My dad's Smith Corona typewriter from 1972 still types like new

I pulled my dad's old Smith Corona electric typewriter out of my basement closet last Sunday. He used it to write letters to my mom when they were dating, and it still works perfectly after sitting for 15 years. I typed out a short note to my niece and the keys have this solid, satisfying thunk you just don't get with a computer keyboard. The ribbon was dried out, but I found a fresh spool on eBay for 9 bucks. It made me wonder how many people still have old tech like this tucked away that runs fine but never gets touched. Has anyone else fired up an ancient machine just for the feel of it?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_torres349d ago

Man, you totally changed my mind on this! I used to think old tech was just junk taking up space (like my grandpa's old rotary phone, honestly). But reading this, I get it now - that satisfying thunk sound and the feel of real keys actually matters. I've been typing on a laptop for years and never thought about what I was missing. Now I'm kinda tempted to hit up some thrift stores and see if I can find an old typewriter to mess around with. There's something cool about using something that still works perfectly even though it's older than me.

roseb479d ago

The thing about old tech that people miss is the way it makes you slow down and focus. My aunt still uses her 1970s Kenmore sewing machine, and she says the same thing I notice about typewriters and rotary phones they force you to commit. On a computer, you can backspace and fix everything instantly and you end up typing without really thinking. But with a typewriter, one wrong key and you're starting over or living with the mistake. That changes how you write. It's a reminder that getting it right the first time used to be the only option, and maybe we lost something when we lost that necessity.