[skyguy79]

I learned to type in high school on an old manual typwriter with no marking on any of the keys. At the end of the year I had the highest grade in the school, but disappointed my teacher. She put the pressure on me before the final exam by telling me she expect me to be her only student to get 100%. Needless to say, I didn't make it; I was a failure!

Oh, if only I could have learned to play the musical instruments I've played like I could play the typwriter. {sigh}

[Schaumburger]

I received a manual typewriter when I graduated from high school...took it to Loyola University with me and made some money typing papers for kids without typewriters. Now the typewriter has sat in my garage for many years. I can't bring myself to get rid of it as it was gift from my parents. Now every college student brings a laptop with them to college or uses a computer at home if they are commuter students. The white paint on the N key on my 4 year old laptop has totally worn off . . . My nieces who are in college say I text about as fast as a grandma.

[cybrgeezer]

Originally Posted by justjim

I took "personal typing" one semester in High School. There was about half dozen guys in the class who took it too----teacher was good looking! Actually, the class was one of the best "things" I did in H.S. Seems like I got up to about 45 words per minute which wasn't bad for a guy, huh?

My parents, who had one high school diploma between them, told me to listen to the school's counselors about courses to take to prepare for college, but they insisted I take two classes: typing and, when I was old enough, driver's ed.

At the start of my sophomore year in high school, in the fall of 1960, I signed up for typing and didn't like the idea. I knew the class would be full of girls who would all be better at this than I would.

So, imagine my delight to find the class was almost all boys -- members of the football team looking for an "easy" class to stay eligible to play.

As for typing and driver's ed, I spent 47 years in one form of journalism or another, including 39 years in newspapers. I can say those two classes are the only ones I've used every day since high school.

[BarryRX]

Probably one of the most useful courses I ever took. I am surprised that no one has mentioned Jerry Lewis' skit with the typewriter.

[TerpDawg]

. . .As for typing and driver's ed, I spent 47 years in one form of journalism or another, including 39 years in newspapers. I can say those two classes are the only ones I've used every day since high school.[/QUOTE]

Geezer: Glad to see there is at least one other ink stained devil in this forum. I spent 30 years at a major metro daily but never had a typing class in my life. An old college professor tested me for admission to the U of Md journalism school and declared my 40 mistakes a minute with two fingers perfectly acceptable. And, I can still burn up a key board with those two digits.

[kathy and al]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

What's nice is that some of my letters are actually worn off my computer keyboard, but it doesn't matter..........once you have them memorized.

What I cannot do is type on the tiny I-phone or Smart Phone.

We had to get one , as we were told that there were NO PHONES in the Lifestyle Visit homes......nor was there one in the home we rented for the extra month..........my husband who hunts and pecks on a keyboard, was able to manage to text and enter some data, but I found it frustrating.

The I-Phone did come in handy for a navigational device and for taking pictures and "sending them" off to family and friends immediately, plus a zillion other uses..........but as far as TYPING, forget about it.

I don't know how the younger folk "text" with two hands......once I was trying to contact the Hyatt Regency at the Orlando Airport as we decided to leave one day early to return the rental car and check in to our hotel rather than a mad dash to the airport...........and I was trying to contact the "desk" etc..........very frustrating.....as I had to type in all our information.........but I guess , like anything else, it would come to me eventually.

Couldn't agree with you any more insofar as the tiny I-Pads, etc are concerned. The two hand approach (especially by the youngsters) to these tiny devices certainly defies the old asdfg space ;lkjh that we learned many years ago. I'm sure you could navigate the keyboard (as well as myself) even if there were no identifying letters and numbers on them.

[carm310]

We still have a typewriter where I work and believe it or not I had to use it earlier this year to type some 1099-Misc forms. The typewriter is dragged out of confinement once a year for this purpose alone. And as for making mistakes....I type at a snail's pace, no room for mistakes on multiple page forms.

On the fun side, my daughter plays violin. I enjoyed this and will share with her!

[oot]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

I remember the dictaphone and the multiple carbon papers from the mid 1960's. I also remember when they brought in the FIRST "huge" IBM computer to the center of the office..........they hired an 18 year old fellow to learn how to use it; he was being trained by IBM computer experts. It was unlike anything today. All encased in a glass room.

Having been a private secretary, I also remember when the executives would send me to the actual file room........where all the documents and papers were kept. Now, everything is saved on the computer.

How things have changed. A blast from the past. I always loved typewriters. My parents bought me my first one when I was 13 and a freshman in high school with that I.B.M. Selectric in the typing class.

I used to run some of those "huge" IBM computers. Back in my day they did not even have a monitor - all the system commands were basically printed and typed/keypunched - and if you ran out of that green bar paper (with the holes on the side) - the computer the system basically stopped until you put in some more...LOL

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by oot

I used to run some of those "huge" IBM computers. Back in my day they did not even have a monitor - all the system commands were basically printed and typed/keypunched - and if you ran out of that green bar paper (with the holes on the side) - the computer the system basically stopped until you put in some more...LOL

I understand exactly what you're talking about. In 1969 I went to work with the NYSDMV in the computer room. We had one IBM computer system for batch work, but forget the numbers on it. The other was an IBM 360 TP real time system, then later a 370.

At the time we were told that our system was the largest in the US. We had something like about 16 tape drives, loads of data drums, disk packs, literally millions of auto registrations and driver license records and yes... the little bouncy metal ball on the typewriter!

Quite frankly I do try to forget those years. Rotating 3 shifts with occasionally working 14 days straight or 16 hour days wasn't all that much fun.