the finger-keyboard synapse

Merry Christmas to me

If you're like everyone else in my family, you're really going to think I'm crazy now (if you didn't already before).

I just bought a $300 keyboard, the Kinesis Advantage USB Qwerty/Dvorak Black. See It.

Here were the factors that went into my decision (in no particular order):

• 10% off sale when ordering before Dec. 31.
  
• My current keyboard is going on 9 years old (amortize $300 over 9 years and it comes to $30/year or about 8.2 cents per day).
  
• It has keycaps with both Qwerty and Dvorak on them; I made the switch to Dvorak in 2001. The unit is hardware-switchable between layouts.
  
• It is USB and will work on future computers without PS/2 ports (unlike my current keyboard)
  
• It has a split spacebar, allowing the left thumb to hit backspace, something I have become very used to on my current keyboard.
  
• Over the summer, I was in therapy for an ongoing soreness in my wrist which seems was mostly due to mouse usage, but a more ergonomic keyboard can't hurt.
  
• I spend a lot of time on the computer for both work and pleasure. Assuming I spend 8 hours a day on the computer (mostly for work), my above calculation of price drops to 1 cent per hour. This is a small price to pay for my overall well-being.
  
• The keyboard is both Windows and Mac compatible with both Windows and Mac keycaps.
  
• 60 day money-back policy insures that I have sufficient time to test and get used to the keyboard and send it back if it's not the best keyboard ever.
  
• Last, but not least... I can justify anything. :)

Those are are my myriad of reasons why I splurged on such a high-end excessive ergonomic keyboard that gives me tremendous bragging rights meets my needs. Is it worth it? I sure hope so. I'll let you know. But, due the holiday and ground shipping from Washington state, I won't have it until the 9th at the earliest. :( Stay tuned...

A belated Merry Christams to me, and a big Happy New Year to everyone!

I paid a little more than usual for my TypeMatrix keyboard which has worked out great! I've had some USB issues with it, but I love the layout and especially love having the DVORAK keys. I feel that it's almost-but-not-quite worth the $120 I paid, but I'm happy with it and will keep it around for a long while.

My old favorite is the simple IBM AT keyboard. I choose a keyboard for a crisp feel and sound of the keys, not so much the layout. The old AT keyboard's keys had a satisfying little click as they engaged. They had real switches (not a mushy membrane switch) in every key.

The AT keyboard is getting harder to find, but there are some pricy replicas if you look hard enough. May as well buy a Cherry, which has very nice tactile microswitches and a nice click in the keys. The famous Cherry switches have a 1 million cycle life expectancy. That should last Kevin at least a month or 2. :)

Happy New Year to all!

Hope you enjoy your new keyboard. :)

Been typing dvorak for quite awhile now, thanks in part to the fact that you said you could keep qwerty/dvorak separate in your mind. (and I've found this to be the case, as well.)

Hmm, I wonder if the proportion of dvorak typists to qwerty typists is higher than "normal" in the BW community?

Anyway, happy 2007 everybody!

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