Pickles by Brian Crane for March 07, 2023

Roscoe found that amusing.

like holding an entire conversation without a single swear word.

a typewriter, Nelson, is like a computer, but without a screen or a mouse… better yet, without an Internet connection

A better choice from the DIY generation might be fixing your brakes because you had to, and things were made simpler with potential repair in mind.

I’ll bet it wasn’t an IBM Selectric either. It was a real museum piece.

I used to know how to change the ribbon….not sure I could still do it!

Time to get the old comic books out. A typewriter is what Superman used before he was replaced by a computer.

Nelson, sort of like replacing the ink (or toner) cartridge on your computer printer!

An instrument that allowed you nothing more than a piece of paper and a great imagination.

Sorry Earl but typewriters are obsolete and so are typewriter ribbons, thank God! What a mess those things were.

Earl here are a few items for Nelson to learn : Woodworking .. Welding … Cooking … Lawn Care … Sewing … Gardening … The list goes on and on . Any form of Computer screen is nice but that is not life ;-)

Maybe he could show him how to work a can opener instead.

Like reading and writing cursive. Like driving a manual transmission. Like remembering to push the choke knob back in once the engine starts. Like dialing a rotary phone. Like long division. …

I’ve done that….but if you put a typewriter in front of me right now and asked me to change the ribbon, I’m not sure I’d remember what to do.

a typewriter is what would have been needed to create the mimeograph stensils to print your grandma’s book

It’s that strange percussion instrument played in one of those old Leroy Anderson pieces that Gramma listens to on PBS once in a while.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVFR7wDZT9A

and do it without getting the ink on your fingers…

Like:

How to do math without using a calculator or cell phone

How to pass time when there’s no electricity or cell service or wifi available

How to not panic and buy a years worth of groceries when more than 2 inches of snow are predicted (then throw out most of it 2 weeks later)

How to pay on (and pay off) our student loans

How to get a decent paying job without a mostly useless Bachelors Degree

How to get a mortgage and/or car loan without going bankrupt

How to do light maintenance on said car and home

How to read an “analog” book

How to read an “analog” map

How to do research and get real facts without relying on “google” or wikipedia

It’s this thing that has ink ribbons.

Does Earl have a typewriter around the house somewhere so that he could show it to Nelson? And does he have typewriter ribbon so he can show him how to change the ribbon?

What’s a ribbon??

Love Roscos expressions

Try listening to stand-up comments. Every second work is a swear word or sexual. One reason Red Skelton rtired. I never watch stand up comics. Too vulgar. Robin Williams was great, rarely crude.

That dog looks SOOOOoooo comfortable.

Don’t cast your . . . . oh wait , that’s another strip.

Ugh! Too bad kids don’t learn on the stand-boys first so they appreciate the new…

We also know how to write letters and converse in complete sentences.

Roscoe REWLS. Best character in the strip.

How about life experience Earl?

The missing frame is Nelson looking it up on youtube and saying, “oh, that’s how”

Like dialing a rotary phone.

By the 70s most typewriters used one piece cartridges that just lifted out and popped in the new one; much like putting in a new ink cartridge in a printer.

Ah, yes…the challenge of changing the ribbon on an Underwood typewriter. I SO loved my IBM Selectric with the “golf ball” and the ribbon cartridge.

Well, I’m fluent in “cursive”. Even had another name for it – “Longhand”.

like developing and printing pictures with chemicals in a dark room…and btw I’m more adept at tech than any of my children or grandchildren.(I’m different I guess)

Old age and wisdom will always overcome youth and stupidity.

Geez, I remember how very cool it was when I bought my first electric typewriter.I loved it! We certainly have come along way baby!

How about using a slide rule and a drafting table.

No can do.

My example is printers with ribbons … before the ink cartridge scam.

Roscoes " happy " tail in the third panel is too cool : )

And the other thing they want to know is How to turn it on?

How about changing a tire on your car or truck?

My dad always said that “Swearing was a sign of a feeble mind trying to express itself”. How right he was. Intelligent people can come up with intelligent sentences without swearing.

Kids got a point

Earl is getting closer to words of wisdom. He just needs to scoot ahead a few generations.

And grandpa, what’s a rotary dial candlestick phone…

It’s a direct keyboard to printer device

or going outside and playing with FRIENDS!

Kids know how to use the current popular new tech things… whereas we old folk know how to operate and use everything that was invented in the 50s till today, and many are aces at the new stuff too…. whereas they can’t even use an old dial telephone, phone… or what it is!

…Dialing a phone number using a rotary phone….

Roscoe’s laugh is so precious.