Monday, May 22, 2006
Relearning How to Type
When I was a kid, I enjoyed playing with my mom's electric typewriter. What wasn't to love? You hit a key and a long stick strikes a piece of paper (thwack!). It even leaves a mark on it! And if you do it enough times, you hear a ding! Then you hit a button and the paper MOVES! It was pretty wild stuff when I was 8.
Since my mom was trying to take my annoying habits and make them educational, she gave me a book on learning to type. Since my mom also knew that I was a dork, this was the perfect gift. I spent the next several years learning to type while my friends were learning to catch a football or be sociable. Thanks mom.
I'm exaggerating slightly here, but the point is that through the years, I've learned how to type quite well. I'm not at the level of a secretary, but I'm not too shabby. I make a lot of stupid mistakes that I have to correct, but I'd put my speed at about 45-50 words per minute (WPM). Fifteen years ago, that would have seemed "cute." Nobody really needed to learn how to type except secretaries. Now, it's pretty cool (in a dorky sort of way) since just about everybody needs to learn how to type.
Since I've been typing for about 20 years, the question is whether or not I should relearn the whole process. There's a "new" typewriting method out there. (I stole this all from some blog, so bear with my plagiarism.) Apparently, the "qwerty" keyboard we all know and love was designed in the 1870's to prevent the typewriter keys from sticking together if you typed too quickly. In the 1930's some guy named Dvorak came up with his own keyboard layout that's simpler to use and faster to boot. (You can actually change your options on your computer to use the Dvorak keyboard.) The question is: should I switch?
The biggest problem with switching (as I see it) is that I won't be able to see the new keyboard. You can switch your computer keyboard, but all it does is reconfigure the keys. So when you type an "s" on your keyboard, an "o" will appear on the screen. But if you can't remember where the "o" is? You're going to have to type a bunch of keys until you figure it out. (Of course, you could just print off a copy of the Dvorak keyboard and use that as a reminder, but that's no fun.)
The biggest advantage to switching? No, it's not the time savings or even the reduced risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. The biggest advantage is that it'll annoy people. Have you ever worked on a project with someone who insists on showing you something on your computer? They steal your mouse or strike your keyboard. Well, if they try to use my keyboard, they'll be in some serious trouble. Mostly, though, it'll annoy The Wife. We use the same computer at home and I'm sure she'd be extremely pissed if her keys were all mixed up. In fact, that almost guarantees that I'll switch. After all, what is marriage if not a never-ending quest to find new and better ways to annoy the person you love the most?
Since my mom was trying to take my annoying habits and make them educational, she gave me a book on learning to type. Since my mom also knew that I was a dork, this was the perfect gift. I spent the next several years learning to type while my friends were learning to catch a football or be sociable. Thanks mom.
I'm exaggerating slightly here, but the point is that through the years, I've learned how to type quite well. I'm not at the level of a secretary, but I'm not too shabby. I make a lot of stupid mistakes that I have to correct, but I'd put my speed at about 45-50 words per minute (WPM). Fifteen years ago, that would have seemed "cute." Nobody really needed to learn how to type except secretaries. Now, it's pretty cool (in a dorky sort of way) since just about everybody needs to learn how to type.
Since I've been typing for about 20 years, the question is whether or not I should relearn the whole process. There's a "new" typewriting method out there. (I stole this all from some blog, so bear with my plagiarism.) Apparently, the "qwerty" keyboard we all know and love was designed in the 1870's to prevent the typewriter keys from sticking together if you typed too quickly. In the 1930's some guy named Dvorak came up with his own keyboard layout that's simpler to use and faster to boot. (You can actually change your options on your computer to use the Dvorak keyboard.) The question is: should I switch?
The biggest problem with switching (as I see it) is that I won't be able to see the new keyboard. You can switch your computer keyboard, but all it does is reconfigure the keys. So when you type an "s" on your keyboard, an "o" will appear on the screen. But if you can't remember where the "o" is? You're going to have to type a bunch of keys until you figure it out. (Of course, you could just print off a copy of the Dvorak keyboard and use that as a reminder, but that's no fun.)
The biggest advantage to switching? No, it's not the time savings or even the reduced risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. The biggest advantage is that it'll annoy people. Have you ever worked on a project with someone who insists on showing you something on your computer? They steal your mouse or strike your keyboard. Well, if they try to use my keyboard, they'll be in some serious trouble. Mostly, though, it'll annoy The Wife. We use the same computer at home and I'm sure she'd be extremely pissed if her keys were all mixed up. In fact, that almost guarantees that I'll switch. After all, what is marriage if not a never-ending quest to find new and better ways to annoy the person you love the most?
