Comments on: All the right type http://torley.com/all-the-right-type Home of the musical Dream Journal. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Torley http://torley.com/all-the-right-type/comment-page-1#comment-41674 Torley Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:33:53 +0000 http://torley.com/all-the-right-type#comment-41674 @Dumisani: Good to know you are two-fingered typist too! I haven't done much tapping around on mobile devices but I know some people who're amazingly fast texters on those non-QWERTY devices. My limited experiences with word-predicting software were dismal. In Second Life, I'd like to see more ways to synchronize events without such noticeable latency: even with TypeRacer, I had occasional pauses. A competitive atmosphere, even a friendly one, shouldn't have such distractions. @Kara: Ah yes, the limits of established pedagogy and the fallacy of "following the norm" despite your results. The key thing for me is, no matter what path was taken (within reasonable limits, e.g., you didn't sell your soul to Shoggoth to gain amazing typing skillz :p), if the end is good, then yes, the means are well too. @Vint: Thanx for the pointer to this fun game. I had to play it despite brief stutters, but it flowed out after awhile. Some of the quotes they threw at me were pretty weird. I find I have to mentally train myself to leap past overthink/analysis so the words flow out more. I can definitely relate to what you said about "really start thinking" and "slows down". Sometimes I sit and think quietly, then start typing, and words come out in the *spirit* of what I intended, but not literally/exactly so. @Storm: Hahaha! What a vivid visual! ELBOW-STYLE... it's like typistry martial arts. @Loraaan: I did some BASIC on my C64 and Logo on Apple ][. My gosh, the dear memories you've brought back! It was a particularly big change for me to go from quotation marks on the "2" key on C64, to the current standard of where it's placed on PC/Mac keyboards today. I'm happy to hear it sounds like you had a smooth transition. @Dumisani: Good to know you are two-fingered typist too! I haven't done much tapping around on mobile devices but I know some people who're amazingly fast texters on those non-QWERTY devices. My limited experiences with word-predicting software were dismal.

In Second Life, I'd like to see more ways to synchronize events without such noticeable latency: even with TypeRacer, I had occasional pauses. A competitive atmosphere, even a friendly one, shouldn't have such distractions.

@Kara: Ah yes, the limits of established pedagogy and the fallacy of "following the norm" despite your results. The key thing for me is, no matter what path was taken (within reasonable limits, e.g., you didn't sell your soul to Shoggoth to gain amazing typing skillz :p), if the end is good, then yes, the means are well too.

@Vint: Thanx for the pointer to this fun game. I had to play it despite brief stutters, but it flowed out after awhile. Some of the quotes they threw at me were pretty weird. I find I have to mentally train myself to leap past overthink/analysis so the words flow out more. I can definitely relate to what you said about "really start thinking" and "slows down". Sometimes I sit and think quietly, then start typing, and words come out in the *spirit* of what I intended, but not literally/exactly so.

@Storm: Hahaha! What a vivid visual! ELBOW-STYLE… it's like typistry martial arts.

@Loraaan: I did some BASIC on my C64 and Logo on Apple ][. My gosh, the dear memories you've brought back! It was a particularly big change for me to go from quotation marks on the "2" key on C64, to the current standard of where it's placed on PC/Mac keyboards today. I'm happy to hear it sounds like you had a smooth transition.

]]> By: Loraan Fierrens http://torley.com/all-the-right-type/comment-page-1#comment-41579 Loraan Fierrens Thu, 29 May 2008 14:54:00 +0000 http://torley.com/all-the-right-type#comment-41579 This reminds me of something interesting I learned about muscle memory back in the dark ages oh my high school days. Back then, I used to program in too different programming languages: BASIC at home on my Commodore 64, and Pascal at school on their Apple IIs (ah, those were the days). Anyway, I ended up switching at one point: coding in Pascal at home and BASIC at school. I found I was making a number of very strange typing errors all the sudden. Eventually I realized that I making mistakes because the two computers had different keyboard layouts, and I was associating different keyboard layouts with different programming languages. So, if I wanted to type a double quote in BASIC, I'd make one move; but if I wanted to type the same quote in Pascal, I'd make a different one. Eventually, I re-adjusted and everything was fine. This was also the moment where I realized that I had gone from real hunt-and-peck (as in, I had to look at the keyboard) to something sort of like traditional touch typing without really trying. This reminds me of something interesting I learned about muscle memory back in the dark ages oh my high school days. Back then, I used to program in too different programming languages: BASIC at home on my Commodore 64, and Pascal at school on their Apple IIs (ah, those were the days). Anyway, I ended up switching at one point: coding in Pascal at home and BASIC at school. I found I was making a number of very strange typing errors all the sudden. Eventually I realized that I making mistakes because the two computers had different keyboard layouts, and I was associating different keyboard layouts with different programming languages. So, if I wanted to type a double quote in BASIC, I'd make one move; but if I wanted to type the same quote in Pascal, I'd make a different one. Eventually, I re-adjusted and everything was fine. This was also the moment where I realized that I had gone from real hunt-and-peck (as in, I had to look at the keyboard) to something sort of like traditional touch typing without really trying.

]]> By: Storm Thunders http://torley.com/all-the-right-type/comment-page-1#comment-41577 Storm Thunders Thu, 29 May 2008 11:48:58 +0000 http://torley.com/all-the-right-type#comment-41577 I used to work with someone who averaged about 65wpm doing hunt and peck. It definitely was peck with her, her elbows would be sticking out at her sides, and she always looked like she was attacking the keyboard. :) Really impressed me was when I realized she wasn't looking at the keyboard when she typed. I used to work with someone who averaged about 65wpm doing hunt and peck. It definitely was peck with her, her elbows would be sticking out at her sides, and she always looked like she was attacking the keyboard. :) Really impressed me was when I realized she wasn't looking at the keyboard when she typed.

]]> By: Vint Falken http://torley.com/all-the-right-type/comment-page-1#comment-41576 Vint Falken Thu, 29 May 2008 10:28:46 +0000 http://torley.com/all-the-right-type#comment-41576 Ohhh... you're good. No photoshop on that scoreboard?! ;) I assume that the more you do something the better you get at it, and seeing the average time most people spend behind their pc's nowadays. I do notice that I only get that speed when copying a text, or typing 'casual' conversation or 'casual' comment on blogposts. The moment you really start thinking about what and how you're writing something, the typing speed slows down. - Probably because my thinking on more elaborate stuff can't reach 120 words/minute? auwch! ;) I do remember those times when I was first starting to type, and I would first think of a sentence to type and then type it out. Think of sentence, type it out... *grins* At least thinking and typing works simultaneously now! ;) Ohhh… you're good. No photoshop on that scoreboard?! ;) I assume that the more you do something the better you get at it, and seeing the average time most people spend behind their pc's nowadays. I do notice that I only get that speed when copying a text, or typing 'casual' conversation or 'casual' comment on blogposts. The moment you really start thinking about what and how you're writing something, the typing speed slows down. – Probably because my thinking on more elaborate stuff can't reach 120 words/minute? auwch! ;)

I do remember those times when I was first starting to type, and I would first think of a sentence to type and then type it out. Think of sentence, type it out… *grins* At least thinking and typing works simultaneously now! ;)

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