computer that uses a typewriter instead of a keyboard

[The Straight Story]

Who are you calling old-fashioned? the computer that uses a typewriter instead of a keyboard
By Daily Mail Reporter

A U.S. designer has created a USB Typewriter conversion kit that allows computer users to type on their machines using an old-school typewriter keyboard.

The kit plugs into the USB port on a laptop, monitor or iPad via a sensor board.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387779/Who-needs-keyboard-plug-typewriter-computer.html#ixzz1MeCutrXL

[Yavin4]

1. Begs the Question

Why?

[LoZoccolo]

5. If you go on web sites like Instructables or read magazines like Make you'll find

there are a lot of people who do these kind of things just to do them. It's kind-of a challenge to them, and a way to get more in touch with how things work.

[damntexdem]

13. Ah, in-touch typing.

;-)

[hlthe2b]

2. LOLOL.... reminiscent of THIS handset for the cell phone

[Fumesucker]

3. ...

[Xithras]

19. Yeah, Steampunk computers can be pretty awesome.

There are a couple of specialty companies that will make them for you, but they tend to be uber-expensive because they're usually hand-built one-off's.

[Bucky]

4. It'd be more impressive if it also used a real mouse.

[JVS]

9. They could have rigged up the carriage return bar as a kind of joystick.

[Richardo]

6. Paging Heidi and CMW...

...report to GD STAT! :bounce:

[tridim]

7. My $2.99 Inland keyboard is better.

I think they stole this idea from the old Max Headroom TV show.

[htuttle]

8. I worked on a computer much like that 35 years ago

It was an IBM Selectric wired up to a mainframe over a dial up connection. It didn't have a mouse, obviously, and instead of a monitor, we had a box of accordion paper fed into the thing. Played NetTrek on it for hours (took that long to make 20 moves...).

That's what passed for a HS computer lab in the late 70s. :D

[The Straight Story]

11. Back then we used the digital decwriter 3, same set up. Played chess and adventure on it

reams of paper for one adventure game :)

[notadmblnd]

15. I worked on old Dec 10 and Dec 20s

and then there were the VAXs. I think we finally got monitors for them in about 95. Yes, we were still using them up into the late 90's.

[tridim]

17. My first Internet experience was dialing into my school's Vax.

Right around 89-90. The call was free and there was no password, it was 100% open to anyone with a modem and a terminal program.

Ahhh, the good ol' days.

[notadmblnd]

20. with a whopping 1800 baud modem

I remember when 4800 baud became a big deal

[notadmblnd]

10. I think it's a joke

manual typewriter = no electrical current, USB or otherwise

[Blue-Jay]

12. I'd throw that fuckin' thing out the window.

If it's even real, that is. (it's probably not)

[backscatter712]

14. Hmmm... Get an old CRT monitor, pulled out of it's case...

So it's essentially a naked tube and it's circuitry...

Put a Fresnel lens in front of it, and you have a rig out of the movie Brazil!

[DJ13]

16. Reminds me of the computers in the movie Brazil

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Hmm might have to look into it

Type writervdid not see as much carpal tunal