Touch Typing - a Stupid Idea

Touch Typing was a Stupid Idea.

Why?

Because it torques your wrists at a terrible angle, leading to Repetitive Strain Injury:

If you are a computer professional sooner or later RSI will get you if you don't put some kind of defense in place.

So... What to do?

Microsoft gave it a try. Assuming people would not change how they type, they broke the keyboard apart to fix the wrist angle problem.  But "yuck" is my response.

Another brilliant but unfortunate attempt came long before from Dvorak. Knowing that keyboard keys were arranged to hobble typing speeds (mechanical typewriters couldn't keep pace) they re-arranged the keys for speed.

The beauty of Dvorak is that faster typing also means less finger travel distance, and hence less strain. The drawback is that every freaking keyboard in the world isn't Dvorak. And if you're still following a home-row method your wrist is still at a nasty angle.

OK Mr. Smarty Pants (you might be saying) what is your answer?

When I was twelve years old I got fascinated by computers.  Being young and undisciplined (now I'm old and undisciplined) I didn't have the patience to learn to touch-type.

So I taught myself. My "method" was to do whatever felt natural: it involves the thumb and first two fingers of each hand, and ignores both ring and pinky fingers. Even using the left-shift button involves bending my thumb under to press it. Obviously, it wasn't genius that brought this to me, just chance and a natural unwillingness to position my hands in an awkward way.

The GOOD

• My hands come at the keyboard from a natural angle.
• I have never suffered RSI of any kind.

The BAD

• I'm a bit slower than a pro touch typist (I type 56 WPM, as measured here)
• I do occasionally lose my fingering and I have to glance down at the keyboard.

Would I recommend my method to others? You should find what works for you, but I will say this:

RSI is probably coming your way. Whether you choose the MS keyboard, Dvorak, or some other method, I wish you luck. The workstation is a harsh mistress.

Oh, and for Pete's sake, adjust the height of your monitor and save your back!

Innovation in Debate

I'd like to see an innovation in political debate: Candidates get ear pieces, and when factual inaccuracies   come flying out of their opponent's mouth, they are instantly fed the correction.

If we're all lucky, this will let them put the fact smack-down on each other, and we can reduce the appalling number of lies... as exemplified by the 2012 presidential and VP debates.

Candy Land Extreme

Candy Land Extreme is a home-made variation on the rules of Candy Land that makes games go faster (hooray!) and adds game balance. Ever notice the unfairness of "draw the pink ice cream and automatically win"? Has your three-year-old cried when drawing the gumdrop just before winning? No more.

SETUP:

1. Shuffle and deal 4 cards per player.

TAKE TURNS:

1. Draw TWO cards into your hand.

2. You may play one OR MORE cards of the same color by placing them face up on the table.

3a. Any opponent may "zap you out" by playing a single card of the same color.
OR
3b. Any opponent may play a pink card. It becomes their turn, and they now own the face-up pile of cards. You may not play pink on a zapped-out pile.

4. You may "zap yourself back in" by playing one or more cards of the same color - return to step 3.

5. If you are "zapped out" do not move. If you are "zapped in" then move the total dots on ALL cards played. But never more than nine cards may be combined in this way.

6. Discard all the played cards into a discard pile.

PINK CARDS

* Pink cards must be played one at a time, and may not be zapped out.
* Instead of moving to the picture on the pink card, move to the NEXT pink square.
* Pink cards may not win - the final square does not include the color pink.

Will's Inventions

Dad, I've got an invention. Its a new surgery where you take out the middle of bones to make yourself lighter so that you're one step closer to flight. After 60 years old or older. My hypothesis is that one has already made all the blood cells one needs by that age, and they will not run out before you naturally die of age.

Dad, I'm going to blow so hard that I flip over in the air. And when you blow so hard that you flip over in the air you're blowing while you're falling. I bet a lot of people have thought of that idea. Or maybe not.

Floating vehicles

So it occurred to me that, if you had micro-control over the surface of a plane's wing you could dynamically shape it to be optimal for all speeds.

That idea isn't new. But that kind of dynamic control is interesting. What if you had a set of narrow alloy tubes jetting out air at the bottom of a car, just a millimeter from the ground. Sensors on all sides would dynamically model the ground below the car and 'remember' it as the car moved along. The tubes would adjust their altitude, keeping the car on a cushion of air.

The idea is that the vehicle doesn't have tires at all. It floats of a cushion of air. But not a great big clumsy one like a hovercraft. Instead, huge numbers of microjets, perhaps in clusters of 50 to 200, would be positioned where the wheels currently go, constantly adjusting to be super-close to the ground, expelling air and keeping the vehicle floating just above the ground.

Possible?