Miami - March 19, 2008

Keybored?

Datamancer Keyboards

You (in ’94): School’s a waste. I’ll never use calculus or computers. I just want to chill and jam with my band.

You (today): I wish those freaking kids would lower their dang iPods so I could focus on my typing.

Still staring at a keyboard? Make it pretty with Datamancer: The tricked-out boards look like post-modern, reconstructed typewriters.

The original design was an art project on Steampunkworkshop.com. The creator passed the blueprint on to Datamancer, which is now building the boards for the masses.

The custom designs come in aluminum, brass, or copper with a wood, cloth, felt, or leather face plate. The keys are jacked from old-school typewriters: They’re round and embossed with a font of your choosing. Add LED keys and the finished project resembles a spaceship console (from The Twilight Zone, not NASA).

The boards are all mechanical switch, so there’s more clickity-clack than today’s soft-touch variety.

But some things were more fun in the past.

Available by e-mail order (datamancer@datamancer.net). To see styles, go to datamancer.net.