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.
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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