Yesterday's NY Times had an article about Cormac McCarthy's typewriter being auctioned off for charity. I read the article because I enjoy his work and like to read basically anything about him. He's typed all of his books on this simple Olivetti portable typewriter that he bought from a pawnshop in Knoxville in 1963.
Then I ran across this post from George Tannenbaum about how the fact that McCarthy has written about 5 million words on this simple typewriter shows that ideas don't come from tools. Doesn't matter how much RAM your Macbook has or how cool the cover of your Moleskine looks, ideas don't come from the tools.
Since my job is mostly based on ideas, looks like I'll still be needed for awhile.
Tagged: cormac mccarthy, george tannenbaum, olivetti typewriterLink to original post