Author: Brad

Companies that could build a search engine 2024

I’m talking about a general web search engine with it’s own index.  Seems relevant since Google is showing signs of poor quality and is being sued for antitrust.

Apple – they already have a crawler out indexing.

Yahoo/Verizon – Verizon is the parent company of the once mighty Yahoo.  A lot depends on Google losing exclusive default search engine on Android verizon could step in for phones sold by Verizion. Yahoo controls a lot of old search engine brand names.

Samsung – largest maker of Android phones.  Again, if Google could no longer dictate default search on Android Samsung might try it.

Amazon – they know how to crawl the web.  Long shot.

DuckDuckGo – right now they rely on Bing for most of their web results.  It’s a longshot but they might want to build their own index.

Meta – parent co. of Facebook.

 

Typewriters: “Ultra-Portable” General Info

The ultra-portable typewriter was intended for travelers.  Particularly air, train travel.

These were never intended to write “the Great American Novel” on them.  They were for letter writing while traveling,  for traveling salesmen to fill out their order cards and reports, journalists on the go, and government types who needed to file reports while traveling.

Like any machine they can be pressed into writing longer works but they are not optimal.

Seems like most have basket carriage which is not optimal for lots of quotation marks and caps shifting like one would have with dialog.

Size Smallest to Larger:

  1. Ultra-Portables
  2. In Between:  The Olivetti Lettera models.
  3. Portables: (Luggables).
  4. Office.

Typewriter: Olivetti Lettera 22 and 32

These are larger than an ultra-portable but smaller than a portable. (A coffee shop model?)

https://www.classictypewriter.com/olivetti-lettera-22-32

I list the 22 and the 32 together, because they really are so similar. While the 32 is a better machine, in my opinion, some consider the 22 to me more beautiful.

The model 22 was from the 1950’s.  The 32 came 13 years later 1960’s.  Same designer.  32 more squared off.  (I presume they corrected some design flaws and weaknesses of the 22.)

Typewriter: Olympia SF Ultra-Portable

All Olympia’s are well built.  German.  They tend to be heavier than other brand ultra-portables.

SF is meant for travel.  Reputed to have the good typing feel of the bigger Olympia models in a small package.

Other models.

‘Splendid 33, 66, and 99 have more features and more sound insulation within.

SF is a base model to save weight.