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mwichary's profile
Marcin Wichary
Marcin Wichary
Marcin Wichary
@mwichary

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Marcin Wichary

@mwichary

Writing a book about the history of keyboards: http://aresluna.org/shift-happens  · Design manager @figmadesign · Typographer · Occasional speaker · He/him

San Francisco, Calif.
Joined October 2009

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    1. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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      This is among the weirdest/funnest artifacts I have: Inside The Personal Computer, a pop-up book about “the wondrous world of personal computers.” It’s a “sensational new book teaches you everything you need to know.” And it’s from 1984. Shall we…?pic.twitter.com/RDTeQkjbU2

      71 replies 758 retweets 1,917 likes
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    2. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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      The first section explains the computer as a whole – as it was back then. I wonder what was the model for this generic machine. One of the TRS-80s? You need to insert a disk to get it “running.” It works just as well and with as much grace as I remember actual 5¼" floppy disks.pic.twitter.com/K5EwSv5nen

      5 replies 22 retweets 146 likes
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    3. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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      The keyboard is an entry point to talk about codes. (For the record, I HAD THIS IDEA FIRST FOR MY BOOK.) Alas, you can’t actually press the M key – you have to pull on a tab to get it depressed. It makes for this odd feeling that *you’re the program in this scenario.*pic.twitter.com/JnLkOHA3Iy

      1 reply 6 retweets 101 likes
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      Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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      The bit / light switch toggle is interesting in that you can definitely sense you’re scraping a LOT of paper inside – the whole page bends a bit as you’re doing it. Electricity is hard work!pic.twitter.com/3jnPuXjnJg

      11:06 AM - 7 Jul 2018
      • 3 Retweets
      • 69 Likes
      • Vox Pamplemousse 🏳️‍🌈 Ute reckl GoldringI Toy-Fu Jewish Space Alonis Victor M. sww1235 Forlorn Noodle Rebekah C. Lang
      1 reply 3 retweets 69 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          At first I thought there was nothing interactive about the next section on chips… not counting the weird little “port” you can just take out. Wait, is that supposed to be a cartridge?pic.twitter.com/VPQZG7Sh4h

          2 replies 6 retweets 56 likes
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        3. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          But then I discovered a flap you can raise, although it’s still not that interesting. Instead of showing you top of the chip and letting you peer inside, this shows you inside the chip and gives you… more text. Zzzzzzpic.twitter.com/7hFyei7YGW

          1 reply 3 retweets 48 likes
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        4. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          The next page is more like it! You can peer inside the floppy drive…pic.twitter.com/n68hqS17n3

          1 reply 6 retweets 66 likes
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        5. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          …or slide the head to reveal the magnetic medium, or even flip open a whole disk to see its structure. This is interesting in that it really is just a floppy disk enclosure, at seemingly 1:1 scale, just made out of cardboard.pic.twitter.com/XhVBG0k8eg

          1 reply 4 retweets 67 likes
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        6. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          The next spread has the most interesting visual… a piece of string you can drag to simulate the electron beam inside a CRT forming pixels as it travels to the right.pic.twitter.com/dfrgYaAqU5

          2 replies 3 retweets 61 likes
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        7. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          And there’s also a little rotator that tells you about the exciting world of software.pic.twitter.com/HXMjGzofKd

          2 replies 3 retweets 66 likes
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        8. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          (It sort of feels like an odd, physical manifestation of Spaces in Mac OS.)

          1 reply 0 retweets 44 likes
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        9. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          The last spread, with the dot-matrix printer is pretty cute, although the message feels a bit creepy? You can drag it over for a bit of closure. GOODBYE, HUMAN. YOU WILL LEARN TO HATE ME AS WE GROW OLDER TOGETHER_pic.twitter.com/sWhjSUYCbn

          1 reply 9 retweets 96 likes
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        10. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          That’s it! I’m oddly fascinated by it. Today, it feels like one clumsy artifact talking about another clumsy artifact. But how did it feel in 1984? The home computers were pretty high tech then, of course, but I imagine this book must have been awkward from day one?pic.twitter.com/53aTaAnoE4

          4 replies 2 retweets 67 likes
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        11. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          Marcin Wichary Retweeted Erik Nelson

          That’s an interesting observation. It reminds me of a few printed touch typing manuals for computers I have, from before people realized computers can teach typing themselves, with Mavis Beacon and so on.https://twitter.com/nerpulus/status/1015659935978459136 …

          Marcin Wichary added,

          Erik Nelson @nerpulus
          In college, we had a student-taught course "theoretical mixology" about drink mixing but without real alcohol since some students were <21. Much writing of that era is "theoretical mixology" - they are trying to tell you about computers, without computers. https://twitter.com/mwichary/status/1015658308256989184 …
          2 replies 3 retweets 39 likes
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        12. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          I just realized that this book is 3D, so I can also look at the backs of machines. The red cables and power switches did not disappoint.pic.twitter.com/6RyJBMs0Ka

          1 reply 6 retweets 76 likes
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        13. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          Marcin Wichary Retweeted Eugénie v Tunzelmann

          It’s awesome that people are reporting back remembering actually using this! For the record: “Idea by Robert E. Abrams and Sharon Gallagher Airbrush illustration by Wayne McLoughlin Line drawings by Christopher Finch”https://twitter.com/eugenievt/status/1015664559099731970 …

          Marcin Wichary added,

          Eugénie v Tunzelmann @eugenievt
          Replying to @mwichary @sydneypadua
          I think I possibly still have a copy of this, at my parents' house. And it taught me a lot. I remember questions coming up during my computing science degree that I could only answer because of the book!
          2 replies 4 retweets 44 likes
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        14. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          I want a pop-up book explaining web now. /cc @craigmod

          1 reply 0 retweets 51 likes
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        15. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          Marcin Wichary Retweeted KScans For YOUR safety

          https://twitter.com/ksquared56/status/1015682112102395904?s=21 …

          Marcin Wichary added,

          KScans For YOUR safety @Ksquared56
          Replying to @mwichary @Antiproton_com
          In 1984 so few people could afford actual personal computers! Most workplaces that had one shared it - there might be one in an office of 20. So it makes sense that there would be a literally analog way to teach the other 19 people about what the PC was & could do.
          1 reply 1 retweet 18 likes
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        16. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          Ha. People like @scottkeir are teaching me new things! Apparently what I dismissed as a cartridge on a boring page is a foldable chip you can insert into the motherboard!pic.twitter.com/R8MPwSkBEF

          2 replies 4 retweets 59 likes
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        17. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          Also, this illustration for bus(s)es is pretty great.pic.twitter.com/SF7SOTYD7o

          3 replies 2 retweets 51 likes
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        18. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 7 Jul 2018
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          Marcin Wichary Retweeted Jason Patterson

          More secrets!https://mobile.twitter.com/patters/status/1015716078012583938 …

          Marcin Wichary added,

          Jason Patterson @patters
          Replying to @mwichary @scottkeir
          My parents quickly located the book and opened up the chip! pic.twitter.com/dyzbh3ehyV
          2 replies 1 retweet 32 likes
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        19. Marcin Wichary‏ @mwichary 8 Jul 2018
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          Marcin Wichary Retweeted Theo Honohan

          I didn’t include the most important credit.https://twitter.com/theohonohan/status/1016021403215323136?s=21 …

          Marcin Wichary added,

          Theo Honohan @theohonohan
          Replying to @mwichary
          Most importantly, the paper engineering is credited to Ron Van Der Meer, who is a big name in the (surprisingly large) world of popup engineering. I started making a list of professional paper engineers a year or two ago, there have been dozens.
          1 reply 0 retweets 14 likes
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        20. End of conversation

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