Puckdropper
Legend has it that's why QWERTY was invented.
Tue May 31, 2022 4:21am

Maybe it's true, where most words require swapping hands to type. That was supposed to give time for the "hammers" to move out of the way as you typed.

  • Awesome! I love pages like these. - Erik_, Tue May 31 2022 1:28am
    It's always cool to see what people have in their collection and their thoughts on them. I still have an small collection of stuff but nothing like I used to have in the 2000s. I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of how much I did. The IBM Selectric is really cool. The ball is good for fast typing.... more
    • Legend has it that's why QWERTY was invented.- Puckdropper, Tue May 31 2022 4:21am
      • I remember reading that as well at some point. - Erik_, Wed Jun 01 2022 1:10am
        QWERTY was a slower layout for right handed people because the non-dominate hand did most of the keystrokes which kept their WPM down. Being left handed, I guess I got a leg up for once? (unlike scissors or can openers... haha)
        • What makes scissors different? - Puckdropper, Sun Jun 05 2022 3:22am
          So why don't we switch to something better? Well, I guess it's why I've still got my Yahoo! e-mail address and don't use anything else. It's not THAT bad (actually, it's mostly good in "basic" mode) and I've been using it since before "keyboarding" class in high school.
          • The molded handle on most of them digs into your hand - Erik_, Mon Jun 13 2022 12:46pm
            when you use them on your left hand instead of your right. I think I might be one of the few people that uses the mouse with their left hand. Buttons are still the "righty" way though. It's been so long since I've had a Yahoo account, I can't even picture in my head what their email website looks... more
            • Ah, I see. Especially those with the molded "ergonomic" han - Puckdropper, Mon Jun 20 2022 1:05am
              dles, right? I tried using the mouse left handed for a while back in high school... It was easier to swap the buttons, but I can see how that would be difficult especially when you sit down at a computer to help someone. Wait, let me swap the buttons. No, it wasn't the button swap that fixed your... more
              • Those are the ones. I remember in elementary school they had - Erik_, Thu Jun 23 2022 1:07am
                specific lefty and righty scissors and then the "universal" ones which were just without any molded handle. I probably got used to using the mouse buttons in the "righty" way for a reason like that. My family computer had the mouse on the right as everyone else in my family is right handed. My computer... more
                • I can imagine getting yelled at for swapping the buttons - Puckdropper, Sat Jun 25 2022 11:58pm
                  So it was just easier to use them like that. I had an IBM Model M with swappable keycaps and changed them around to DVORAK. I tried using it for a while and decided I needed to use what everyone else did so I could use other computers. Some laptops can have their keycaps swapped easily, like a Lenovo... more
                  • Did you get to the point that DVORAK was getting comfortable - Erik_, Sat Jul 02 2022 12:47am
                    ? While you were using it, did it feel like a better layout and you just switched for simplicity sake or was it just like the same regular QWERTY just having to relearn the keyboard layout?
                    • It was getting to the point where I wasn't looking at every - Puckdropper, Sat Jul 02 2022 5:02am
                      keycap. It just felt like I was learning everything all over again, I didn't really feel like it was any better or worse.
                      • Thanks. Good to know it's not really worth it. - Erik_, Thu Jul 07 2022 1:21pm
                        I think there was an Apple ii version (maybe c?) That had a switch above the keyboard to switch between the two. The key caps were still obviously in QWERTY but neat it was added as a feature. I wonder how many families thought their keyboards were broken after accidentally hitting the switch.
                        • Many! I have a IIc somewhere, I think that's on there - Puckdropper, Sat Jul 09 2022 4:21am
                          I kinda remember the "don't press that button, the keyboard gets all messed up." Man, I wish I had some more time to just play with some of the old computer stuff.
                          • Sort of like when I found the key combo to turn turbo off - Erik_, Mon Jul 11 2022 4:44pm
                            on my 486 back in the day. I hit "CTRL ALT -" and heard a low beep. No idea what it did at the time except the computer was now running slow. I remember pressing each CTRL+ALT combo (besides DEL) until hitting "+" and hearing a high beep and the computer went back to how it was. I had previously... more
                            • Yes, I have a workshop that's child-disallowed - Puckdropper, Fri Jul 15 2022 4:31am
                              It's a nice space, a little cramped but whatever. My wife can do whatever she wants with the rest of the house, but this is MY space. My biggest problem has been time. I've got to keep the kids happy and busy while the wife works, so I'm a combination of bored and busy the whole day. Soon they'll... more
                              • I feel like it will be bittersweet when that time comes. - Erik_, Fri Jul 15 2022 3:08pm
                                At least for me. Going from being the center of their attention to not is going to be interesting (for lack of a better word). Right now, if there's things that need to get done during the day, for example mowing the lawn, I'll usually run out quick if it's not raining (or even if it is) on my day off... more
                                • That's exactly it... Guys who are constantly tinkering with - Puckdropper, Mon Jul 18 2022 5:51am
                                  stuff need a place to tinker. You'll get depression pretty bad without being allowed to be yourself. I've still got to mow sometime, I'm not sure when that will work out. Got a full day tomorrow and gonna be busy moving, plus usually when my wife gets off work the last thing on our minds is her... more
                                  • My area is also never "clear"... or tidy or organized. haha - Erik_, Tue Jul 19 2022 1:44am
                                    Getting things tidy/neat has been on my TODO list for probably 3 years now. Same thing here with chores at the end of the day. Days I work and my wife watches our kid or visa versa, doing chores is the last thing on our minds too. I have a bad habit of going "Eh... I'll take care of that tomorrow"... more
                                    • An empty desk is the sign of an empty mind - Puckdropper, Mon Jul 25 2022 2:27am
                                      I just shut the gate so the kids don't mess with stuff and go about my other business. Nice. Sometimes I do clear off things, you just got to. Sometimes you have to admit your trash can is the best place for these parts you laid down and put them away. (I have a few parts that need to go there... more
"Forces act when not restrained" - Puckdropper