Shift happens: Writing about the history of keyboards

Date:

After discovering that a history of keyboards— from typewriters to iPhones—had yet to be written, designer and typographer Marcin Wichary got to work.

Marcin Wichary and his
keyboards. “It sounds
really boring, right?” he says. “But if you look at it throughout the ages
… it becomes a lot more
interesting.” When the designer and typographer Marcin Wichary stumbled upon a tiny museum just outside Barcelona five years ago, the experience tipped his interest in the history of technology into an obsession with a very particular part of it: the keyboard. 

“I have never seen so many typewriters under one roof. Not even close,” he shared on Twitter at the time. “At this point, I literally have tears in my eyes. I’m not kidding. This feels like a miracle.”

He’d had a revelation while wandering through the exhibit: Each key on a keyboard has its own stories. And these stories are not just about computing technology, but also about the people who designed, used, or otherwise interacted with the keyboards. 

Take the backspace key, he explains: “I like that [the concept of] backspace was originally just that—a space going backward. We are used to it erasing now, but for a hundred years, erasing was its own incredibly complex endeavor. You needed to master a Comet eraser, or Wite-Out, or strange correction tapes, and possibly all of the above … or give up and start from scratch whenever you made a typo.” 

Some of these keyboards are adjustable and others fixed. The ergoLogic FlexPro and the SafeType (below) eliminate pronation of the forearms as well as wrist extension. These days, even the cheapest desk keyboard is in some way “ergonomic,” allowing for reduced effort and improved response compared with even the best of the mechanical and electric typewriters that preceded them. But some keyboards go further than most, rotating or tenting their respective halves to allow a less stressful hand and arm position.

Some keyboards enable communication between people who might find that difficult. Shown here are a simple keyboard connected to a singular Braille cell; a typewriter making it possible to print in Braille; and a machine that allowed people who are hard of hearing to type over telephone wires.

The deeper he researched, the more fixated he became. Amazed that no comprehensive book existed on the history of keyboards, he decided to create his own. When not working at his day job as design lead for the design software company Figma, he began producing Shift Happens, a two-volume, 1,216-page hardcover book—and raised over $750,000 for the project on Kickstarter in March of 2023. Wichary was only a bit surprised by the support and the keyboard’s wide appeal. As he points out, “It’s such a crucial device that occupies a lot of our waking life.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

spot_imgspot_img
spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

ISRAEL – HAMAS WAR: THE ‘BAIT’ OF TERRORISM VEILED IN DIALOGUE.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas highlights the...

Why I Launched A News Commentary Show – Bolanle Olukanni Tells Netng

Over the years, media personality and TV host Bolanle...

OPINION: The Abducted Children Of Kuriga And Other Stories

March 27, (THEWILL)- On March 7, 2024, we all...

OPINION: Central Motor Registry: The Role Of Zonal And Command Police Public Relations Officers

March 27, (THEWILL)- Police Public Relations Officers play a...