Tag Archives: Olivetti Valentine
Philly’s PRETZEL PARK Type-IN gets some media coverage
WHYY/Newsworks was nice enough to send a photog/reporter to cover last Saturdays clack-a-thon in the park. Have to laugh that the first photo is of me obviously chiding a young person: “Errrmph! Please type with just two fingers to avoid key jams–it’s like you’ve never used a manual typewriter before, really!”
Here’s the link to the Newsworks story.
And here are a few pics:
Young people encounter vintage typing machines…
Bryan Kruk always brings some lovely machines; here’s a pair of Olivetti ICOs — one in matte black and one in a glossy piano black. Bellissimo, Mr. K!
Ah, such a crisp design could only foster concision!
Let’s have a closer look at that OLIVETTI ICO, shall we? What’s really astonishing is that this machine types as beautifully as it looks! Thank you, men and women of Olivetti, S.A.
Poster for the NYC Type-IN
- OK, here’s the revised poster with complete info….
- — And here’s a pdf file to print out and stick up in cafes, thrift stores and English Departments! (And book stores, firehouses, typewriter repair shops, etc.)
- Type-IN1
PLEASE, RSVP via Comments, and let us know where you’re coming from, what typewriter(s) you are bringing and if any of them are for the swap. Me for example: Michael McGettigan–Philadelphia. Olivetti Lettera 32, Olympia SF to swap.
Thanks and hope to see lots of machines, and the people who love them on the 21st.
— mcget
Son of Type-IN is tomorrow
The Recipe:
About 6 or 8 of our typewriters, easy. Maybe more. Sure, Martin Remy (Remington Portable #1), you may come with us–ditto Herr Doktor Olympia S.M. Nein, and Oli Lettera 32. Who else? Well, we’d better bring a Quiet-Riter so things don’t get too Nois-Ee. I suppose that at this kind of high-class do, a Socialite would certainly be welcome–but we’d better bring that square, Mr. Smith-Corona Classic 12, as a chaperone. Beyond that, it will be potluck.
One long “church picnic” table, since we said “potluck.”
A portfolio stuffed with regular typing bond, nicer stationery, envelopes, stamps, and the Speed Typing document–up till now a carefully-kept secret (even from myself!) — it’s a selection from Ernst Kreuder’s novel, The Attic Pretenders — an escapist fable and the first book published in Germany after WWII.
A little tripod and a few various (yes, digital) cameras. A small stack of event programs, sure to increase in value if stored properly.
Two typewriters as Grand Prizes for the Speed Typing Competition. Some lesser, er, “typoswag” for the runners-up.
A couple of short, type-written Radio Commercial scripts (one for our bike shop, one for the US Postal Service) that I am going to try to get some lucky people to read at our Station Breaks. Any variety show worth its salt must have the traditional “Word From Our Sponsor”, right?
A comb–since CBS Sunday Morning says they’re bringing a TV crew!
Ah, I know there’s something else, but it will be on a list somewhere–just have to find my map which has all my lists marked on it.
A Personal Appeal: If you are planning to come, do please RSVP to phillytyper@gmail.com, so we’ll now how many deviled eggs to bring!
— thanks for typing, and just as important, reading what others type.
cheers
–mcget/phillytyper
Handful of Stalwarts Defy Wintry Mix for Philly Type-IN No. 2
Freezing rain & snow, with a few locusts mixed in, made for a miserable Saturday & nearly iced the Type-IN. But the day was saved by a few folks who escaped meteorological house arrest. A Mr. Jon Roth astonished all (well, the barmaid and myself) by arriving first, from far-flung Cape May, NJ. Mr. Roth, a writer and editor, packed a Royal Aristocrat. Cape May has a wealth of Victorian architecture, but no apparently no typewriter repair shops whatever. Jon checked out some of the machines, especially mcget’s (er, mine) Olivetti Lettera 32 and Olympia SM9 and cried out, “Crikey, this is so easy!” and promptly had an epiphany (which the bar maid didn’t even blink at–as these happen in Fergie’s all the time, she said) which we have reproduced in part:
Second machine on deck was a French-made Hermes 3000, purchased (twice) by Philadelphia Inquirer movie writer Steven Rea. Bryn Mawr College had not one, but two Jens representing them: web-designer Jen Yuan, again with her Olivetti Valentine and Jen Callaghan, who runs a writers’ program at the school. Trophy Bikes mechanic and devout cyclist TJ Seningen stopped by to complete the group. I had no clue when scheduling the Type-IN that Feb. 5th was also World Nutella Day–but Ms. Yuan, better-informed, unpacked a jar of this high-calorie chocolate spread, along with bread and knives so that we essentially were celebrating two events in one, as well as an extra day’s intake of carbs. A pair of writers from Geekadelphia were also on hand and refrained from remarking on the hazards of mixing Nutella and manual typing–we hope their story will be discreet about this practice.
The small field precluded a Typing Competition, though we did see several letters completed. No one opted for a splash of Clinique’s budget “Happy” fragrance–so this mailing was totally scentsless! (sorry) Finally, we did perform a Typewriter Roller Call. This involves a sheet of paper starting in one typing machine, where its owner (or whoever is sitting in front of it at the time) types the make and model, their name and perhaps a sentence or two. (as shown here) Then the page goes from machine to machine, with each person typing a line or two, in that machine’s particular typeface… till the page is full.
This page travelled through several typewriters--and survived!
Now, what would be interesting is to see a few Typewriter Roller Calls, single-spaced, so as to get a lot of typewriter fonts onto a single sheet….
Thanks to all, and now it’s time to get clacking on some letters for International Typewriter Appreciation Month. Why, yes, I can be reached at the address below! :
Michael McGettigan
c/0 Trophy Bikes
3131 Walnut St.
Phila. PA 19104 USA
Footnotes:
Mr. Roth is an editor at Exit Zero, a well-done online guide which will make you want to go to Cape May sooner rather than later.
Ms. Yuan has hacked cats into dogs and shows how here.
Fergie’s Pub is run by Fergus Carey & would be a wonder just for their newspaper ads which (truthfully) declare: “NO TV!”, but they don’t stop there, making sure to have plenty of craft beers on hand, as well as good food & really sturdy tables.
Philly Type-IN, Chapter Two
Philly Type-IN, Chapter Two--wherein we type up a nice Olivetti Valentine's Day note!
OK, some updates. One, if you think you are going to win the Typing Competition Speed Challenge, you better keep practicing–word has it that Matt “Manyfingers” Cidoni will be coming to this second Type-IN. Matt dusted everyone at the last Type-IN with his brilliant command of the keyboard. So be on your game or get left behind.
Two–What is a Typewriter Roll Call? Hint: you need a little paper and a lot of typewriters to accomplish one. And we aim to do a proper TRC at this next Philly Type-IN. If you can RSVP with the make(s) and model(s) of the typewriters you are bringing, that will help us a bit as we work over our detailed seating chart! RSVP to phillytyper@gmail.com. More than that we can not say.
Finally, we’d really like to see a bit more swappiness on the 5th–Sooo… if you see a nice typer at a thrift store, or you’re looking to thin your herd, or get some new machines — do bring some extra typers to trade.
sincerely,
— mcget/the Type-IN.
OFFICIAL: Journalists Like Typewriters
As seen in the Museum of Modern Art! Jenn Yuan shows off her Olivetti Valentine -- a "leisure typewriter", designed by Ettore Sottsass
Typewriters were famous for 15 minutes 4 hours yesterday!
The first Philly Type-IN was scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at Bridgewater’s Pub…. and….
At 1:07, the first few attendees were trundling in with their manual typewriters…. already waiting were:
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Michael Vitez–with their top photographer, Akira Suwa; Liz Spikol from the new Latino-geek monthly, Tek Lado; Peter Crimmins from WHYY, KYW reporter Suzanne Monaghan, two TV camera men from NBC and local news (6, I think) and a tech-site blogger** who interviewed me on a Flip, oh–and Associated Press reporter Ron Todt. Knew I should have made a PowerPoint!
So in between the art of typewriter arranging, had to try and come up with varied, yet coherent quotes to all sorts of variations on this question: why typewriters? and why now, in 2010?
Tried desperately to answer that, and they seemed satisfied–at any rate, what they wrote/video’d about the Type-IN is all over the place–here are some links:
Major style points to Inky reporter Michael Vitez–he commandeered my Olympia SM9 and banged out the first draft of his story on the spot. Er, wish he hadn’t overheard me saying, “But what a body…” about an Olivetti Valentine typewriter… but they are a cool design, no bones about it, and I can’t really blame Jenn Yuan for not selling it to me! BTW –if you see any print stories picked up in other papers, can you let me know?
Serious thanks to young Matt Cidoni, who trekked down from central N.J. (60 miles) with four typewriters and was put straight to work–typing up the guest list (now missing FOUND!), matching people with typewriters, popping in ribbons, and giving great quote to a stack of reporters like a pro.
Matt also schooled the assembled multitude in speed typing–he finished ahead of Carey Bergsma with 55 WPM in the Typing Competition. He went back to NJ with a nice Hermes Rocket from the 1950s–for which he swapped me a Royal Multi-Touch with glass keys and a dangerously mint paint job. We both think we got over, heh.
Big surprise–Philadelphia’s dean of synth/sound design, Charles Cohen, showed up with a Hermes 3000 and grabbed third place.
Also a great surprise– typewriter repairman Michael Ardito and his brother Robert trekked all the way down from Long Island. They had their hands full from the moment they arrived–checking out a variety of typers. Sadly, they confirmed that my mint Olivetti Lettera 32 needs a new mainspring. So now for a parts search or buying a more beat up L-32 to salvage a mainspring from. But seriously, thanks guys– and note that Mr. Ardito can be reached at Hometown Business Machines–718.982.6876.
If you came out, some notes:
1) did you find a list of names and emails in your typewriter or lying about? I think we left it in someone’s typer. If you took any photos videos, could you bounce us some or let us know where to find them online? Don’t worry–found it!
- 2) The word is that Brooklyn Writing Machines is planning their own Type-IN at the Brooklyn Flea this spring. I hope to take part and will post more here.
3) Thanks so much for coming out and taking part in an experiment which felt like a success. Please post to this site if you feel like it, and we look forward to another Type-IN in 2011–quite possibly outdoors. In the meantime, we may just have some smaller Type-OUTS, where we just show up at a (willing and forewarned) cafe or pub to do a bit of collegial clicking.
4) As noted elsewhere on this site–I am struggling whether to make a New Year’s Resolution to be a DTer in 2011. A Daily Typer, that is. If anyone would like to take that pledge, I may post a list and create a subgroup on this blog to keep the pressure on to Commit Daily Typing.
cheers and here’s a to 2011 filled with courier, elite, pica and a bit of cursive!
— Michael McGettigan
phillytyper 