Sunday, March 17, 2013

Typecast: On the decision to resuscitate

 
(J's sightings in the window of a newly-minted shop in Milan selling rejuvenated vintage tech)

 


(Random eye candy: an Olympia typewriter poster spotted in a Parisian flea market last December)
 
One way to keep retro tech alive, I guess: "vintage" journal spotted in a department store in downtown Geneva   
 
So cute, and yet beyond my abilities to save - the new gear I purchased is pictured on the machine, still in the packaging it arrived in.

The old gear - the black plastic has dried out and become brittle, immediately grinding to shreds when the machine is turned on after 30 years of dormancy.

I don't regret letting these go - the Lotuses may be pretty, but I have learned to stride quickly past any I see in the flea market (and there have been several sightings since I picked up these two). Those desiccated gears are ticking time bombs and switching them out is not for the amateur - sewing machines must be timed precisely to get the needle moving in sync with the bobbin, and it is not work for the dilettante like myself.

Speaking of technology which is not being resuscitated - Google Reader is apparently being discontinued, much to my dismay. How will I keep up with all my blogs now? Anyone using interesting/ satisfactory alternatives they care to share?
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15 comments:

  1. Scott KMarch 17, 2013 at 1:29 PM

    Well, I've added all the blogs that I really like to my Blogger feed. It isn't as elegant as Google Reader, but it is much better than relying on the clumsy directory pages etc.

    Digg is apparently creating an equivalent service, so you might be able to transition to that. Outside of that, if you use an iPad, there's some great RSS reader apps that you can use.

    BTW... I used to sell umbrellas for a living. I have seen many a poor sample destroyed in such a way as seen here. If you want something to last, don't buy a folding, and get one with a fiberglass frame. The Chinese copies of the American 'Gale buster' are the best.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SheenaMarch 17, 2013 at 2:42 PM

    Someone recommended Feedly to me, which also works for non-google blogs, unlike the blogger feed. Feedly takes some playing around with; it's much prettier than Google Reader, but slightly less efficient in my opinion.I've been using it for about two days and have pretty much gotten the hang of it.

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  3. Richard PMarch 17, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    Thanks for this update.

    Like Scott, I just go to blogger.com.

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    Replies
    1. CameronMarch 17, 2013 at 4:48 PM

      Richard, what do you do for Wordpress and other non-Blogger blogs?

      Delete
    2. notagainMarch 18, 2013 at 3:01 AM

      There's an "add url" option. They show up too.

      Delete
  4. CameronMarch 17, 2013 at 4:51 PM

    Thank you for posting this very important question, Adwoa! I, too, use Google Reader and am wondering what to replace it with.

    Your pink Lettera 22's typeface is so crisp and clear, and the blue ribbon is wonderful. Looks great with the yellow lined paper.

    Poor umbrella! That picture is very sad, somehow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Scott KMarch 17, 2013 at 9:55 PM

      Cameron, I have found that Blogger manages to display more than just the Blogger blogs. I have a handful of non Blogger blogs listed on there, and they seem to display.

      Delete
  5. JasonMarch 17, 2013 at 5:17 PM

    Like Sophia mentioned, give Feedly a try. It's especially nice if you use Google Chrome as your browser because there is a great extension for it. It is prettier but with some good options. I was able to easily put all my feeds in a "list" view because I didn't like the way they tried to make it look like a magazine.

    You can also import all your google Reader stuff there while Reader is still up and they'll be available in Feedly when Reader kicks the digital bucket.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ton S. March 17, 2013 at 7:02 PM

    I've never used Google Reader, my blog list on dashboard is good enough for me.

    I would have swiped that Olympia poster!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AdwoaMarch 17, 2013 at 9:17 PM

    Thanks for chiming in, everyone! Like Scott, Richard, and Ton, I am able to check on the blogs I follow from the blogger dashboard, but I find I do not use the dashboard everyday (only log in occasionally to update the blog), so that won't do. Besides, as Cameron points out, it is only for Blogger blogs and not WordPress or others.

    Sophia and Jason - thanks so much for recommending Feedly! I had seen it mentioned but was looking forward to hearing from someone who had used it. I shall give it a try immediately and export my subscriptions from Google Reader.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ton S. March 17, 2013 at 11:30 PM

      Adwoa, dashboard lists non-blogger blogs. I have a number of WordPress, etc. on mine.

      Delete
    2. notagainMarch 18, 2013 at 3:03 AM

      I check the dash every day to see if there are new comments on mine, then look at the feeds.

      Delete
  8. SarahMarch 17, 2013 at 11:57 PM

    I sympathize with your lack of engineering ability-I have the same problem! I was pleased with myself for just successfully changing a typewriter ribbon!
    At least there the broken umbrellas are binned. I have seen three this week just lying on the pavement-or in the road. It was very windy here recently and not the best weather for umbrellas. They don't keep you dry in that kind of weather anyway and always cause problems! Better to have a hat and a waterproof coat with a hood I think.

    ReplyDelete
  9. WinstonMarch 18, 2013 at 1:16 AM

    Upside-down umbrellas always make me think of the bank-robbing main character in Elmore Leonard's Road Dogs, who would go into a bank at the tail-end of a rain storm and drop his ill-gotten currency inside his umbrella, then calmly walk out past the cops as they arrived, because none of the cops thought they could be there to arrest the well-dressed man with the umbrella.

    I sometimes use Feedly linked to my Google Reader account. I guess I need to look into configuring Feedly to work by itself. Thanks to Jason for the tip about switching to list view.

    ReplyDelete
  10. notagainMarch 18, 2013 at 3:04 AM

    I've given up on those journals - they just won't feed into the typewriter.

    ReplyDelete

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