Chinese Characters Are Futuristic and the Alphabet Is Old News

Mullaney is the author of two forthcoming books on the Chinese typewriter and computer, and we discussed what he's learned while researching them. His argument is pretty fascinating to unpack because, at its heart, it is about more than China. It is about our relationship to computers, not just as physical objects but as conduits to intangible software. Typing English on a QWERTY computer keyboard, he says, "is about the most basic rudimentary way you can use a keyboard." You press the "a" key and "a" appears on your screen.