The German parliamentary committee investigating the NSA may, “may revert to typewriters,” in order to thwart spying from the Americans:

German politicians are considering a return to using manual typewriters for sensitive documents in the wake of the US surveillance scandal.

The head of the Bundestag’s parliamentary inquiry into NSA activity in Germany said in an interview with the Morgenmagazin TV programme that he and his colleagues were seriously thinking of ditching email completely.

Asked “Are you considering typewriters” by the interviewer on Monday night, the Christian Democrat politican Patrick Sensburg said: “As a matter of fact, we have – and not electronic models either”. “Really?” the surprised interviewer checked. “Yes, no joke,” Sensburg responded.

“Unlike other inquiry committees, we are investigating an ongoing situation. Intelligence activities are still going on, they are happening,” said Sensburg.

You know, the magic slate works to.

During the cold war, the members of the American embassy assumed that they were bugged, and they used these 99¢ toys to communicate when they wanted not to be overheard.  (No, this is not a joke)

We live in profoundly strange times.