Sholes and Glidden typewriter length. The redesigned platen also introduced the modern spacing functionality (horizontal and axial movement providing letter and line spacing, respectively). The cylindrical platen became "an indispensable part of every standard [typewriter]". By the end of 1872, the appearance and function of the typewriter had assumed the form that would become standard in the industry and remain largely unchanged for the next century. Although the machine possessed a cylindrical platen and what was essentially a QWERTY keyboard, two design elements that would later become essential were lacking: the ability to write in upper and lowercase letters and "visible" print. Although the
Typewriter in the Sky Weekly" posited that the book's author Fredric Brown may have been influenced by Hubbard's story. Umberto Rossi wrote in "The Twisted Worlds of Philip K. Dick" (2011) that writer Philip K. Dick was likely influenced by "Typewriter in the Sky". Rossi noted "Typewriter in the Sky" came out in a paperback format in 1951, and a year later Dick succeeded in getting his first short story, the tale "Beyond Lies the Wub" published. Rossi said "Typewriter in the Sky" was "the text that admittedly inspired" "The Cosmic Puppets" (1957) by Philip K. Dick. In the book "Harlan Ellison's Watching" (1989),