So imagine my delight when I recently discovered an obscure third-party system for typewriters called Typit. It is very much the same idea as the Mac OS panel we looked at atop, but realized in the world without pixels.pic.twitter.com/9GDRIoMcIr
Writing a book about the history of keyboards: http://aresluna.org/shift-happens · Design manager @figmadesign · Typographer · Occasional speaker · He/him
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more
Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more
Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more
By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.
| Country | Code | For customers of |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 40404 | (any) |
| Canada | 21212 | (any) |
| United Kingdom | 86444 | Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2 |
| Brazil | 40404 | Nextel, TIM |
| Haiti | 40404 | Digicel, Voila |
| Ireland | 51210 | Vodafone, O2 |
| India | 53000 | Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance |
| Indonesia | 89887 | AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata |
| Italy | 4880804 | Wind |
| 3424486444 | Vodafone | |
| » See SMS short codes for other countries | ||
This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.
Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.
When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.
The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.
Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.
Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.
Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.
See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.
Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.
So imagine my delight when I recently discovered an obscure third-party system for typewriters called Typit. It is very much the same idea as the Mac OS panel we looked at atop, but realized in the world without pixels.pic.twitter.com/9GDRIoMcIr
Typit was pretty clever. First, you had to buy a physical add-on for your typewriter – a special adapter that you only had to install once, and that wouldn’t otherwise impede regular typing.pic.twitter.com/DDJPmZR8Wr
Then, you could purchase any extra characters you needed. And if you wanted to type one, you’d grab it, and mount it quickly in the adapter, in front of the typebar…pic.twitter.com/dsqyoQh1gT
And then, you would press a regular typewriter key. The typebar would swing normally, but then hit the just-inserted character, then the ribbon, and then the paper. In a sense, Typit functioned almost like a parasite.pic.twitter.com/w0oJZJ8aXP
(A rather momentary parasite. Typit creator promised printing any character should take only ~4 seconds, with the quality identical as the typewriter’s “native” text.)pic.twitter.com/CZHIPU4z6x
Some 1,500 characters were available, effectively creating the only “typewriter Unicode” I know of – math symbols, different alphabets, fractions, even keys your old typewriter might be missing (e.g. digit 1 or &). It seems each character would cost you about $10.pic.twitter.com/ZOurxR8Xxm
The system was in use in between 1950s and 1980s. I don’t think it was very popular, despite many ads in electronics, chemical, and other scientific periodicals – and despite some marketing gimmicks, like this one from 1970.pic.twitter.com/3vZbI9oiad
There was even Typit II, actually compatible with the Selectric ball typewriters, a font-swapping tech coexisting with a character-swapping one.pic.twitter.com/PRcuFZHlFw
Eventually both, and all the others, were undone by computers which allowed for 31 characters, then 63, then 127, then 255, and now god knows how many via Unicode. Early on, it happened did with Alt+numeric keypad combination (still works on Win – and Mac after enabling it)…pic.twitter.com/DjDExyDKXU
…and then via graphical user interfaces and touch screens. But that’s a whole different story.pic.twitter.com/alSDuedsAu
I love that Typit existed. It’s such a weird hack, and a clever way to solve a particular problem. It’s kind of like a Chrome extension or a Greasemonkey script for typewriters, once again blurring the lines. And speaking of which, I like it for one other reason:
It is a proof that “press any key to continue” existed in the world before computers.
(BTW this thread is dedicated to the hard work and inspiration that is @shadychars.)
(I realize now that I forgot to do the most important visual juxtaposition – and notice that even the sizes of both containers are rather similar!)pic.twitter.com/6ypL074Oyv
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.