Stop Teutsching Me

A blog about Raghav Kulkarni and other interesting subjects.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Cogito ERGO sum

Can someone tell me why no one has invented an ergonomic keyboard for laptop computers? Oh wait, maybe somebody just did.


To be or not to be...

6 Comments:

Blogger Mike Rainey said...

I've been mostly silent on these increasingly active and sometimes scandalous blogs. But, having work to do on a Saturday night and thus feeling a need to procrastinate in a most asinine way, I will chime in.

You might think I'm crazy for buying this ( http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/essential.htm )$250 keyboard, and may be right. However, it seems strange for computer scientists to spend similar money on other parts of their computers, leaving about $10 for the keyboard that they probably use most.

After about a week of practice, it's hard to even consider going back the flat, cramped keyboards on most desks. The primary reason to buy my keyboard, however, is the pain it inflicts otherwise talented typists, forcing them to peck at keys like a grade-school student playing Oregon Trail for the first time.

April 22, 2006 10:37 PM  
Blogger Teutsch said...

This looks exactly like Raghav's keyboard. Except the arrow keys are more confusing. What's the difference?

The only really cool feature here seems to be the foot pedal. I hope you have one of those.

There's one other thing I'd like to mention about Raghav's keyboard. It's an "outie." The one in this post is flat, and yours seems to be an "innie." This question may well be equivalent to the question of whether it's better to toilet roll from the front or from the back (and there's no in-between in this case), but isn't one of these healthier than the other?

April 23, 2006 1:06 AM  
Blogger Mike Rainey said...

I like the toilet-roll analogy, but am too tired now to think of its implications.

The "innie" keyboard makes more sense to me, as the well fits the shape of fingers best. That way the hands can stay in place, and only the fingers need to move to reach any of the keys.

The foot pedal, by the way, is neat, but I only use it for num-lock.

April 23, 2006 1:34 AM  
Blogger Andy R. Terrel said...

Goodness $250. What does that thing do besides type. (Asks the man with a hundred dollar keyboard)

April 23, 2006 2:22 PM  
Blogger Mike Rainey said...

Well, the keys make satisfying electronic beeps when depressed. I miss this feature from the old IBM keyboards with the obnoxious metallic click. They really give the impression that something important is flowing from the typist.

The keyboards also have some macro mechanisms, requiring memory on the keyboard. This is more useful in Windoze, where one wants to avoid point-and-click tedium. I never use it.

In all honesty, the price is outrageous. I suspect it's a mix of being a novelty item, and an inefficient production scheme.

raghav++;

April 23, 2006 4:01 PM  
Blogger Helene said...

I dont think I paid much more for my whole darn computer!! OK I paid $450 for it last year... so I am embellishing buttttttt...

I guess if you are on the computer all the time and break down the cost per day... its not so bad.

Hey and btw I dont think it is so bad that the guy was going to wear the Mickey Tee to the meeting. I think that anything goes these days and he was clearly trying to make a statement. What would you wear to meet the president? I am thinking my jeans... high heels, a tight tee shirt(perhaps with Ozzy on it or something) with a cotton well fitted blazer over it. Just to throw him off a bit.

April 24, 2006 10:34 AM  

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