Natalie's Amazing Postcard!

Back on January 31st, Natalie of natslaptaps ran a postcard contest. For a measly email, entrants would have the chance to win a genuine, built-by-hand postcard featuring her new "loopy script" Olivetti, Coraline. Unfortunately for Natalie, and fortunately for me, no one was paying attention and I won a postcard!

But people of the Typosphere, let it be known that Natalie does not do run-of-the-mill postcards. Nope, not by a long shot. Behold this fabulous creation...

A photo or scan cannot do this justice. This is all hand cut and pasted paper under laminate. The script on the bottom is courtesy of Coraline.

But that is not all. Oh, no. This postcard has a backside that folds out just so with a full type sample!

Postmarked on February 8th, this bit of mail considerably improved my mood when it arrived on March 1st soon after the second Kansas City blizzard in a week. Perhaps Australian post was slow, or perhaps the envelope spent some time in the sun before traveling to less hospitable climes.

Natalie, thanks for the awesomeness! You must let me know which obscure typeface you want a sample of.  The IBM Executive lives in the open and is ready to type. It's too big to stash. There is the perky italic of the Olympia SM-3. The funky Royal script machine likes to show off. I'm very close to having an Apothecary keyboard machine in running condition. So many sumptuous choices; which one shall it be?

As for the Typosphere, the first two people to read this and reply in the comment section will win a vintage postcard with one of the interesting typefaces listed above. One catch: You must share which typewriter typeface is your personal favorite.

I don't have Natalie's artistic skills, but I have machines and I will use them. Comments are moderated, so enter early and often!

Yet another Copyright Notice: Um, this time I do not own the copyright to anything but the words in this post. The postcard, front and back, is marked Copyright by Natalie, 2013.  Show a little love for her paper craft and link back to her blog.

Remington 8 Number 8,000,000 80th Birthday!

On March 1, 1933, Remington manufactured its eight-millionth machine. Unlike most typewriters, we know exactly when this one was made since they affixed an engraved nameplate.

A proper birthday celebration might have featured party hats, party favors, a Deco style layer cake, lots of sugared up portable typewriters, a bouncy castle, dancing bears, mimes, jugglers, fire-eaters and a Polka band. However, it's Friday and we are just getting over the latest blizzard and the school/work week. MEK of the House Full of Nerds baked banana bread today. I'll take fresh banana bread over a store bought cake any day!

As I was taking these photos, my Spousal Unit, MEK, commented that "This has to be the Nerdiest thing we've ever done!" Well, I beg to differ. We went one step further and sang "Happy Birthday" to the typewriter. Extreme Nerds have no limits!

You can read about this lovely machine in excruciating/loving detail at ITAM Special Report: The Eight Millionth Remington

If you dare, read all about this machine's acting debut at "Last Stand at the Remington"  Godzilla loves the attention!

This was all Teeritz's fault. That and an impulse control issue on my part.

Happy Birthday, Remington!

The Dread Copyright Notice: All words and images are copyright Dwayne F. of vintagetechobsessions. Beyond penalties allowed under law, we have a legion of barely controlled robots and giant monsters at our command. You don't really want to meet them in the middle of the night. Share the love and link back to this site. I'm good with non-commercial use with attribution. See, I can be totally reasonable.

Thrills and Spills at Dead Girl Roller Derby

In this episode, the Nerd clan spent a great evening watching the Dead Girl Derby "Love Hurts" competition at Hale Arena in Kansas City. Now in its fourth season, this is the second league for Kansas City. The Roller Warriors moved from the concrete of Hale Arena to a wood floor at Municipal Auditorium. We like the speed and chaos of concrete and being able to sit within a few feet of the ring. Besides, Hannah's best friend has a step-mom skating under the moniker "Venus Envy" for the Deadly Sirens.

Semi-controlled chaos. The girl with the star on her helmet is a Jammer. The striped helmet indicates the Pivot. The rest of the players are blockers. The goal is for a designated Jammer to get up front and start scoring some points.

Lead Jammer Heaven. This Jammer is pacing ahead of the pack. When she catches up later, the chaos begins again as lapping leads to more points.

This is a flat concrete track with plenty of speed and potential for gravitational harm. We love the seats right by the track!  You might notice from the angle I shot from that we were within ten feet of the outside line. It also happens to be the spot where someone taking a bad line or getting pushed out will coming skidding or flying. Claire and I were hit by and out-of-control skater within five minutes and had a few near misses through the evening. This is so unlike the last time I went to a Nascar race and watched cars from a quarter mile away. They just go around, and around and around... meh.

Being able to feel the breeze and get little shots of adrenaline makes for great entertainment!

Blocking in action. Some players take up a lot of space.

Yep, that's a legal block. Dead Girl Derby isn't for sissies! That's Dir-T-Diana in the red helmet.

Lots going on in this image. You can see the Shotgun Sheilas in black forming a defensive wall while the Jammer gets a push towards an open hole on the inside.

Getting a little tight out there!

This happens a lot.

Coming around the outside...it's an unusual player that can take up that much space at speed.

The action is fast with at least four refs watching. The Lead Jammer is indicated by pointing with the other arm up.

Breaking out at the start of a jam.

Unfortunately, accidents happen. Spills are common, but teams focus on bringing up players and teaching them to fall on the pads. It appears this girl blew out her knee. Like in soccer and skiing, ACL injuries can and do happen.

While the Dead Girl Derby is arranged in teams, the players all practice together and participate in "Zombie" or "Throwback" bouts where they are assigned to random sides. While playing teams, they fight to win, but it is one big family. The sportsmanship is one of the main reasons we enjoy derby so much.

Another spill.

Someone is about to get a little taste of the defense.

The Jammer on the inside is in kind of a tight spot.

Number 19 in this shot is the Lead Jammer. She just used a sign to declare the Jam complete. Everything then resets at the start line.

Victory!

Again, one happy (and bruised) family!

For the curious, I shot the evening with a Sony NEX-6 and 55-210mm lens on manual mode at 125th second and F6.3. This is a slow lens, but decent performance at ISO 3600 makes a big difference. I turned off face recognition as it was over-riding manual settings and adjusting the exposure, badly. Sony's optical stabilization works very well.

With a deep depth-of-field, it is hard to isolate individuals. Just for fun, I shot in the "Toy Camera" mode and like the results.

P.S. I've hit a record for the number of hits on a single post on the same day. Thanks for visiting! Dead Girl Derby is new to us so I did a quick search and tagged on some links for your viewing pleasure:

The Kansas City derby scene is thriving as seen at http://kcderbydigest.com/ 

Google images turned up an injury recuperation post. Derby is a sport and these are tough athletes:
http://www.cookingonskates.com/2011/12/healing-journey.html

Copyright Notice: These image and words are my intellectual property and are not to used, distributed or repurposed without my express permission. Yeah, such a drag. I shoot for fun, but my stories are mine. Feel free to link here or share on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or the social mixer of your choosing and share the love.

Remington Typewriters Practically Assemble Themselves

This great video shows some of the manufacturing steps in building a 1935 Remington 16. The self-assembly steps occur at around the four minute mark.  Enjoy and happy International Typewriter Appreciation Month!

IBM Model C Executive BEAST

The Oliver 9 volunteered to provide scale for the IBM Model C Executive.

Thanks for introducing yourself oh mighty and solidly built IBM Executive! I am impressed with the engineering and build quality that went into your making. Even the hood hinge assembly is solid and operates in an understated, yet competent manner.  This is just a quick post before we say goodnight, so how some more size comparisons?

Simply massive and has density approaching that of a black hole in spite of the aluminum housing.

When encased, the Roxy/Rooy almost fits underneath the IBM.

I admit that I did not think through the whole proportional typewriter thing. I'm glad I adopted this beast. The engineering is a joy to behold and the type is unique. But I honestly had no idea just how huge these things are!  Where to put it in the long term is a question I have yet to address.

I am looking forward to receiving and installing a new platen and power roll. It won't operate like it did in 1965, but the fact that it runs at all is a mark of good industrial design.

Oops! I forgot that the Roxy has never had a proper introduction.  Well, there is plenty of time left in the 2013 International Typewriter Appreciation Week!

ITAM 2013 - A Teaser

Greetings Typosphere bloggers and honored guests!  It is time for me to make amends for not playing with the machines as much as I should.  International Typewriter Appreciation Month is upon us and it is time for a teaser.  It is riddled with typos and an extra 'm' in amends, but such is life.  Real, analog life, that is. Computer keyboards and iPad similes have ruined me.

 I'm enjoying as many ITAM blog entries as I can.  Great work, everyone!  Thanks for reading.

Neighborhood Construction Zone

While out for a walk, MEK and I passed an interesting construction zone.  An enterprising boy has been working the section between the sidewalk and street on and off for the last several months.  This brought back happy memories from when I did a massive excavation in the same zone on a summer break day in the 1970s.  The difference is that my onetime effort was not sanctioned and brought forth fairly robust negative feedback from my parental units (i.e. "the belt").

I'm not sure what is up with the automotive scrap yard in the foreground.  On the other hand, my brother and I destroyed many Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars playing demolition derby.

In all honesty, the perpetual construction zone is a little tacky and I am glad not to live next door.  However, I can admire the energy of youth from a distance.