Turn your Keyboard into something cool

[jake431]

Check out this link and see how to turn a boring regular old keyboard for your computer into something any dyed in the wool vintage living person would love to have.

http://www.retrothing.com/2007/02/makesteampunk_k.html

-Jake

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Ever seen Terry Gilliam's 1985 movie, Brazil? Check it out for 1940's-looking computer screens and keyboards.


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[Lady Day]

Also Robin WIlliams in The Final Cut. That was a cool computer system as well.

Thats a swell idea. I just hope they can be sure the keyboards a reliable model after all that work...

LD

 

[beaucaillou]

Thanks for this!

There are even more sweet treats on the originating maker's site:
http://steampunkworkshop.com/index.shtml

The etched Altoid tins are just sweet.

 

[Fletch]

Thing of beauty, that. Now to find someone who'll knock off a DuMont 180 cabinet for my LCD display, CPU and hardrives.

 

[Gherkins]

The idea is neat. And it looks marvelous. But I fear that this makeover will destroy one of the greatest virtues of the IBM type M keyboard: you can clean these in your dishwasher. I have two in rotation on work (where I share my desk and keyboard with other people) and thus I can keep my keyboards in a nice clean state.

 

[Shearer]

Ohhhh, I saw this on BoingBoing and wondered if anyone else did, too. Makes me wish I was good at building things like this. BoingBoing is always featuring neat builds and making me feel utterly useless

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Here's what the computers looked like in the movie Brazil:

And here is a bedside phone and alarm clock. Mind you, the film takes place in a circa 1948 dystopia:

 

[Fletch]

The computer is fantastic. You could imagine it crashing and erupting in a puff of greasy black smoke.

Hmm, I just thought of a neat feature to add to my DuMont cabinet.

 

[jake431]

The idea is neat. And it looks marvelous. But I fear that this makeover will destroy one of the greatest virtues of the IBM type M keyboard: you can clean these in your dishwasher. I have two in rotation on work (where I share my desk and keyboard with other people) and thus I can keep my keyboards in a nice clean state.

What kind of environment do you work in where such washing ability is needed? I've never had problems with any keyboard, regardless of maker.

Besides, it looks cool.

-Jake

 

[Phil]

Did anybody check out their forum? Looks an awful lot like a lounge we all frequent.

 

[Phil]

Just thought of a problem.

Check out the numerical shift keys. I don't know if there's a way to edit that if if you'll just have to live with the @ being switched with tilday, among other keys. Brackets are another one. May need to do some custom carving.

 

[Datamancer]

Ah yes. This keyboard is from a friend of mine, Jake VonSlatt. He's a nice guy.
I like that he used an old "clicky" keyboard instead of a smooth-touch one. I find the absence of individual "clicks" distracting...it screws up my rhythm somehow.

If you all like the Brazil computers, be sure to check out Andrew Leman's ElectriClerk
For any Lovecraft fans, Leman is the Co-creator of the 2005 retro silent film 'Call of Cthulhu'

-~D~-

 

[Phil]

Trying to make my own

This looks like something cool I can turn into a project. I am having one problem though. I'm trying to win an auction or two on ebay, but the key prices keep hitting $30 dollars. I didn't know old keys were so valuable.