Sunday, April 28, 2013

Corona Typewriter Bargain Alert! 50% Off!

Someone had better snag this gem off ebay in a hurry! It won't last long at 50% off. As in it is now $75 plus shipping. But it works!



Sure, it may need a little elbow grease.

Or a sandblaster.


Someone in the Typosphere needs to save this machine! The keys will be irresistible to the key choppers with wedding season right around the corner.

Or not.
Last chance, peoples! Look for it on ebay as item number 190820286562. This diamond in the rough can be yours for a mere Benjamin. Did I mention that it works? Here is all the proof you need:
One tough hombre.


Okay, I have to confess that I'm having a little blog writer's block. I have a draft post with photos I like and the narrative just isn't coming together. <sigh>  At least I can count on never having a sarcasm block.

Friday, April 19, 2013

How green is the Olivetti Lexikon 80?

Just how green is our Olivetti Lexikon 80? Let's ask the experts!

Most Green Experts Agree: "So pretty!"

 A few weeks ago I received a functional Lexikon 80 purchased through ebay. The fact that it worked is a testament to sound engineering and design. It was covered in the all-too-familiar sludge patina of old nicotine, dried lube and fine dust. Over the years, the dull, gray body shell had been cleaned aggressively. The color was none too attractive to begin with and was only made worse for wear by embedded dirt and fine scratches.

The machine as shown on ebay. You'll have to imagine the sticky nicotine and oil film. The end of the carriage draw band came undone during shipping.
Why did I buy this ugly machine? I've been watching Lexikon 80s for close to a year and have only seen five listed on ebay. Of the two others confirmed as functional, one was pickup only and another had an extra wide carriage. One entertaining listing showed a Lexikon with a two+ foot or so carriage covered in rust with no hood. I saw one come and go on etsy priced at several hundred dollars. This beast was $49 plus shipping.

 Obviously, this machine needed a makeover. I looked at the rattle-can paint available at several local auto supply stores and was unimpressed. Ultimately, I picked a color available at a local hardware store. It is vaguely reminiscent of an Olivetti color. We think it looks nice enough to live indoors. As for the shade of green, we asked the experts to weigh in on our redecorated machine.

Little Godzilla approves of the keyboard feel. "Light and snappy!", he says.

Shogun Godzilla and the Attacking Martian find this shade to be appealing.
Getting color balance right can be tricky when shooting green objects. One of the images I posted on Google+ was trippy acid green. In some light it looks darker. If I were less lazy I would break out camera manuals and figure out how to balance against a gray card. Maybe someday.

The infamous Google+ introduction. I took this with an early iPhone in my garage under fluorescent lighting. The extreme does make an impression.


We could compare the Lexikon with another green typewriter. How about Keylime, our Duotone Royal?

I just spent a week running off an iPad and iPhone. Forgive the typos, etc.



Other Lexikon 80 posts from the Typosphere:
http://idreamlo-tech.blogspot.com/2012/07/holy-grail-reveal-olivetti-lexikon-80.html
http://writingball.blogspot.com/2011/11/olivetti-team-installment-1.html
http://writingball.blogspot.com/2010/08/olivetti-lexikon-80.html

And two Graphika machines:
http://writingball.blogspot.com/2010/12/olivetti-graphika.html
http://writingball.blogspot.com/2013/03/going-public-part-4.html
http://www.retrotechgeneva.com/2012/05/big-reveal-olivetti-graphika.html


Monday, April 1, 2013

Woodstock "Rare No. 4 Model in Untouched Form"

This appeared on ebay a day too early for April Fool's Day. It is still pretty funny! Behold an "untouched" machine!
Stunning! See it on ebay! Item number
140945978618
Here is a part of the description:

You are bidding on a Woodstock Number 4 Antique typewriter. This piece has been sitting covered , indoors for over 70 years. If you're looking at this then you know what it is - THE REAL DEAL.

We have lightly cleaned it but will allow the winner to polish , clean, buff , oil and make any adjustments.

Everything seems to work just fine and we dont see any missing parts at all. It is a true antique that has been untouched or fooled with. 





 Thank goodness this machine hasn't been touched or fooled with! Happy April Fool's Day, everyone!

 


Saturday, March 30, 2013

Olivetti Lexikon 80 Production Lines

I ran across some images of the various production lines for the Lexikon 80 and thought I should share them with the Typosphere. Go to the host website for the Ivrea plant image below and you can zoom for detail.

Source (in Italian):
http://imprese.san.beniculturali.it/web/imprese/gallery/dettaglio-oggetto-digitale?pid=san.dl.SAN:IMG-00002450&titolo_origine=Galleria%20multimediale&css_tit=gallery-result-tit

And some Lexikon 80s running down conveyors in various degrees of completion:
 This image came from the same website. Find what looks like a search window and plug in "Lexikon" for more gems!

With the right Italian search phrase, more results start coming in through a Google search. This appears to be a final quality control and adjustment step in Brazil.
Source: http://www.storiaolivetti.it/upload/sanpaolo_10.jpg
Flip through the Fotogallerie for more images from this production facility. They were very proud of the architectural details. I wonder if this building still exists?


Did you know Olivettis could fly? I suppose it would help if I read Italian. This production line image comes from a wonderful group showing the diversity of Olivetti's range of products being manufactured.
Source: http://www.storiaolivetti.it/fotogallery.asp?idPercorso=633&idOrd=4#viewfotogallery



And here is a low resolution image of the body shells being mated with the rest of the machine:
http://www.imprese.san.beniculturali.it/web/imprese/gallery/dettaglio-oggetto-digitale?pid=san.dl.SAN:IMG-00001817&titolo_origine=Galleria%20multimediale&css_tit=gallery-result-tit

Thank goodness for the Internet! I didn't expect to find much about making these fine machines, but the search turned up all kinds of interesting tidbits. For example, here is the beast itself from another great collection of product images. Sure looks like Kodachrome to me.
Source: http://www.storiaolivetti.it/fotogallery.asp?idPercorso=632&idOrd=1

Also, I have a semi-rhetorical question for the Typosphere. Let's say one were to acquire a grubby Lexikon 80 in the least appealing shade of light gray. While it would be possible to strip off layers of nicotine and polish and wax the machine, would it be a Cardinal Typeratti Sin to consider painting it in another Olivetti shade or strip it to bare aluminum and polish it?

Feel free to post your opinions or throw rocks at me in the comments. They are moderated, but other than spam it all gets through.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Typewriter Pool Fashion Show Installation

Under normal circumstances, I would have no interest in fashion or fashion shows. However, at the London Fashion Week, the Orla Kiely brand got creative and put their models in a faux office setting to show off their Margot Tenanbaum inspired clothing line. Our gold plated Royal QDL, Margot, approves.

Photo credit to the Kris Atomic Blog
The blog from whence these photos came is at Kris Atomic - Orla Kiely AW'13

The typewriters appear to be Olympia SG-3 models. I love the desk lamps and telephones. Overall, the detail work is fabulous!

You can find a video of the installation here Independent UK Video - Orla Kiely Typewriter Pool

I especially enjoy seeing the press pool shooting away from the glassed in mezzanine. They were probably relieved to have something different than a runway shoot to keep them interested. Of course, the whole installation looks vaguely like something from a zoo; but isn't that more intellectually honest than a runway?

Credit goes to the UPPERCASE Magazine blog for pointing to this bit of awesome. We finally subscribed and might even chip in for the typewriter book project.
Uppercase Magazine Blog

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Washington, D.C.: A Tourist Taking Photos of Tourists Being Tourists

At the end of February, I made a two-plus day trip out and back to Washington, D.C. for meetings. I had a few hours scattered here and there that weren't totally programmed, so I took walks with my Panasonic LX-7. Over the years, I've spent quite a bit of time there with bigger and better cameras in tow. This time, I kept it simple and decided to focus on the tourists being tourists.




That would make me a tourist photographing tourists being tourists. It's like a hall of mirrors that never quite ends. If someone looks at this post, they will have added a layer of voyeurism that stops several steps short of actually taking a photo.





I've spent enough time in D.C. that I can navigate the streets on foot and the subway system without getting lost. I stand to the right and pass on the left. I have a favorite Asian restaurant (Rice), a favorite Vegetarian restaurant (Science Club), favorite walking routes and people watching zones and a favorite bookstore. I talk to people in D.C. daily and have dark suits that blend in. I don't really think of myself as being a tourist when I am there.

That is an illusion. My rambling is just another kind of tourism.


The people above might as well be me: lone street photographers out looking for something interesting to shoot. Were they in D.C. for work? Did they travel for pleasure and let the rest of the family hang out someplace warm? I personally hate being trapped in a hotel room and I am not a coffee house or sports bar kind of guy.


The truth is that I like wandering alone with my camera. I enter a flow state in which many hours pass until I notice that I am tired, thirsty and hungry. I love my family, but we get along better when they don't have me setting the pace with my meandering.

I'm aware of the paradox that I enjoy watching people interact at monuments more than I enjoy being with people interacting at monuments. This is a side effect of having spent hundreds of hours wandering and watching. It is nearly impossible for me to not frame images even when don't have a camera in hand. And so I watch and enjoy.






And sometimes I actually get around to reviewing my images and post them for the world to see. Ultimately, I've decided that other people seeing my photos really doesn't matter that much. I could try and compete with the flood of amazing and sometimes enhanced photographs floating around Flickr, Google+ Communities, DPReview, Instagram, etcetera; but ultimately I would judge my images as coming up short.

No matter. I experienced taking the photos and remember what it felt like (cold and windy with no warmth from the February sun) and a few souls have come along for the ride. If you have read this far, thanks for being one of them.




Thursday, March 14, 2013

The New Era Ophthamologist Chair





I spotted this ophthalmologist's chair on my last trip to a local antique mall. It is a pretty amazing piece of equipment! Unfortunately, the digital trail is dead. I can't find anything about the 'New Era' brand on the Internet.


Today is Pi Day. How about a few circles to commemorate this magic number?

This photo reminds me of the Curiosity rover.