Typewriter fans gather in Philly for 'Type-In'

by Ron Todt - Dec. 18, 2010 04:48 PM

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - Fans of a bygone age have been taking time in Philadelphia to celebrate the non-digital, admittedly noisy era of the manual typewriter.

About a dozen people showed up Saturday with machines in tow to "Type-In" at a pub in the city's historic 30th Street Station. Machines of varying sizes and colors shared tables with coffee and beer as participants compared models and talked about bringing the devices into a century not their own.

Technicians were also on hand to offer advice for ailing machines.

Event organizer Michael McGettigan says he values the durability of typewriters, which unlike quickly obsolete computers can go on for decades as long as ribbons can be had.

He says the disadvantages are the slowness and weight of the machines - and "people going 'What's with you?' "