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Version devBuilt at: 2026-10-11 02:37:10 EDT

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@mjrichards.bsky.socialOct 10, 2026, 6:02 PM

Today’s #typewriterjournal pages are the result of my being irked by going to one too many academic conferences where keynotes and breakout sessions focus largely on how to use AI in the classroom. I’m tired of AI sucking all the air out of every educational space I’m in.

10 October 2026 Another conference keynote today all about how educators can't beat AI, so we might as well get onboard. I tuned out, opened my journal, got out my fountain pen, and started writing down ideas for this project I am working on involving developing a campus space dedicated to retro tech. Tech like this 1980's electronic typewriter I am using. The motor that controls the paper advance is slowly dying, so the distance between the lines is inconsistent. But you know what? That’s okay. It’s not suggesting better ways to phrase things or offering me links to products that will improve my "workflow." It leaves me alone for the most part and lets me write. If the ideas suck or the language is trite, it's on me. So, back to that idea I'm working on. For now, I think I'm going to call it the Lo-fi Lab. That leaves space for multidisciplinary usage and will resonate with younger people who listen to lo-fi beats.I was approached after my session today by a member of Achieving the Dream. Apparently, they are administering a Mellon-funded initiative to help infuse the humanities in community colleges. He wants me to present what I am doing to the cohort institutions as a part of a webinar they are holding in November. So, clearly, not EVERYBODY thinks we should just jump on the Al bandwagon. Some folks see strategies that resist Al as valuable, too. So I will hold onto that hope as I move forward with my dream to design a space where Al does not have relevance. Because I feel like we are rapidly approaching a time where such spaces are going to become rare and precious, and people will start seeking them out ... not all people, but some. And those people are who this space is for.
@mjrichards.bsky.socialOct 9, 2026, 7:47 PM

It’s Friday, as in my brain is FRIED! Here is today’s #typewriterjournal written on the Canon Typestar 5 Deluxe. I got rechargeable batteries for it, and now I basically have a distraction-free laptop.

Note: forgive the shifting point of view and needless repetition. Like I said, brain is mush.

9 October 2026 My brain is on fire with ideas, plans that are percolating, relationships I want to build, spaces I'd like to establish, a legacy I'd like to leave behind. But I am also so damned tired. My reach, I fear, exceeds my grasp. But this is the time. If I am going to move, it should be now, while the wave is cresting. It's a risk, putting one's hat in the ring and asking people to support your notions. I've avoided taking such risks for the most part in my career, content to sit in my little corner and teach my students and be glad of the small wins. But, I guess now is the time to go big. Not OR go home. Go big so I CAN go home and look back and be glad of what I left behind.
@mjrichards.bsky.socialOct 8, 2026, 2:12 PM

Today’s #typewriterjournal. When typing this, I forgot that alt text is a thing, so I ended up transcribing the text on the page anyway…

Photo of a Canon Typestar 5 Deluxe with a piece of paper with typing on it. Next to it on the table is the original manual. 8 October 2026 Greetings from a 1983 thermal typewriter, the Canon Typestar 5 Deluxe. What makes it Deluxe? As far as I can tell, this one came bundled with its power adapter. Fancy, huh? In lieu of the adapter, it can run off 4 D-cell batteries, so it is an early "laptop," if you will. I was looking for a compact, quiet machine that didn't need to live on a desktop and that didn't alert the entire neighborhood to its presence while still giving me a distraction-free writing experience with the haptics of an electronic typewriter. This one checks all those boxes. I think I will try to do a little journaling most days using the machine, and I'll make a point of posting my musings from time to time. Or rather, I will post photos of my musings. Because what would be the point of retyping them on my computer? Rather misses the point.