I use her typewriter to compose my stories. I will never forget her generosity. I borrowed her typewriter and didn't return it until the summer ended and I returned to school where typewriters were available.

I used a typewriter to cover breaking news stories for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner for four glorious years. I covered murders, earthquakes, criminal trials, fires and plane crashes. It was heady stuff for a young journalist and my typewriter never let me down.

But when the Internet breaks down through overuse by the people of the world or for whatever reason, I find myself secretly wishing that the world would bring back the typewriter. It will never happen, of course. The typewriter belongs to the ages. But it's a nice thought.

“Ernest Hemingway, my hero, wrote his books standing up”

Back to articles
Get great bonuses at VCO

Search

Search Results

Select language

English English

Don't show this again

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share