Gateway to the Information Age

When I walk through the departure level of Toronto International Pearson Airport, I love to check out the Malton Airport Gallery. The black and white mural is a picture of the old Malton Airport and an old prop plane with luggage handlers manually loading luggage. The picture reminds me of the day I arrived in Canada as a five-year old.

The gallery is hosting a fascinating display of antique typewriters. The walls are lined with photographs of people working in offices and stores back to the early 1880s. A poster reads

“Gateway to the Information Age. Today’s keyboards provide an essential entry point for global communication and help define the personal and business technology of our “information age.” The original keyboards – typewriters – have largely been ignored as cultural artifacts but their impact on life in the 20th century was considerable. Along with other machines of communication, the typewriter helped create the modern world.”

If you asked a Gen X, Y, or Millennium to describe a typewriter, many would give you a blank stare. Nor would they believe that their communication technology sprouted from this antique machinery.

Babyboomers who learned to “type” were fortunate to be able to transfer their skills from the mechanical typewriter to the latest version of the keyboard – even the miniature versions on Blackberry’s and other handheld devices. Other shifts from machines to technology have not been able to preserve human labour – an interesting observation. I still value typing or keyboarding as it is now known as the most valuable and transportable skill that I ever developed.

The gallery display also chronicles the story of a typewriter repairman who made his fortune walking from one office to another, then by car. When typewriters when Selectric (IBM), his business adapted. When typewriters moved towards obsolescence, his business adapted. He noticed that computers spawned printers. He didn’t stay ahead of the curve, but he certainly kept his eye open for opportunity as technology changed. His competitors became obsolete just like the typewriters that they serviced. More market share for him.

In this time of technological and enonomical shifts, are you seeing the opportunities or are you wallowing in obsolescence.

If you cannot make to the MALTON Airport Gallery, you can read more about early typewriters at www.antiquetypewriters.com.

All typewriters and accessories on display in the gallery are from the Martin Howard Collection.

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