New Olympia SM-9

UPDATE: Now, this is embarrassing. I didn't even know there was a cheaper sister to the SM-9; the SM-8. I was corrected in the comments by impressionofinfinity. I checked the TWDB and sure enough, there is the SM-8. I should have done my homework. I have corrected the post where possible, but kept the original mistake.

In case you don't know Tim is from Georgia (not Alabama as I indicated previously) and he has been on the quest for the perfect user's typewriter. He's not looking to build a collection. To borrow from the world of animal adoptions, he is looking for a forever typewriter. Due to his immense generosity and kindness, whatever does not meet his expectations has found it's way here to the CTP. Most recently it's this lovely Olympia SM-9 SM-8 from 1974 or '75:

As I sat down to do this typecast, I really got into the feel of this typewriter. I haven't been sold on Olympias before. Even my favorite SG-1 sometimes feels stiff and heavy. This one couldn't be any more different. The platen is still soft and it makes for the perfect typing experience. I have to say I love it. It's a little tinny, but very solid in key feel. My personal opinion on the styling is a little more harsh.

The SG-1 is a fine precision instrument. Even the more worn-in SM-9 (another donation not from Tim)  is still very high quality. It feels as if some areas of quality were compromised in the name of profitability. Some of the metal is a little thinner. The finish isn't as fine. The fit is very good, but not as precise.

My reservations are a collector's reservations. If you are a young typist and are looking for a forever machine, this little guy might be the ticket. I already have some kids looking at this one.

2013 Review: A Long, Slow Slide

My fortune cookie said that the year ahead would bring new experiences. Before I prepare for the new take a look at what happened in the previous year:

January

• A consul 232 showed up and I explored the world of samizdat and the Typosphere behind the Iron Curtain.
• I lent some typewriters to the Arizona Association for Supportive Child Care for a special event they were holding centering around Childsplay's production of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type. 

February

• The fourth Phoenix Type-In was announced.
• Oscar, a former student, gave me a typewriter.

March

• NBC came by my classroom to film for a piece on the Typewriter Renaissance.
• The Fourth Phoenix Type-In was a rousing success.

April

• 100,000 page views.
• I made a very silly typewriter-themed Photoshop image.

May

• I finally decided that digital-typewriter hybrids are just not my cup of tea.

June

• I decided to make a fool of myself and try my hand at vlogging. Also, not my cup of tea.

July

• Sent a letter to Keith Sharon at the OCR. I still have the reply to his letter in my stationary drawer. I don't know if I want to send it.
• I was still cloning onto the idea that I might be a vlogger. I like tea.

August

• I turned my blog into a book that can be read after the digital apocalypse.

September

• I was asked by Glendale Community College to share some of my typewriters in a library exhibit. This was my first and I was happy how everything turned out. The list of typewriters was unusual, but I am well-known for my unusual.

October

• More silly digital images.

November

• I gave a lecture about post-modernity, the quest for the authentic, post-structuralism, and the CTP. It was described by one attendee as "transformative." Another called it, "That stuff I had to listen to to get hot cocoa and cookies." 
• A student spilled pineapple into one of my typewriters. It was an accident.

December

• I took a cool noir image of the pineapple typewriter.
• I also wrapped a typewriter and put it under the tree for a photo shoot.

I reviewed my posts from the last year. The frequency with which I have posted has slowed to a little more than once a week. All this year I have been a little stuck and that has come out in my work. It was a long, slow slide to blah. I tried my hand at vlogging, but I found it to be too time consuming and being in front of the camera was not what I wanted. I tried to walk through a typewriter restoration, but I ran out of steam somewhere in the middle. The USB typewriter worked, but I wasn't bowled over by the experience of making it. Lackluster. That would be the summation of by blogging year. 

Even though I waded hip-deep into a treacly morass there were some bright spots. The NBC story was fun. I enjoyed the process of turning my blog into a book. I made some funny images. I had that awesome display and lecture.

With the bad there is good. New days are ahead. I hope that you have enjoyed every fun-packed bit that MM 2013 had to offer. Now we can move onto 2014.