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Reminds me of the Alphasmart, it was such a great device: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart
Agreed. I own one of the early AlphaSmart devices (I own and collect some old-school software and devices) and I plan on keeping it for a long time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm assuming this is a bit facetious, that said, I think it is worth exploring. Yes, you can use short hand to learn to write words faster, such that you may be surprised at how fast people can actually write. Certainly, you'd be surprised at how slow some people type. Especially when thinking. More pertinent for notebooks, though, is how unstructured it can be. Learning to use the space of a page is a big thing that…
I take plenty of paper notes, especially for math, diagrams, and other things. But we're here talking about an article about typewriting devices, and in the context of the kinds of things you'd write long-form on a typewriter, "just use a notebook!" is insultingly unhelpful. I've tried for decades to write long-form things without it causing my hand to cramp up painfully. I know what's wrong, and I also accept that a…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I take plenty of paper notes, especially for math, diagrams, and other things. But we're here talking about an article about typewriting devices, and in the context of the kinds of things you'd write long-form on a typewriter, "just use a notebook!" is insultingly unhelpful. I've tried for decades to write long-form things without it causing my hand to cramp up painfully. I know what's wrong, and I also accept that a…
Fair that "just use a notebook" is unnecessarily flippant. This sort of device is something that clearly some folks like.
I can sit down and comfortably type out several pages of content with it. If I tried writing that much by hand, I'd be nearly in tears of hand-cramping pain by the end. So the Alpha, and this device, and the BYOK device I mention aren't for everyone, and I wouldn't use them for everything, but they surely have their niche.
But I've also written a pretty good bit (not just code documentation and emails but fiction, short stories), and it's also hard as hell, and like a lot of people who want to write things I've dabbled with all sorts of instruments that I'm convinced will finally be the trick to make the words come out good.
I've used legal pads, and composition books, and spiral notebooks, and grid paper notepads.
I've written with pencils, and ballpoints, and fountain pens, and dip pens with a whole variety of nibs and inks (admittedly that was mostly just for fun).
I've written in Acme on Plan 9, in Emacs and Vi on Linux, in Google Docs on a cheap Chromebook, and in BBEdit on a Mac SE/30. I've also used a mechanical typewriter, a Selectric electric typewriter, and an AlphaSmart Neo 2.
So I say the following from experience:
1. Writing is difficult to do well, regardless of how you're getting the words down.
2. It's easy to distract yourself, regardless of how you're getting the words down.
3. One of the easiest ways to accomplish #2 is by dreaming about the next perfect writing tool that will really make your writing sing just as soon as you muster up the courage to click "Buy".
4. Once you get your latest writing toy^H^H^Htool, it's easier to write blog posts about it than to write the things you actually want to write but are deep down too timid to try.
In summary, I applaud Unkyu for making these, and I don't think they're likely to help you write better.
edit: Anybody in the San Francisco area who has been dreaming about an AlphaSmart Neo 2 as the perfect writing machine that will finally take their writing to the next level, dig up my email address and you can have mine for free, I don't use it any more.
The various iterations all look quite attractive, and the final one especially looks kind of like if an Apple IIc and a computer from Brazil had a baby -- in a good way! I congratulate the creator on producing so much real hardware and not just renders; I've designed and made hardware and it's hard as hell! But I've also written a pretty good bit (not just code documentation and emails but fiction, short stories), an…
As always, it’s not the tool, it’s how you use it… and as always, being creative is always hard, and the challenge is (usually) within yourself and not your tools (setting aside accessibility concerns in which tooling obviously becomes more important; and at least a little small dose of mise-en-scene).
I have a distraction-free writing device. It's called a notebook and it cost eight dollars.
Available for purchase on Battlestar Galactica.