tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post4632669411212613897..comments2024-01-07T09:36:51.796-08:00Comments on Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema: With Great Truth & Regard: The Story of the Typewriter in India, 2016Prashant C. Trikannadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-55825188181708374062017-01-26T01:27:29.186-08:002017-01-26T01:27:29.186-08:00Moira, I'm glad I started using typewriters at...Moira, I'm glad I started using typewriters at a very young age for I was already comfortable using them in my first job. Most of my colleagues in their twenties and thirties have never seen, or worked on, typewriters. Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-9257212519873141732017-01-25T14:08:17.791-08:002017-01-25T14:08:17.791-08:00Count me in with the oldies who started their care...Count me in with the oldies who started their careers on old-style manual typewriters. They were satisfying to touch and feel and use - but give me the word-processing chance to correct mistakes any day!Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-28504522381028838522017-01-21T04:01:56.876-08:002017-01-21T04:01:56.876-08:00Thank you, Richard. It is a fascinating history of...Thank you, Richard. It is a fascinating history of typewriters in India. Some of the essays, including those by senior journalists and columnists, are really well-written. The book is available on Amazon, linked alongside the cover above.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-61773158238652827512017-01-21T03:55:59.405-08:002017-01-21T03:55:59.405-08:00Tracy, shorthand and typing institutes were popula...Tracy, shorthand and typing institutes were popular across India from the sixties, at least, through the mid-eighties. I opted out of the class within a month. Now I type just as well with my index fingers. Actually, 200 words per minute was the collective typing speed of my dad and his brother.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-17924614734813079702017-01-21T03:53:16.642-08:002017-01-21T03:53:16.642-08:00Thank you, Mathew. I wasn't familiar with Andy...Thank you, Mathew. I wasn't familiar with Andy Rooney until you mentioned him and then I read about the radio and television writer and his weekly broadcast. I do want to get back on FFB with some meaningful reviews of crime and detective fiction.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-80028532507638178932017-01-21T03:47:27.843-08:002017-01-21T03:47:27.843-08:00Happy New Year, Neer! The typewriter has a rich an...Happy New Year, Neer! The typewriter has a rich and diverse culture given that so many different societies and communities used it. Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-80025684736052082512017-01-21T03:44:00.231-08:002017-01-21T03:44:00.231-08:00Thank you, Margot. I'd love to read about your...Thank you, Margot. I'd love to read about your experience with typewriters. It's wonderful that these complex machines inspired so many writers who went on to become such prolific authors.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-5511923053380839402017-01-18T16:06:38.156-08:002017-01-18T16:06:38.156-08:00This sounds absolutely fascinating, Prashant. It d...This sounds absolutely fascinating, Prashant. It doesn't appear to be easily available here in the U.S., but I'll search it out if possible. A wonderful review! Thank you!Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-43900087963934471412017-01-16T03:42:56.657-08:002017-01-16T03:42:56.657-08:00You're welcome, Elgin. As a kid I used to play...You're welcome, Elgin. As a kid I used to play on my dad's portable Smith Carona, at times without a paper which annoyed him. I never used an electronic typewriter which was around for only a few years.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-76640951068000274982017-01-14T11:35:31.263-08:002017-01-14T11:35:31.263-08:00Charles, my dad wrote several short stories on his...Charles, my dad wrote several short stories on his portable Smith Carona that I hope to try and publish. It was a fine invention, I agree.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-84132246222625840282017-01-14T10:30:38.201-08:002017-01-14T10:30:38.201-08:00I would enjoy those essays, Prashant. Typing was ...I would enjoy those essays, Prashant. Typing was the only class in high school that I had a hard time with ... I learned the keys but I could not handle speed or accuracy. I can't imagine typing at 200 words a minute. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-19583817209038994562017-01-14T09:31:35.027-08:002017-01-14T09:31:35.027-08:00Enjoyed this, Prashant. The late Andy Rooney would...Enjoyed this, Prashant. The late Andy Rooney would loved it, too. And it's good to have you back on FFB!Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-42957651377119483432017-01-10T23:58:50.074-08:002017-01-10T23:58:50.074-08:00I love books about shared cultural spaces. Thanks ...I love books about shared cultural spaces. Thanks for posting about this, Prashant. I'll definitely look out for this book. 2017 Mubarak.neerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01986509319841061021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-7460686090649759902017-01-09T11:40:26.723-08:002017-01-09T11:40:26.723-08:00How absolutely fascinating, Prashant! I especially...How absolutely fascinating, Prashant! I especially like that the story is told within this cultural context. And, really, if you think about it, that's what all stories are, anyway, aren't they? It puts me just a little in mind of my own keyboarding history. The first typewriter I ever used was a manual typewriter, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-41960511271905038522017-01-09T07:51:51.469-08:002017-01-09T07:51:51.469-08:00Prashant – Thanks for the post and for taking me b...Prashant – Thanks for the post and for taking me back to the good-old/bad-old days. Even though most newspapers had gone to computers, my first paper was still using typewriters. So, I arrived in the last days of the noisy, clacking newsrooms. Elgin Bleeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08417587392887691664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-78921673294813872032017-01-09T06:18:43.652-08:002017-01-09T06:18:43.652-08:00I wrote my first book on a typewriter, my first po...I wrote my first book on a typewriter, my first poems, my first fumbled attempts at stories. What an amazing invention it wasCharles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-4962584544586097742017-01-09T00:13:56.111-08:002017-01-09T00:13:56.111-08:00You're welcome, Oscar, and thank you for the a...You're welcome, Oscar, and thank you for the appreciation. My journalism class in 1986 didn't have typewriters either. Many 20th century gadgets and devices bring back memories for those who have used them. I was raised among typewriters though I don't remember using an Underwood or a Royal. Brother and Remington were popular among journalists though the Made-in-India portable Remington I had was not user friendly. I had to pound the keys hard to type. Those were interesting times, though.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-85247817435695162022017-01-08T23:13:25.217-08:002017-01-08T23:13:25.217-08:00That sounds interesting, Todd. I worked with edito...That sounds interesting, Todd. I worked with editors who were, rightly, possessive about their portable typewriters.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-89253841027783533762017-01-08T11:27:32.138-08:002017-01-08T11:27:32.138-08:00I learned to type on an Underwood and a Royal in h...I learned to type on an Underwood and a Royal in high school in the late 1940's. Curiously, in the journalism class there were no typewriters during the same years. It was taught with pen and ink or pencil as we pout out the high school newspaper. The articles were taken to the town's newspaper and they published the paper. Your post on the story of the Indian typewriter brought back many memories. Thanks for posting this interesting article, Prashant. Oscar Casehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10328166606910469945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-58713205377902706542017-01-08T10:21:05.933-08:002017-01-08T10:21:05.933-08:00There was a public radio report about the last pro...There was a public radio report about the last professional typewriters in one or another nation...damned if I can remember which...but one where photocopiers or computers were for some time looked at suspiciously due to recent dictators...hm. Shall see if I can dig that out...Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18104399586348314594noreply@blogger.com