[Crazy Ideas][Never-gonna-happen] Mechanical Keyboard: the book

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 10:09

okay, it's some time now that I have a crazy idea flying in my head (one of the many actually).

What do you think of a really high quality photo book with a bit of history about mechanical keyboards? How to technically and logistically do it I don't know but the idea would be to take nice pictures of some keyboards and keycaps and pair them with a bit of background story.

It doesn't need to be a "history of the mechanical keyboard", that would be impossible and it would take forever, but a compendium with a sane selection would be nice.

Any earning (unlikely but still) will be equally divided between all the contributors.

klikkyklik · 02 Dec 2015, 10:19

I think it is a neat concept. It would be nice to throw around some ideas and see how it might gel.

As you aren't doing a "history of," you are generally thinking of any era, randomly mixing old with new, with no respect to chronology- correct?

A coffee table book format?

I'd buy a copy for myself and for everyone that knows me that has a computer/electronics technical side.

HzFaq · 02 Dec 2015, 10:26

Nice idea, a coffee table book would be kind of nice. We're never short of decent pictures around here either

.

My dad had a book made a couple of years ago (coffee table stuff, some of his pictures of wildlife and a few paragraphs about where/how the shot was taken), I'll have a word with him and see how he did it. I'm almost positive it was some online wizard thing.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 10:28

well, it would need to have some kind of logic. It doesn't need to be chronological, but a "this keyboard leads to this other one" would make sense. Or by switch. Or by brand. Or I dunno.

We would need to make a list of the keyboards we would like to see pictured, then we need to filter by the keyboards we actually can take a good picture of. I believe that would be the very first step. At that point we could think of a logical order and a bit of history.

Regarding the format, I'm thinking an hardcover photo book (coffee table makes sense). Something like this but I haven't put my head too much on it actually.

Halvar · 02 Dec 2015, 10:43

I like the idea.

How about, for the text, with short feature articles from different people about subjects like "switches evolution", "switches properties", "keycaps", "IBM keyboards", "Cherry keyboards and switches", "Topre and the HHKB" etc.

7bit · 02 Dec 2015, 10:46

We can't even have a calendar (almost nobody seemed interested) or getting people to upload their photos to the wiki, how do you think a book should ever happen?

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 10:50

Halvar wrote: I like the idea.

How about, for the text, with short feature articles from different people about subjects like "switches evolution", "switches properties", "keycaps", "IBM keyboards", "Cherry keyboards and switches", "Topre and the HHKB" etc.

yup, that would totally work, but like 7bit said, we need a LOT of support

7bit wrote: We can't even have a calendar (almost nobody seemed interested) or getting people to upload their photos to the wiki, how do you think a book should ever happen?

you totally missed the "[Crazy Ideas][Never-gonna-happen]"

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 10:55

Will the embedded videos still work?

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 10:56

Muirium wrote: Will the embedded videos still work?

a tablet version would be totally feasible

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 10:57

Exactly. No MOQ, no logistics…

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 10:58

Muirium wrote: Exactly. No MOQ, no logistics…

the initial phase would be the same (select keyboards and take pictures)

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 10:59

Some writing, too. I'm happy to edit it if you like. I can make things pop a bit.

ramnes · 02 Dec 2015, 11:44

I had that same idea but I really lack the motivation to do it. A big book with nice photos printed on each page with texts surrounding the pictures would be awesome. I'd be happy to contribute with photos or anything.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 12:19

what if we start from what we already have.

A sort of photo contest. All who want to participate can post their own high-resolution royalty-free pictures. Of all we choose the best ones by subject and by composition.

From what we have we build the book.

If we understand that we absolutely need a keyboard that is not represented, we do our best to acquire and photograph that keyboard.

7bit · 02 Dec 2015, 12:39

If we still had 1985, we could make a magazine, called Keyboard Monthly with articles on latest finds, color-photo stories and an ads section.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 12:41

sorry for being retro.

ramnes · 02 Dec 2015, 12:41

Or maybe we could make a list of the keyboards to photograph, that we could order by type/brand and chronologically to be the index of the book.

Something like:

Code: Select all

0. Historical keyboards
  1. Symbolics
  ...
I. IBM
  0. Beamspring
  1. Model F
    a. 4704 (with also a modified Kish like Snoopy's)
    b. XT
    c. AT (with a converted AT)
  2. Model M
    a. Classic model M
    b. Industrial model M
    c. trackpoint
    d. SSK (+ industrial)
    e. M15 
  3. Japanese keyboards (5576 family)
    ...
II. Alps
  ...
III. Cherry
  ...
IV. Topre
  ...
V. Others
  1. RAFI
  ...

And then we ask for pictures or for authorizations.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 12:43

that would be ideal, ramnes, I was trying to be realistic with all the downers over here

(yeah you 7bit)

ramnes · 02 Dec 2015, 12:48

I don't see anything unrealistic here.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 12:52

ramnes wrote: I don't see anything unrealistic here.

1. Symbolics

while I know a couple of guys who own a symbolics, we would need to check if they can get a decent picture and/or if they are available at shipping it around. (PS: I had one for a very brief period... it was a beauty...)

Also I would probably start from here

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 13:09

I'd organise it by brand, rather than strict chronology. Have a whole big chunk of the book about IBM, another for Cherry, and smaller ones for NMB, Apple (focussing on the Alps days), and indeed a big section on all the Alps OEMs. That way you can have nice big luxurious pictures of boards around the text telling their story in a readable way.

The overall story can be chronological. But the narrative needs to have room to speak for itself. And it does that with pretty pictures!

Now, the 7bit issue: who do you have in mind for financing this book? MassDrop again? And will we contributors get a cut of the proceeds? I'm not submitting a damn thing to 7bit's calendar because he only ever uses GB monopoly money. I'm done with MX.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 13:19

I agree with the structure suggested by Muirium.

I doubt there will be any revenue from the book, I'll finance the initial phase and the price of the book should be hopefully enough to break even. IF (big IF) the book is super successful and we get extra income, the contributors (especially photographers) will get their cut.

That being said. The pictures have to be released under a very permissive license (I'm thinking CC-BY-SA). No exception to that.

No MassDrop this time, if they want to buy the Second Edition they are welcome, but of course that would be 100% revenue.

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 13:22

Now you're talking! Same deal for the writer(s) I presume? I'm keen to tell the IBM story in particular.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 13:27

Muirium wrote: Now you're talking! Same deal for the writer(s) I presume? I'm keen to tell the IBM story in particular.

Anyone who actively participates (copy writers included) will get their cut, of course we will have to draw a line between who gets the credit and who gets the credit and the money.

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 13:34

Exactly. Best to work these things out at the beginning so there's no squabbling later on. Helps to draw great contributors into the project if they know they will be rewarded if it really takes off someday, too.

Don't worry. Even if it sounds like it, I'm not trying to shoulder my way into your project. I've just got experience of when these things go bad. Avoid it!

Anyway, I'm definitely up for photos, writing and editing if you want me.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 13:50

you are hired!

Let's proceed with a list of keyboards we would like to see pictured/narrated. I'd like to start from a very small typewrites section, but I don't know how hard it would be to find and take pictures of them.

Muirium · 02 Dec 2015, 13:54

Aye chief!

My typewriter knowledge is quite sketchy. We should definitely mention mechanicals and the IBM Selectric. More perhaps from the perspective of which bits of their DNA still lives on in keyboards today. The Qwerty, Qwertz and Azerty layouts, the oddball location of punctuation keys, the concept of Caps Lock etc. And of course the caps, which were largely doubleshot sphericals back then from what I know.

Often, it is best not to start working at the beginning anyway. But to choose a bit we already confident at, then work out from it.

matt3o · 02 Dec 2015, 14:01

A little bit of research brought me here http://www.typewriterrevolution.com/

Engicoder · 02 Dec 2015, 14:56

I've been thinking about something like this for quite a while. I would definitely be willing to help out.

In my thought experiments, I would have divided the book into sections that traced the history of the various aspects of a keyboard. for example, separate sections on evolution of layout, switch technology, communications protocols/electronics, usage.

The other option is the Seinfeldian coffee table book filled with keyboard porn.

I see the typewriter revolution being similar the vinyl "revolution", having its roots in nostalgia and confusion/frustration with our technologically complex and interconnected world.

klikkyklik · 02 Dec 2015, 15:13

Can I suggest that you pull back the reigns a bit and initially work backwards in order to determine if it's even financially viable (if you are indeed pursuing a book)? Contributing anything at this point is rather pointless until that is resolved, isn't it?

Not meaning to sound 7bit negative, just stating the obvious.