It’s not that i don’t have enough tools to write how i want when i want it, it’s that i have too many. I have at least one computer from each of the last five decades, enough fountain pens to open a nice store and twelve – twelve! – typewriters. I have so much stuff that i almost forgot that i had a Freewrite Alpha. I use it way less than my old Alphasmart Neo 2, even though it cost me ten times more.

I’m baffled that a company selling “dedicated drafting tools” can’t figure out basic typography, which means that the Alpha shows less text than the Neo 2 at the same font size. I’m still pissed that Freewrite went with a soldered-in pouch battery rather than replaceable cells. And i can’t understand why the Alpha didn’t have a backlit screen from the get-go, especially since Freewrite finally swapped the scarcely readable reflective LCD for a new backlit unit in newer models.

My opinion hasn’t changed: the Freewrite Alpha is a far worse device than the Alphasmart Neo 2 because it’s less flexible. I hate that it relies on Postbox, Freewrite’s own cloud-syncing service, and doesn’t have removable storage for easy file transfer. I can email myself my drafts at the push of a button, but it’s almost easier to jot down ideas directly into WordPress.

That being said, i still want to find a way to integrate this kind of device into my workflow (and not only because i’m more than intrigued by the Zerowriter Ink and the Micro Journal). I should be the perfect audience for digital typewriters. I just have to find a place for them, which might be an actual place where i go when i want to concentrate on writing.

Links

Here are some “the way to salvation is jailbreaking your e-reader” links for your consideration:

• “Entirely Too Many Thoughts About Wake Up Dead Man” by Leah Schnelbach
• “Amazon’s Kindle Scribe Colorsoft won’t replace your notebook — or your Kindle” by Victoria Song
• “QuillOS: Alpine-based Linux distribution optimised for Kobo e-readers” by Thom Holwerda

Music

Christmas Interlude by Jeremy Pelt. ’Tis the season of A Charlie Brown Christmas, but i’m always up for new Christmas jazz albums. Christmas Interlude won’t go down as Jeremy Pelt’s best album, but it’s a good entry into the trumpeter’s catalogue, because it showcases his ability to tell a story without demanding to be heard. Hifalutin’ conceptual jazz it isn’t, but in the hands of Pelt, even a piece as overplayed as “Winter Wonderland” can still teach us something about the comforts of music. (The Ezra Collective’s Joy to the World EP is the perfect complement if you’re searching for something a little more progressive.)