Who here remembers when electronic typewriters were the next big thing?
Anyone? Anyone?
(For the record, I sure don’t. I was born in the early 90’s and, thanks to my software test engineer poppa, grew up in a household full of computers)
This Correctronic GX-8000 Electronic Typewriter (well, gee, if that isn’t a mouthful of a name!) lives in the campus archives here at Morris. I admit, I was bit too excited when I had the opportunity to type on it earlier this year for work, being the electronic oddity that it is in this fast-paced technological world that we live in. While it has become a pretty commonplace object for me now that I see it every time I go into work, I realized a couple weeks ago how uncommon it really is; how my twelve year old cousins have probably never even heard of an electronic typewriter. They can do their Instagram and their Snapchat just fine, thank you, but would they be able to figure out how to work one of these?
So, naturally, with these considerations in mind, I decided to write a blog post about this seemingly old fashioned device.
I often wonder what it would have been like to live in a time without so much technology. I remember a time when there was less, of course…back when cell phones were only becoming a popular commodity to have (though only vaguely, I admit). Back before everyone and their mother had a smartphone. I myself didn’t even get a smartphone until this last September. Come to think of it, I’ve had this blog longer than I’ve had a smartphone…wow! Yeah, I was a bit of a late bloomer in that respect…something I’m quite thankful for. I spend entirely too much time on my smartphone now that I have it and sometimes I wish I could get rid of it every now and then for a day or two. Or maybe three. Hell, a smartphone-free week would actually be really nice!
In many respects, I’m thankful for technology–it makes keeping in touch with faraway friends so much easier. I get to communicate with all of you wonderful people on WordPress because of it. Yet, it is so distracting at times, so time-consuming.
I mean, if you really think about it, why have a smartphone when you could have something as snazzy swell as this here electronic typewriter?
It's a Britta Bottle! 
My brother and I learned how to type using the manual typewriter! Not electronic, manual, mind you. 😉 We learned our “The quick brown foxes jumped over the lazy dog” typing skills because one summer, my dad thought it was a brilliant idea to teach us how to type, properly. And I didn’t regret that one single bit. We both type using all our ten fingers without looking at the keyboard. Hah!
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Ah, goodness, what a different time you grew up in! Sounds absolutely wonderful. It’s certainly a good thing your dad taught you how to type with the way typing has become such a necessary skill to have in this word run by computers that we now live in!
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Yikes, I just revealed my age! haha… super duper old school! 🙂
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That’s okay. I wont tell. 😉 Thank you for sharing your memories, though. I really enjoyed reading them!
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This post took me way back! Indeed I grew up only with typewriters and rotary phones with cords! I remember how fast my mom would type on her electric typewriter… Like a swarm of tap dancers!
In college, we had word processors and my roommate had the first Apple computer.. The tall box like one… It was such an enigma!
Thanks for reminding me about the simpler times when a smart phone was only in science fiction!
But to be honest, now I can’t imagine life without it!
Cheers!!!
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Ah, you’re welcome, Lia. I can’t remind myself of those simpler times because I didn’t live through them, but it’s nice to wonder sometimes what it would have been like. I agree, it’s so hard to imagine life without all this technology either, but sometimes I like to try. Thank you for sharing your memories…I so enjoyed reading them! 🙂
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Things when I was a kid were much more simplier! But I’ve got to admit that technology is so helpful nowadays that I can’t imagine life without it! Especially when needing directions..Who uses paper maps anymore!
Happy Saturday 🙂
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Ah, yes, directions! That is one of those wonderful perks of technology. I definitely think I have a love-hate relationship with technology. It is so nice in many respects but sometimes…sometimes when my phone gets too distracting, I’d just like to throw it out the window. 🙂
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I had one of these! Not this exact model, but something like it. Wow, I was so cool 😉
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I actually really would love to own a typewriter. I feel like I get so bogged down by technology a lot of the time so I find a typewriter really attractive because of that. 🙂
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Oh I think you would love one!
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I think so too. One day, one day I will own one!
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I remember in second grade, there was one in the classroom for us to play with. I remember being so enamored by it because I liked the noise it made lol. I will admit though as the years passed I became more interested in the latest thing out there. I’ve had an iPhone since the iPhone 4 came out and upgraded it throughout the years, I have had a Mac for the past 6 years, and have every single social media site profiles out there. Sometimes I wish I could just unplug but I find it so hard to do.
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I agree…it is so hard to unplug sometimes. Last night I was hanging with some of my friends and I was on my phone and at one point I just said, “I hate this! I just want to get off this thing but it’s sooo hard.” Kind of sad, but so true. I’d love to own a typewriter…I’m not all about the latest gadgets, but I am a bit to obsessed with the one’s I have and I just feel like sitting at a typewriter and getting all my thoughts out would be such a release from all that!
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I vaguely remember electronic typewriters, but they were never really a thing I had any interaction with. We got a computer in my house pretty early on (mid-80s, I think) because my father needed one for his work. You know what I remember about old tech, though? The punch cards the really old computers needed. My father had a bunch of them. I think they were already obsolete, and he was bringing them home as scrap paper, but whenever I see one, I get a wave of nostalgia.
Personally, I still don’t have a smart phone. I have a flip phone, and I have a wi-fi-only iPad, but no smart phone. It’s become a matter of personal pride at this point, my little way of rebelling against society. (It’s nice to have a way to be a rebel that isn’t illegal, you know?) Also, I’m stubborn, so the more bank tellers and shop clerks and goodness-knows-who tell me I need a smart phone, the more determined I get not to have one. (My service provider recently e-mailed AND texted me to tell me it was “time to upgrade”. Sheesh. Just ’cause I’ve used the same phone since 2008…)
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Well, I’m a bit too young to remember the punch cards you speak of. The only real experience I have with technology in the early 80’s is from the TV show “Halt and Catch Fire,” which is about computers in the early 80’s…and that’s hardly a REAL experience. 🙂
Ah, sometimes I wish I still didn’t have a smart phone. In many respects, it is really nice, but it’s such a time sucker sometimes, which I really hate. Thanks for the comment!
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I didn’t know there was such thing as electronic typewriters but it looks really cool!
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It is super cool! I love being able to play with it at work sometimes. 🙂
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