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Retro-Tech: How Typewriters Are Becoming Relevant Again

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Manual typewriters--they just don't make 'em any more! (Do they?) Still, they remain visible icons of the writing life.

With their clacking keys and heavy metal frames, typewriters are a symbol of the old days. They're aesthetically cool, last a long time (Woody Allen and Andy Rooney owned their typewriters for over 50 years), and offer an immersive writing experience that no computer can replicate. In an age where tech business models are built on planned obsolescence, typewriters have lasted through time.

One man, Steve Soboroff, is committed to preserving the legacy of typewriters. The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners president has 31 vintage typewriters in his personal collection, and he's looking for more. But any old typewriter won't do—he only collects those previously owned by famous people, including George Bernard Shaw, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and Jack London.

Sixteen years ago, at a Sotheby's auction, Soboroff bought his first typewriter. Although many attendees were eager to buy the typewriter, which was owned by famed sport columnist Jim Murray, Soboroff felt so excited that he outbid them all. In retrospect, he acknowledges that he overpaid, but he explains, “It seemed so personal to me to know [Murray] wrote some of the greatest sports columns ever on that typewriter.” After that spontaneous purchase, he bought Hemingway's old typewriter. Then, John Lennon's. Before he knew it, Soboroff had a collection in his hands.

Collecting these typewriters — which was often a difficult and expensive task— was only half the fun. When he uses the typewriters, Soboroff actually finds physical remnants of history. While cleaning George Burn's typewriter, he found a quarter pound of cigar nicotine leftover from his smoking habits. After opening the package that contained Joe DiMaggio's Smith Corona typewriter, he found the baseball player's cut-up credit card in the box. “Each one has these wonderful human stories,” said Soboroff.

Unlike some collectors, Soboroff doesn't keep his typewriters to himself. They're often on exhibit in museum collections around the world. Currently, his collection is on display at the Paley Center for Media, where it was originally consigned for four weeks, and “so far it's been there seven months,” Soboroff boasts. The typewriters send museum visitors into nostalgic reverie, inspiring them to reflect on their childhood or their grandparents' time, depending on their age.

But can typewriters find a place beyond collectors, especially in this high-tech world?

Jack Zylkin, an electrical engineer from Philadelphia, noticed that many old typewriters (especially those passed on by family members) aren't being used. “Typewriters are just really beautiful and elegant pieces of technology, and it has always struck me as sad that they are now neglected and almost forgotten,” he said.

Zylkin desired to make typewriters useful again, without losing their mystique. “I wanted typewriters to be part of my life, but realistically I'm not going to write a letter to everyone -- I'm going to use e-mail most of the time,” he admitted. In order to keep his typewriter on his desk, he turned it into his computer keyboard, so there would be no reason to stash it away.

In order to do this, Zylkin created a DIY kit to add a USB port to any typewriter, and therefore convert it to a computer keyboard or iPad dock. He began selling these kits, along with a range of typewriters, through his online business USB Typewriter. Since the company's creation in June 2010, Zylkin estimates there are over 2,000 USB typewriters in existence now.

After using a typewriter as his keyboard, Zylkin doesn't want to switch back. “It's such a different process when you're on a typewriter ... there are no distractions ... you're not being blasted with e-mails or pop-ups or the urge to check different things or fall into Internet rabbit holes,” said Zylkin.

Furthermore, using a typewriter is a much more visceral experience. You hear the punching and clacking of the keys and the bell at the end of every line, you see the ink on the page, you feel the scroll of the roll whenever you pull the sheet out. “It's all happening right in front of you — not being mediated by a simulation of a sheet of paper on a screen...it's much more satisfying than hitting send on an e-mail or Twitter blast,” said Zylkin.

Zylkin's company is especially meaningful because it helps bridge generational gaps. “People with typewriters want to hand them down to their children, but they are not sure if children will use it without more modern functionality,” explained Zylkin. With the digital-analog hybrid of his USB typewriters, he hopes to preserve the legacy and history of the technology, while continuing their passage as heirlooms into the next generation.