Can You Pass the Test?

I grabbed two sheets of paper, pulled my chair up to the Royal HH, fed them in, and crafted the typewriter care exam. The questions for this exam come from "Typewriter Care: What to Do, How to Do It" pamphlet created by the friendly sounding Federal Work Improvement Program. (The file is hosted on a great site called Machines of Loving Grace. Please, give it a look.) If you haven't read it, do so. It's informative and fun!

The entire work is geared towards office typewriters, but there is some really great information that can be applied to portables. While this is not a very serious assessment, I wanted to have some basic knowledge test to make sure that the typewriters are taken care of.

D., a young lady in my 5th hour, was the first one to take the test and she scored an 84%. With a score like this she can choose a typewriter that will be hers during the duration of the class period. She decided Smith-Corona Silent. She's going to be the only one using this typewriter during 5th period. If she wants to use the machine for typing journals, she can. If she wants to use it for answering worksheets or questions, she can. The next step in this project is just this; how does a student perform when he or she develops a personal connection with a typewriter.

UPDATE: 11/10/10 There is a small type-o in the fisrt page of the test. I am aware of it and I have started the corrections.

Infinite Monkeys

We are slowly running out of space for typewriters. It's fun to see so many, but they are seriously everywhere. This Royal Quiet Deluxe (a gift from Richard Polt) has taken a spot on the built-in bookshelf where the books of quality reside. 

I think it is fitting that this typewriter is next to a copy of Borges Ficciones. In this work there is a story called "The Library of Babel" that has a connection to typewriters. 

The premise of the story is that the universe is a never-ending series of hexagonal rooms. In this room there are the necessities of human survival and four bookshelves. These bookshelves contain books in which are printed a seemingly random selections of letters, spaces, and punctuation. If the rooms are truly infinite an accurate and complete copy of every book in the world in every language exists somewhere in the library. There are so many books that the librarians move around the rooms depressed and looking for the answer. Their behavior leads to the creation of religions. Some of the librarians, called purifiers, destroy books they deem heretical. As they do this they search for a mythical crimson room. The infinite-- and ultimately worthless-- arrangement of the letters in the books forces the people to try to find answers in an unanswerable universe.

The inspiration for this story comes from Borel's infinite monkey theorem. The theory is that if a monkey presses the keys on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time it will almost surely type the complete works of William Shakespeare (also on this shelf). 

It's fitting that a typewriter is sitting on a shelf next to a book inspired by a theorem that involves typewriters. A tenuous connection, yes, but a connection that makes me smile.

As for the typewriter this is your average Royal Quiet Deluxe from the late 50s. Of the 50s QDLs this line is my favorite for two reasons. First, they come in color crinkle paint. I might be one of the few people who loves crinkle paint. It is very had to damage it. I have never seen a document detailing all the colors available, but our classroom typewriter one is tan with caramel keys (all my names). The green model with white keys (as seen to the left) is particularly charming. The second reason why this is my favorite 50s QDL would be the red badge. I like the brightness of the red and the shine of the letters. This one is in very good condition.  As Richard mentioned, this typewriter was owned by a very cautious owner. There is barely a scratch to be found on it. It is as close to new as you can find. It ranks among our special typewriters.

Something else that I like is this poem by Koertge that alludes to the Borel theorem.

An Infinite Number of Monkeys
Ronald Koertge

After all the Shakespeare, the book
of poems they type is the saddest
in history.

But before they can finish it,
they have to wait for that Someone
who is always

looking to look away. Only then
can they strike the million
keys that spell

humiliation and grief, which are
the great subjects of Monkey
Literature

and not, as some people still
believe, the banana
and the tire.

Weekend Projects

1. I have a Remette that is need of some TLC. When I got it the j key was oddly clashing with another linkage. I thought I could fix it by bending a bit of the linkage back into position. I broke it. Every other key works just fine except the J. I called Bill Whal at the Mesa Typewriter Exchange and asked him about fixing it. I learned that you can silver solder the broken bits back together. That is going to be one of my projects this weekend.

2. I found a pretty cool Remington Travel-Riter at a yard sale for $1. It's in fair shape, but I want to paint it a cucumber or celery green.

Will any of these be done? I probably can fix the Remette. I can get started on the Travel-Riter, but I probably won't finish. This, of course, is in addition to my other big weekend project; taking down Halloween decorations.

More Numbers

When  it comes to the new set of inventories, the news is that there is no news. Still, 100% of all students using a typewriter on a daily journaling activity enjoy using the typewriter. We're back into the 80s with students strongly agreeing. Around 83% strongly agree. The remaining students just agree.

When it comes to meaning, a majority of students (72%) feel the typewriters do offer a conveyance by which their writing has more meaning.

With these numbers similar to the last set of inventories analyzed on 10/14 I feel that there is a significant amount of support for my original supposition that typewriters do have a place in a 21st century classroom. They are not the dinosaurs that many would suppose them to be. I am really heartened by this. Education, for many years, has been victim to the quick gimmick and fast fix. I see this victimisation in all the programs, plans, and ways of fixing things that teachers have had to implement. Many people mean well with their strategies, but it's nice to know that the lowly typewriter can do much to enhance the experience of the young writer. Will we see a come-back for the typewriter? No. It's days were numbered many years ago, but as there are many classic cars still on the road I hope there will still be typewriters in schools.

What is this leading to? Well, I know that there is a special connection between the adolescent writer and the instrument of composition. I want to quantify that relationship into a series of understanding statements that really get to the heart of the typewriter-student connection. This will take us into Phase 2 of the project.

As I mentioned in the post on the xxth, a core of around 9 students are going to be assigned a typewriter to use for the entire class period. They will make the decision about what will be completed on the typewriter. In addition to the inventory they will be asked to complete a few reflections that, with their permission, I hope to post here as typecasts.

I am looking forward to this new phase for the project.

The Edge of the Wilderness

A Change

I have been happy with the new set of inventory results which will be published later this week. However, I am now interested in seeing how students create a personal relationship with a typewriter. So, I am going to make a small change in the way that the project is conducted.

Before the planned change students were allowed to select a typewriter that they wanted to use. It was an entirely first-come-first serve approach. Frequently the students would switch typewriters looking for the one that they wanted to use the most. By this process they could not create a personal relationship with the machine to learn all of its quirks and habits. Part II of the project will allow them to create this intensely personal relationship with the machine.

I have asked for volunteers who would be willing to fill 9 slots corresponding to the 9 typewriters available to use. After they have proven a proficiency in using and caring for the typewriter, they will be assigned one machine. This machine, for all intents and purposes, will become their machine. They will be 100% responsible for its upkeep and care. If a ribbon is dry they will need to replace it. If the margins are set incorrectly, they will need to set them. If there is a problem it will be their responsibility to tell me about it.

The scope of what they will be using the machine for will also change. No longer will it be for journals exclusively. They can use the machine for all their general work. Whatever needs to be typed can be done on the typewriter. I will not be prescribing the parameters of their acceptable use. The student will have to make the decision whether to use the machine or pass for that day.

To prove proficiency in using the typewriter, the students will need to pass a series of examinations. They aren’t hard, but they do show a dedication to the project that might not manifest in the more casual users. The first test is based on the pamphlet “Typewriter Care” by the Federal Work Improvement Program. The second test is based on an illustration on Richard Polt’s web site detailing parts of the typewriter. If they pass both parts, then they can start using the typewriter for whatever work they choose. I have to work out some fairness issues in the procedure, but I think that it will allow the typewriters to be used to a greater effect.

Halloween Fed Fear

Typewriters are intensely personal objects. Take, for example, the Hermes 3000 that is in our classroom. What was written on it? Did secret unfulfilled loves find the courage to be expressed? Did dreams of a far-away better life pour onto the blank page? Did deeply dastardly plans come to fruition? What secrets does that grey-green body hold?

Could the loves, hopes, and dark deeds somehow affect these machines after the owner has passed away? Can a bit of a person be left behind connected to the typebar with a mystical linkage? In other words, can a typewriter be haunted?

Something to think about when you find that awesome typewriter at a rummage sale.

Happy Halloween!