22pop es un proyecto —nacido de la frustración de la madre del diseñador para manejarse con un ordenador— para conseguir enviar correos electrónicos usando una máquina de escribir portátil Olivetti Lettera 22 equipada con sensores que transmiten las pulsaciones mecánicas.
Los diseñadores hablan de la elegancia de los objetos puramente mecánicos; algo parecido a lo que dicen en la web de las bicicletas Rivendell:
«Form follows function works for nature, but too often with people, it’s used as an excuse to rush to market something that’s fully functional but still not so good looking. (…) Have you noticed that old things usually look good? Manhole covers, typewriters, ’50s station wagons, chairs, hand-saw handles, buildings, bells, letter openers, kitchen appliances, almost anything. They were designed slowly, on a real drawing board, by people who were part industrial designer, part artist, part engineer. When you mix those qualities with manual involvement and patience, what finally hatches usually looks good.»
Más sobre máquinas de escribir (vía Coudal): * History of the IBM Typewriter * Antique Typewriters