In the useless toys category...

[khaosworks]

I give you Typewriter Keyboard, a Mac OS X shareware application that makes your keyboard do typewriting sounds when you strike the keys.

It's a small thing, but it makes me somehow feel, when I'm writing, that I'm writing, y'know?

Now, if only I could find some way to make the keys look like that on an old Smith-Corona, like Spider Jerusalem's...

Comments

[mdlbear]

Alternatively, you could go out and buy an old, surplus IBM Model M, which is basically the keyboard from the IBM Selectric.

[madfilkentist]

What's really impressive is that "It doesn't need any installation which makes it very easy to use." Must be a Sony product. :)

[cfred.livejournal.com]

I wish I could remember where I saw it, but somewhere on the net, somebody posted the proces of turning their old manual typewriter into a computer keyboard.

clicky clicky

[marmota.livejournal.com]

Hey, if someone made a usb keyboard in the shape of an old Corona, I'd get one! (Er, provided it was in the price range of other keyboards.) It's sad that the keyboard market caters more to swoopy pseudo-futuristic design than to retro. Closest thing to retro in that market is the classic battleship grade IBM Model-Ms, with a buckling spring keyclick on both press and return that would resound throughout an entire office and metal case suitable for melee combat.

Oh, googling around a bit on the subject, I turned up this and this. So, there is a market out there for it. Emphasis, however, on the 'out there'.

[osj.livejournal.com]

Cool. But it would be better if it could be set to activate only with certain applications, e.g. your word processor, or better still, only to activate when typing text into a document, as opposed to keyboard shortcuts. The 'Command' key shouldn't make a sound, and any key pressed while the 'Command' key is depressed also shouldn't make a sound. Doesn't 'fit' when doing finder operations.

I know, I know...nit-picking.