I have learned to type in Chinese in 2018. It was surprisingly easy. As I would type in the pronunciation of the word and the suggested characters will appear at the bottom. For every word, a couple of options would appear to accommodate for deficiency of pinyin (romanization system of the Chinese language) to accommodate for the tonality of the language. However, I have never thought about how people in China had typed before the computer era. In my imaginary timeline, there was handwriting and then there was the digital age. However, turns out there was a typewriter in between - a Chinese typewriter. There are over 50,000 characters in Chinese, which makes it laughable to attempt a standard typewriter with 44 keys. But Chinese typewriter does not have a keyboard. Instead, it has a layout with a choice of 3000 characters. The operator uses the lever to pick up one character at a time. It gets more interesting - every machinist could arrange their own order so there was never a standard arrangement for a machine. Imagine getting a new computer just to discover that operating system and word processors are nothing like what you have used in the past.
So where are these amazing machines?
Chinese typewriters were incredibly expensive to make (which made them also incredibly expensive to purchase), so they’re very rare. Very few Chinese have ever laid eyes on one, even. Typewriters were simply not common objects in China, not only because of their forbidden price but also because since the Communist era began, they were literally forbidden objects to own. Since then they became controlled objects and had to be registered and licensed by the police, so it’s very unlikely that any hopeful fiction writer ever wrote his or her novel at home on one of these. With a weight ranging from 15 to 40kg, they were also not exactly portable either.
source: Before the computer, there was something almost as complex: the Chinese typewriter
As I have started my research into the typewriters, coincidentally pictures of Keaton Music Typewriter have landed in my inbox. Patented in 1936, Robert H Keaton from San Francisco has created a machine to help print music. These days it became something of a rare collector’s item. I have tried to look for it on eBay, but the only next best thing I have found was unesco typewriter/music box, titled “Take this job and love it”
Just when you would think that typewriters could not get more obscure, I found Chromatic Typewriter. Chromatic Typewriter- a typewriter modified to produce colorful works of art - where the letters are replaced with colors. The shortcoming of this creative machine is that the color needs to be replaced every time it is used.
Cargo culting is the performing of rituals that have no effect or mechanism and can’t affect the thing you care about. The term arises from the observed behaviors of indigenous islanders in the South Pacific, who copied the appearance of airfields in the early twentieth century in the hope that planes filled with cargo would appear and land. The term is pejorative.
Speaking of fascinating machines: I am surprised we do not marvel of databases. Despite the dire predictions that we will drown in the information, we as humans are doing relatively fine, in spite of the fact that we are generating copious amounts of data. According to IBM 90% of the world’s data has been produced in just the last two years. And yet, we found ways to organize, query and efficiently retrieve this information as fast as never before. Go figure. Here is a nice piece on the brief history of databases: “A Brief History of Databases”
Among other initiatives, Thomas J. Watson Sr. insisted on well-groomed, dark-suited salesmen when leading IBM from 1914 onwards. | Image composite from J.L. Jolley , Data Study, 1968.
Image from a paper presented by G. A. Barnard, III & L. Fein at the December 1958 eastern joint computer conference.
Selenography is the study of the surface and physical features of the Moon. Here is the list with fascinating moon terms Moon Glossary: Lunar Terms and Definitions
One of my all-time favorite festivals is Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF). Kyle Bergman and his team every year do an outstanding job of selecting incredible movies that you would usually not encounter in movie theaters or on streaming devices. But I always find movies about architecture inspiring to Usually during the ADFF week I indulge in a couple, but since this year the movies are streaming I had a handful. To say that it was ‘ a lot of work’ would be an understatement. You can find the selection here ADFF 2020 Films. This is what I have watched:
* “A Machine To Live In” ) - a kaleidoscopic trip to Brasilia (as if the city itself could not be more bizarre by itself. Accompanied by no less bizarre website: Abecedarium : Machine
* “Charlotte Perriand, Pioneer in the Art of Living” - a movie about a remarkable furniture designer who left her mark on 20th century - especially the reclining chair.
* “Escher: Journey Into Infinity”- documentary dedicated to revolutionary art of MC Eshesher with narrative from his letters and diaries
* “Frey I: and Frey 2” - two-part documentary about Albert Frey. Should be mandatory viewing before a visit to Palm Springs
* “Making a Mountain” - the movie about converting our factories into new format and challenges that come with it. Can not wait to ski on top of Copenhagen. And
* Richard Leplastrier: Framing the View” - you have not heard about this architect and it’s unlikely you will hear about his work. Yet his work had an impact on so many.
* “Saving North” - an obscure documentary about wooden Russian churches.
* “The Arch” - kaleidoscopic overview about the buildings that we build.
* “Tokyo Ride” - a charming and free fall portrait of one of Japan’s most influential architects — Ryūe Nishizawa
