b l o g o r e l l i

when worlds collide

Lookee!

someone in the AIGA journal has written a rather smart little article about the GWB National Guard Memo scandal that combines all of my dorky secret (or not-at-all secret) pleasures: design, typography, forgery (i.e. spies) and and TYPEWRITERS!!! omg omg omg...it's toooo much!

"The machines that attention focused on were the IBM Selectric Typewriter and its successor, the IBM Selectric Composer."

I want to point out that this beautiful baby of a machine is near the top of my list for typewriters-to-obtain for my vintage typewriter collection. The #1 slot on the list is held by the Smith Corona Ghia in orange. The reason that the Selectic series is historically significant (and, as such, a good addition to the collection) is because the machines are the first released to use the "'golf-ball' typehead. The golf-ball was a partial sphere with 88 characters arranged on its surface that rotated as it printed. It obviated the need for the moveable carriage or typebar of a traditional typewriter. Furthermore, it could be removed and replaced with another golf-ball, allowing typists to change font styles and sizes within the same document. And it could be used in other IBM Selectric models. Original fonts were designed by IBM for the golf-ball, among them Courier and Letter Gothic."

(that's all from the article, but I knew it already, just FYI. also, please note that Courier is the devil's font)

i've been stalking various colors of Selectrics on ebay for months now; I think the green would be best but they're hard to find...I already have a red Olivetti Valentine so that's out. some might also be interested to know that Hunter S. Thompson typed many of his manuscripts on a red IBM Selectric. however, in an extremely negative note, many of the articles I've read say something about the Selectric beckoning in very primative "desktop publishing" (or, as designers like to refer to it, "demon spawn.")

p.s. if you thought even a little this post was in any way going to cleverly concern my dating life, apologies

(insert) gleeful intermission

yesterday was a bit of a downer...

but today has been much more upbeat because:
- it snowed this morning! the first of the season for beantown. now, i know that i wll sorely regret my glee over the morning's gentle flurries once the city is being pounded with what is predicted as "the worst in winter in recent years," but waking up to snow makes for a cozy morning feeling. well, at least until i had to get out of bed.

- but then i checked my email and found out that i won my #1 dream typewriter in an ebay auction last night.
YIPEEEE!
olivetti valentine, ship quickly so that i can hug you!

- finally, i didn't really get the chance to gush about a truly rocking show that i went to on Saturday night. It was an old boy band crush, Beulah, out on the road to promote their new album...entitled Yoko. Being hailed as a mix between New Pornographers and Wilco, the band's third effort is a bit more serious than the past ones (such as my absolute favorite, "When Your Heartstrings Break") but a good listen.

there's just something about a band with a trumpet.

the concert was great. i even got my dance on a bit. they played all the requests in my head. and upon coming out of the bathroom, i found my friends hanging out with the lead singer Miles. are we the coolest or what? then, after an embarrassingly display of gush, he signed my cd.

they're shooting a documentary about the band, so keep an eye out. and until then, catch them live or at www.beulahmania.com

sometimes life is good...