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ThinkPads and Typewriters: Writing Costa to Costa from Coast to Coast

9/28/2014

Perhaps I am a bit quirky, but I have always enjoyed connecting with new people on an intimate level. As I mentioned in a previous post, I met one of my best friends on a pen pal website over two years ago--last year, I travelled in Barcelona with him and this year I will be visiting him in South Africa.

For my latest project, I will be attempting something unusual. I plan on writing to a Costa in every state in the USA. Though communication is easier than ever with e-mail, Skype, and social networking, nothing is quite so personal and meaningful as some snail mail...the time it takes to put thoughts on paper, purchase stamps and envelopes, and drive to the post office carry meaning that can't be reproduced by bits of information that can be sent by the push of a button. Let's face it: Holding paper in your hand--having something tangible that can be passed generation to generation--is preferable over the ephemeral e-mails we keep in our inbox.

The purpose of my little project is rather simple: I want to learn about people throughout the country, since it is unlikely I will ever be able to travel throughout the USA in my lifetime. I want to learn of similarities, differences, gain new ways of thinking of this world, make new friends...and just have some fun! Even more exciting will be if I find that I am a related to any of these Costas, admittedly unlikely since it is such a common surname for the Portuguese and Spanish. My methods of achieving my goal have been easy enough: I go on the Internet White Pages on my ThinkPad, search for Costas, and type up a letter (often on a typewriter...just because), all of which are personalized.

I will be update this posting with responses as letters (hopefull) arrive to me. Until then, enjoy an example of one of my letters.

Update!

I received an E-mail from Beth Costa, who currently lives in Maine, that I felt I had to share. How fortuitous is it that I contacted her of the hundreds of Costas in the state?

I'm excited to say that Joseph Costa from Virginia hand wrote me a letter. To answer your question, Joseph, yes, you are one of the few to contact me. I guess many Costas aren't as fond as receiving letters from strangers as we are. Thank you for the reply. Also, I'm loving the Batman stamp :)

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Out One Ear....ThinkPad In-Ear Headphones

9/25/2014

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An audiophile I am not. Though I grew up surrounded by Gibson and Epiphone instruments, Fender tube amps, stack upon stack of vinyl records, Shure microphones in a house practically wallpapered in sheet music, I never inherited my mother and father’s musical gifts. Fortunately, my dad’s electronic equipment did not go entirely to waste on me—the gold standard for headphones for me has to be the Sony MDR-V6. Their comfort, durability, and sound quality are likely unsurpassable for the money, even twenty-nine years after their introduction (they’re as old as I am!). Though they are my primary headphones for enjoying music at home, studio monitor headphones aren’t exactly appropriate in the workplace.

I have nothing but praise for the Sony MDR-V6. And look at that color scheme! It coordinates with my ThinkPad.

It is surprising how much I actually use earbuds in the lab. Training procedures are often submitted to us in video format—considering that I share a cube with another person, a pair of headphones is a good idea. Not surprisingly, I like listening to music, watching videos, and listening to the news during an incubation step in my assays. The incessant humming of instruments easily drowns out any sound coming from my company’s HP EliteBook (no fault of HP’s….the instruments are really just that loud). Now, the ThinkPad 57Y4488 headphones actually weren’t my first earbuds that I used at the work place. For nearly five years, I relied on some earbuds that came with my iPod. For the most part, they did their job, but let’s face it: They’re not particularly comfortable and sound is dull. Mine were also used to the point that they’re turning gray from grime and cracking along the earpads.

My original in-ear headphones had seen better times.

When considering headphones for work, I was looking for three qualities: Comfort, decent sound, and an external microphone (Skype is an important part of my life!). Oh, and I wanted them to be inexpensive. At $20, the package Lenovo put together is quite impressive. The earbuds come with three pairs of silicone tips (SML) to ensure an optimal fit, and these are far more comfortable than the old pair I was using. The sound quality is impressive for headphones at this price (MDR-V6’s they are not), and I can even detect bass, notably absent in other pairs I have used. Equally important, the headphones isolate me from the distraction of the outside noises, though I’m unsure how much of this is due to their noise cancellation capabilities and not the excellent seal the silicone tips provide. Though the headphones are optimized for such devices as the ThinkPad Tablet 2, allowing the user to seamlessly transition between music and calls, the Y-jack adapter allows both the microphone and headphones to be used simultaneously on a standard desktop and notebook—as an aside, I thought it was pretty nifty that Lenovo color coded the microphone and audio plugs for us Lenovo PC users (green plugs into green and red into red…no looking at tiny symbols!). I have had several opportunities to Skype with them and the callers on the other end have commented that the audio is both louder and clearer than any calls I have made with the internal microphone. Lenovo was also kind enough to include a drawstring vinyl pouch…I discovered its utility today, when the pouch fell out of my pocket in the rain. Don’t worry! They’re fine.

For $19.99, you get all this. And we will even throw in a vinyl pouch at no extra cost!

The headphone and pic ports color coordinate with my headphones. Fancy!

All right…so let’s conclude. If you need a pair of earbuds that offer good sound and bass, an in-line microphone, and great comfort, the Lenovo Y57Y4488 can’t be beat at $19.99 (often much less with a discount). For full specs and ordering click here .

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2001: When we kept a watch on the watchPad

9/19/2014

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Let’s reach into the bin of great concepts that never quite made it! It’s hard to remember with all the hype surrounding the Apple Watch that over a decade ago, IBM was demonstrating the WatchPad. The watch, weighing at 43 g and measuring 65 mm x 46 mm x 16 mm, was designed in collaboration with Citizen in early 2001. Running on Linux kernel 2.4, the watch possessed some interesting features like a fingerprint reader, Bluetooth 1.1, radio, microphone for speech to text, and touchscreen; the watch could be used as a pointing device for PowerPoint presentations and could communicate with the ThinkPad to send emails. Equally interesting, the watch could function as a personal identification device, allowing for automated check-ins at hotels, for instance. The inclusion of a "vibrator" seems like a personal matter, but I am sure it would have been quite convenient. Admittedly, some features are quite dated like the serial port,IrDA, and QVGA 320x240 black and white screen. I have included a video I obtained on the IBM archives and uploaded to YouTube many years ago.

Unfortunately, despite IBM having a fully functional prototype, the watch never hit market…and we shall never know if all these features in the palm…errr, wrist…of our hand would have appealed to consumers at the anticipated retail price of $399.

And so, instead of focusing my lust towards a WatchPad, I will continue lusting for a 1950s Hamilton Electric, which, in my mind, are some of the most beautiful and interesting watches ever designed…even if they can only tell time.

I find the Hamilton Electrics, the first battery operated watches produced, to be some of the most interesting watches both in mechanics, combining battery power with traditional mechanisms, and Richard Arbib's Space Age design. That is a beautiful Hamilton Pacer!

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From Typewriters to ThinkPads, A Love of Good Keyboards

9/5/2014

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As I mentioned, I am giving myself permission to go on tangents in this blog…and so I will discuss one of my peculiar hobbies. Typing. I don’t mean typing letters, essays, articles, etc…I just mean typing. I enjoy trying out different machines and touch typing…for me, it’s a relaxing activity to lay my hands on a new keyboard and type away. It’s an activity that I have enjoyed since I first took a business typing course fifteen years ago (it’s hard to believe I’ve been touch typing over half my life). Since then, I’ve typed on IBM Selectrics, IBM Model M keyboards, Lenovo/IBM ThinkPads, and just about every other brand you can think of. Here I get a little quirky: If possible, I give myself a typing test with the device to determine my WPM. Generally, on a good keyboard, I hover around 103 wpm with virtually no errors (let me brag about this.). I can't brag about much.

Perhaps you would assume I fall for those keyboards that allow me to type the fastest, but I must confess that lately I’ve become smitten with manual typewriters. Recently I purchased a 1960s Smith-Corona Corsair—even new, it was a cheap little thing, but it’s surprisingly durable, and with a little oil and cleaning, I was able to revive my colorful English typewriter. Typing on the device…well, it’s different. It can definitely be described as giving the “tactile feeling,” so many of us look for, but typing on a manual typewriter is just so different than anything else my fingers have graced themselves upon. Type too fast, and the type bars collide and jam, or characters may overlap. Further impeding typing speed is the inability to simply hit “delete” if there is a typing error…(worse yet is the inability to restructure paragraphs once they’re on paper). A certain rhythm has to be established to maximize typing efficiency. Yes, in many cases the downsides of a manual typewriter outweigh the pros; but when I type a letter, I find the required focus to be to my advantage. My letters are concise and thoughtful—I can’t same for my E-mails (or blog entries). Moreover, the recipient is left with something indelible…something material to hold onto…and not something that merely exists in the cloud.

Using a typewriter has gotten me in the habit of typing out letters, as I do for my South African pen pal

My dream machine: A 1930s Underwood Portable. One day, I will own it

Yes, I take my keyboards very seriously. It surprises me when I talk to someone and he or she lists the keyboard at the very bottom of qualities he or she considers in a computer. The screen quality, processor, battery life, and brand all seem to make the list, but the keyboard always seems to be deemed trivial. Yet it is through the keyboard that the majority of us interact with our laptops (unless you use a touchscreen , external mouse/keyboard, etc). I think you know where I’m going with this—one of the main reasons that I’ve stuck with ThinkPads is that since 1992, with the IBM ThinkPad 701c, is that they continue to set the gold standard for keyboards. Their keyboards are responsive, springy, loud, tactile, and contour to the fingers…like my Smith-Corona, the keys just feel right…but unlike my Smith-Corona, the only impediments to my speed are how quickly I can move my fingers—when it comes to writing a thesis, a journal article, or a blog, speed and accuracy are what matter and not so much heartfelt emotion…sadly, many manufacturers have forsaken quality keyboards for clean lines at the expensive of speed and accuracy (even after using my island-style work laptop for three years, I cannot rise above 93 wpm vs. >100 wpm for a ThinkPad)…I’m happy to say that even in an era of minimalism, Lenovo continues to designs keyboards that are meant for the hands and not just the eyes. And as for that red TrackPoint that allows me to never skip a beat when I’m typing…it is the quintessence of a ThinkPad.

A tale of two keyboards: The keyboard on the left is my work laptop. It can be best described as typing on flat boards. My fingers mistype and there is little feedback, due to the lack of contours and travel distance. Contrast the key shape and travel with those of the ThinkPad, which are a typist's delight....ooh, and that red TrackPoint! (all generic nubs are inferior).

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About Gregory Costa

Gregory Costa is a decent biologist, mediocre writer, terrible formatter, but true Lenovo enthusiast, who admires the use of their products in both the academic and industrial setting...when he's not busy delighting himself in science, nature, or his OkCupid profile.

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ThinkPads and Typewriters: Writing Costa to Costa from Coast to Coast

Update!

Out One Ear....ThinkPad In-Ear Headphones

2001: When we kept a watch on the watchPad

From Typewriters to ThinkPads, A Love of Good Keyboards

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About Gregory Costa