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Domain: bilbo.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to bilbo.com.

Comments · 5

  1. Shift-Ctrl-Alt pedals by dmitriy · · Score: 1 · on Microsoft Patents Foot Computing

    Shift-Ctrl-Alt pedals were sold by Fry's Electronics in mid-90s, website is still up: http://www.bilbo.com/

  2. NoHands Mouse by tepples · · Score: 1 · on Judge Rules Sites Can Be Sued Over Design
    you can just be sued by someone with a disability you haven't considered.

    A lot of disabilities have already been thought of. If your site works in Lynx, then existing assistive input and output devices can probably handle it. As for people with less common disabilities, groups representing such people are more likely to try to contact the web team to resolve issues amicably than to sue first and ask questions later.

    What if a double-amputee is trying to use your site with no arms?

    A lot of engineers look to science fiction for inspiration. For example, the character Dust Puppy from the comic strip User Friendly is in shape a head with two feet attached at the neck. He has no problem playing first-person shooters by operating the mouse with his feet. In this world, there are the NoHands Mouse and keypress pedals.

    But I still don't want to be sued because someone with Parkinson's couldn't click the right button.

    There are PS/2 mouse filters to smooth out Parkinsonian tremors. But if basic interactions on your web site require the use of a context menu and cannot be performed with the keyboard, then your site may already be broken.

  3. Re:wrong by graphicsguy · · Score: 1 · on New Standard Keyboard

    It's been done. Good to relieve/prevent carpal tunnel in the wrists (but what does it do for your ankles?)

    http://www.bilbo.com/bilbo.html
    http://www.fentek-ind.com/FootPedal.htm

  4. Re:Is it really the keyboard? by SkewlD00d · · Score: 2 · on Vertical Keyboard vs Carpal Tunnel

    There is speculation about that.... I'm 24yo T-Ter and looking "forward" to an EMG and possible surgery. Me thinks that there's some other predispositions to RSI/CTS/tendonitis/etc. such as diet, (lack of) exercise, stress, hormones, genes, or so on. I don't know of any other students having problems in the CS dept., and there's about 500 people in the dept. Btw, the avg. RSI/CTS age is approx. 40.

    wow, here's a good link

  5. Kinesis is very good by Boulder+Geek · · Score: 2 · on Ergonomic Keyboards
    I have two Kinesis keyboards, one for work, one for home. If you aren't a touch typist, you will have trouble with this kbd. The stock layout also sucks for games, and I switch to a normal kbd for that purpose. You can also hook up foot switches to the keyboard, although I think that the official ones are over priced. I picked up a set of three switches with a controller from Bilbo that are mostly ok. Major weakness is that they can only be programmed from Windows, and the mouse button emulation has severe problems. I have the source to Windows mouse emulator program, so someday I should be able to fix that problem.

    One problem that people might attribute to typing is what I call "mouse finger." I have found that most mice (especially the Microsoft Mouse) give me lots of pain in my right hand. Lately I've been using a Logitech TrackMan Marble, which seems to help a lot.