[bryanlarsen]

With none of the joys of actually using a mechanical typewriter.

Typing on a real mechanical typewriter is really fun, at least until you get tired. You have to put so much force on the keys that your forearms get into it. Stressed? Take out your frustrations on the typewriter. But the best is that carriage return lever -- SLAM! I used to slam that thing so hard that the typewriter would slowly migrate across the desk, and I'd have to readjust it when feeding a new sheet.

[yellowapple]

As someone who owns two typewriters (a 1949 Royal Arrow and some electric Smith-Corona that I haven't thoroughly identified yet), I'd love to someday build a typewriter-style computer keyboard that operates by actually smacking electrical contacts, just like how a proper typewriter works. Or perhaps have the levers interact with some photoelectric or Hall-effect sensors instead of relying on direct electrical contact. Whatever the case, it would be fantastic (albeit probably annoying to anyone within a 100-meter radius of my desk :) ).