Thursday 30 January 2014

That wouldn't have happened to a typewriter (Part 1)









 

Stay tuned for the next instalment of "That wouldn't have happened to a typewriter". I already know what happens next, because it has happened already, but I'll leave that story for a future post.

Typed on my Lettera 22 (again)


14 comments:

  1. Ha ha ha. I was wondering when you would post this onto your blog. I feel bad for your laptop, but you're right - with exception of a novelty glass paperweight setting fire to a pile of typed papers, I can't envisage this happening with your typed work.

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  2. Wow! Lucky it happened when it did and not at night when you were asleep for instance.

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    1. Agreed. Or last September when I was flying with it in my hand luggage above the Indian Ocean

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  3. Astounding! I would have trouble believing this if you hadn't documented it so well. Your laptop must have given the nerds something to talk about for years.

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    1. I would have had trouble believing it as well if it hadn't have happened to me! I didn't know the potential energy stored in a battery was capable of being released in such a smoke machine-esque, spontaneous, smelly and explosive fashion

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  4. Wow! Having just clicked the "buy" button on a $150 Dell battery for my laptop, I was at the point of giving myself a dope slap for not having gone the Chinese battery source route (and I really have obtained some quality goods that way) until your story got to the fireworks part. Thanks for passing on the tip to avoid keeping a laptop constantly on charge. At least I've not made that error with any of my typewriters - their batteries seem to have a phenomenal storage life!

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    1. Yep, agreed, there is plenty of perfectly good and incredibly cheap bits and bobs out of China on eBay these days and this experience certainly won't stop me contributing to the carpal-tunnell of underpaid sweatshop workers, but I will probably draw the line at batteries next time. The battery of my typewriters only needs a coffee and it'll stay good for hours on end.

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    2. I wonder, where do Dell produce their batteries?
      A case of terrible bad luck I'd say, or good fortune, if you look at the value of a tale that comes from such an experience - were they able to remove the scorch mark from the floor? If not, you've got yourself a great conversation starter with the person manning the check out next time you're in!

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  5. O wow! Just... wow! You're very lucky your HDD wasn't hurt in the fireworks. This is is just awful!

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    1. I prefer the term 'hilarious' to 'awful', but I must admit that my choice of terminology is very much determined by the survival of the HDD!

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  6. My MacBook needed a £100+ OEM battery after the original burst. The £20 ebay replacement lasted 2 charges. The seller's replacement lasted 7 charges. Then nothing. So now I just plug it in at the wall. You hear tales of expanding and combusting laptops and yours is the best yet. Really good you managed to save your stuff though.

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    1. Aaah, very interesting you too have had bad experiences with cheap replacement laptop batteries. My case is fortified! Makes you wonder whether the dodgy manufacturers just get battery casings and fill them with gunpowder or milkshakes or both...

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