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Vertical Keyboard vs Carpal Tunnel
An anonymous reader sent us links to a quite strange vertical keyboard which also links to a study that claims that this is more ergonomic than your usual board. Of course
at $347 it also better make me coffee.
unF UNF!
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You get carpal tunnel because of vertical keyboards. Problem solved.
.... but likely to cause neck strain for the hunt-and-peck typists out there...
This revolutionary keyboard is the only one that can place the user in a completely orthopedically neutral position while doing data entry and cannot be adjusted improperly by the user.
The result? The SafetypeTM is the only keyboard proven in a Major University Study to virtually eliminate the high-stress postures that contribute to Repetitive Stress Injuries, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
In fact, it makes so much sense that once you see our section on "How it works", you will probably understand more about keyboard ergonomics than most keyboard designers! Take a look right now, and you will see why NASA and the Technology Utilization Foundation chose this design as a promising future technology.
NEW! Streaming Video
Note: The Safetype(TM) keyboard is not offered as a cure for any medical condition.
For general information email info@safetype.com. For specific contact information click here.
How It Works | University Studies | About Us | Pricing and Ordering | Home Page
Don't eat shrimp candy, just a heads up.
...if you can't spill coffee on the important bits.
Every cloud has a silver lining (except for the mushroom shaped ones, which have a lining of Iridium & Strontium 90)
"Of course at $347 it also better make me coffee" OMG this is the funniest thing ive read all week!
i'll never know because once i heard that god awful sound i hit back.
Quote: The result? The SafetypeTM is the only keyboard proven in a Major University Study to virtually eliminate the high-stress postures that contribute to Repetitive Stress Injuries, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
My emphasis. This is always a big red flag. If it wasn't Podunk College, Thelma's Corner, AL, it would be named....
TODO: Something witty here...
pussies
floating
dripping floating pussies
flying
into the GAFELGA purple SKY
with lipstick on the labias
and teeth painted on the hole
they are laughing dripping pussies
on the backdrop of space
on a purple sky moon of Jupiter
with farting Russian cosmonauts
with scintillating stars, in a black backdrop, contrasting with negative space depth the adamantine surface of a cold moon with no atmosphere, and the nebula's gas is motley in color, and the floating pussies look surreal as if they were the deep space's own pussies, laughing and dripping.
im hungry
hmmmmm
i have sea bass
sea monekys
err
dislexic much
am i
barren
this shaved pussy is
not to my lamenting
for it is this which i love most
bald beautiful
whimsical in its humping
as it leaks lavishly
the fluid that my member holds most dear
most clear
for that which is chunky is wrought with a sense of vaginosis
a bitter ugly distraction from the otherwise loveliness of the puss
for it is this condition that i most lament
leaky pussies
i ran thru my mp3s with acdsee
right
here i lie
a lone snaffadil in the perplexity of my own inner mind
blowing gently with the solar wind
i begin my exodus into the sea of nothing
floating silently forever as i pass through the gafelgated nebulas
away from the gates of snabulon
out of the safety of beefalo
and into the domain of the barney butt felch
HERDSTAIN.
For that much it should read my mind and type for me.
Hacker Media
"Of course at $347 it also better make me coffee."
At $347 it better make me a nice blo— never mind...
Is it really the keyboard that causes carpal tunnel syndrome? I've been going with a regular keyboard since my first computer (~10 years), and I'm just fine. ;).
Maybe some people are just more prone to carpal tunnel than others. Maybe it's just really bad typing habits (or not, because I think mine are horrible
-kidlinux.
I've always had a problem with my wrists and fingers hurting until i switched to the microsoft natural keyboard. Now when i hold my hands verticle and simulate typing it seems that my wrists are stressed much more than they are with the MSFT Natural keyboard. Your palm are always oriented towards earth when resting so wouldn't that be a much better natural position....plus the layout of the board makes using keyboard shortcuts very slow.
"So Unique this was awarded US Patent..."
They also awarded patents on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and how to exercise a cat. What's your point?
Holy s-, it's Jesus!
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I like this, now the palms of your hand are correctly aligned for the various tasks at hand...
You might take this article with a grain of salt.
Comic Book Guy: "There is no Groening in my store."
Yes, but will it fit in my keyboard drawer under my desk? No? Hmmm... pass, then. I like my bendy keyboard anyway.
I just love that. I wonder which "major university" study sponsored this keyboard...
I'm all for ergonomics. It's only natural to use a more comfortable positioning when one can. But this is just WEIRD. Capitalization neccessary. Sure, you could stand on your head and type. It would be different. Not necessarily productive, just weird, no capitalization. $350 for WEIRDness? I'll hire a typist myself.....hmm, minimum wage, that's over sixty hours of them doing my work for me! I'll be happier that way.....or I could double my money by folding it in half and putting it in my pocket. Thank-you-very-much-have-a-nice-day.
"To make apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." -Carl Sagan
Here's the patents that apply:
Hand grippable combined keyboard and game controller systemHand held gaming and data entry system
Penile post.
STOP ME BEFORE I POST AGAIN!
Ok, the vertical keyb fixes the problem in the wrists etc
;) )
but what about having to keep your arms in the air, without being able to lay them on the desk or so to type (am i the only one that does this?)
And.. The central keys: When you are typing, do you punch them with your head to use them fastly?;) (watch the video, and think to that
Nah, i stick to the old first-designed keyb
i'm in front of a pc sometimes 24/24 (are we geeks or not), and the worst i had were big headaches because of a too low refresh rate of the monitor (problem solved by now)
The old Keytronic FlexPro keyboard splits in the middle and can be cranked up to near vertical. I've been using this keyboard on two machines for about four years now (you do need to be a touch typist!) and it has helped with "keyboard elbow" (tendonitis) and some with shoulder/back pains. I don't have much problem with it except for my line-noise style passwords. I bought these from Egghead during their sell-off of bricks-and-mortar locations for $40 each.
I know that people tend to rest thier rists agains the desk, and this is a major source of carpal tunnel symptoms, but could the job be done with a mere 45 degree angle and maybe a hinge that allowed in to fold (to many degrees)? It seems as though gravity would take it's toll on your shoulders after keeping your hands in a vertical position 3 inches off the desk.
GET IT IN YA!
:)
:)
-=Dog Rape (A True Story)=-
You'd be surprised how many women and their dogs have sex. My
Sam is a great lover. The story that I am about to relate really
happened to me in last summer. I lie to you not...
I was in the back yard of my house one summer day and lying
naked by the pool as I usually do... (I live on 40 acres no one is
around). With the warm summer sun baking my naked body I started to
get a little turned on...The warm sun a cool breeze and a couple of
drinks will do that.
I have had a relationship with my dog Sam for quite sometime
now and we are both very in tune with each others needs. I called Sam
over to me while I was laying by the pool and he came up to me between
my legs and proceeded to lick me.
After a short while we walked out to the lawn (the pool deck
is kind of hard to kneel on) I bent down on all fours so Sam could
mount me, Sam came over to me and jumped up on me and started humping
me as he usually does...I felt his cock ramming in and out of me and
then I felt his knot pop inside of me...I knew we were tied. after a
few minutes he slid off of me and turned around as all dogs who are
tied do.
I could feel his cock pumping his hot liquid into me, with
each jerking spasm I could feel another load of his cum shooting into
me. I of course was masturbating away, as I usually did. Sam's cock
(when fully erect) is about 8 inches not including the 3" knot. Having
that much cock inside of you has to be the best feeling in the world.
After about 25min Sam started to go soft on me and eventually
slid out of me. I turned over and lay on the grass watching his cum
run out of me.
That's when it happened. I heard a rustling in the bushes
behind me as I turned around three other male dogs emerged from the
bushes!!! A Lab, a mutt, and a great dane!!
I must admit I was scared laying there naked. I figured they
must have caught my scent or have seen Sam fucking me!! I started to
get up from the grass but as I did the Great Dane grabbed me from
behind and started humping me!! I tried to fight him off but he was
too big and too strong. I felt his cock enter me and I became even
more terrified!!
He was HUGE!! I reached back to get him out of me and the dog
forced my shoulders to the ground. He entered me time and time again
he must have been at least 10" with his knot being as big around as a
ripe orange. As he fucked me the other 2 dogs kept trying to mount me
anywhere they could. Sam tried to fight them off of me but he was too
tired from his experience with me.
After the Great Dane tied with me all of my strength to fight
him off had gone, so I decided to enjoy this experience. I had never
had a cock that big in me before and it did hurt but because he had
stretched me to the limit I could feel every vein in his cock. I could
actually feel his cum shoot down his long shaft and then into me each
time it happened.
At this point the other 2 dogs were overcome with excitement
and I could tell they wanted me next. The mutt found his way under me
and started licking me which I enjoyed very much. The Lab came up to
me so I started jerking him off while the Dane kept pumping his load
into me. I started to get more turned on by the minute...I was getting
raped by three dogs!!! The thought of it excited me to no end!!
After the Dane had finished with me he pulled out and licked
his cum out of me and as soon as he stepped away the Lab hopped on me
and started humping away!! He was determined to have me next. It was
easy for him to enter me since the Dane had stretched me and left me
soaking!!
The Lab pumped away and I felt his knot slipping in and out of
me until it finally grew big enough to get stuck in me. At this point
Sam was really getting pissed and tried to defend me again, but I told
him to stay and sit. He did and continued to watch his mistress getting
mounted over and over again by these three strange dogs.
After a while the Lab finally slipped out of me, I was totally
exhausted at this point (this had been going on for over an hour now)
but I thought it was only fair to give the mutt his chance in me also.
Now before I describe this experience I must describe the mutt.
He was a mix of what I have to guess as Mastiff, Dane & Lab. He didn't
look as large as the Dane in size so I didn't pay much attention to
him. Well he came behind me and grabbed onto me with his front paws
and started to mount me. I decided to make this quick as I was getting
tired so I reached back to help him into me and speed things up.
When I reached back to grab his cock I got the surprise of me
life!! He had the biggest cock I had ever seen in my whole life...he
was almost the size of a small horse!! He must have been at least 5"
around and 11" long his knot was the size of a softball!! I guided him
into me as quickly as I could but I held back the knot. (If that got in
me I thought it would kill me). I held onto his knot and thrust him
into me again and again until he reach his full size.
I thought to myself I had already had enough cock in me for
one day so I slowly pulled him out and turned around so I could see
this beautiful cock of his. My god was it huge!! I decided to let him
keep cumming as long as he could so I lay on my back and let him cum
all over me while I rubbed it on my body and genitals.
He kept shooting load after load onto me I would have to guess
he came close to enough to fill a 8 ounce soda bottle. After he
finished cumming on me he went soft but he came over to me and
proceeded to start licking his cum off of me. When he started doing
this the other 3 dogs (including Sam) started helping him and I came
one last time in a tongue bath by these dogs. After they finished they
ran off into the woods never to be seen again and I collapsed onto the
grass next to Sam.
I hope they return some day
-=The End=-
OMG BIG PENIS ATE MY SOUP
What bugs me about this keyboard is that the numeric keypad and the Insert/Delete/Home/etc. keys are in the middle. So when you want to use any of them you have to move your hand out and around or up and over. If they put those keys on the outside, I might consider buying one when the price gets down to, oh, less than you can buy a new (albeit bottom of the line) computer for.
-Alex
-- I prefer the term "karma escort."
From the link you mention:
...keen computer game players pound on keyboards and joysticks for hours on end, but seem to suffer few injuries as a result. Only when someone else is cracking the whip do workers start to be at risk.
Perhaps if, instead of paying $350 for a keyboard, the user got a $350 raise?
...since it was done before, supposedly by someone at Cornell University.
There's also the pyramid keyboard as well. I wonder how they compare...
libertarianswag.com
He's fast today. But so are you. You always look forward to being matched up with Obi-Wan for practice. He comes at you full-force, as he should. Some of the other guys still treat you too much like the weaker sex. It works to your advantage because they usually hold back, giving you plenty of opportunity to win the round. But fighting Obi-Wan is always a challenge and one you enjoy. The two of you are also well aware that your masters enjoy the competition as much as the two of you do.
"Lucky for you these things are built with a practice mode," you grunt as he blocks you. The loud hiss and crackle of your sabers proves your equal strength, despite your disparate heights. His blue and your purple would actually be a thing of beauty if the blades weren't so deadly...or at least in this case painful. This is shortly proven as the slightest misstep allows him to graze your arm with a burn before you re-group and block a fatal blow.
"Now who's the lucky one?" he sneers.
"Focus, Padawan!" Master Qui-Gon absolutely does not tolerate banter during practice.
"In trouble now," you shoot back at Obi-Wan.
"That goes for you, too!" You suppress a chuckle at your Master's admonishment. You know he's going to catch a lot of flack from Qui-Gon if you don't behave properly. So you comply and allow your Master to show off in this friendly rivalry.
You change tactics and back Obi-Wan into a corner. This is always fun, to see how he'll get out of it. A fraction of a second later, he's flipping over your head. Before you can turn to fully face him, he finds his opening and slams you against the wall with the Force. It's a stronger bolt than you anticipated and you drop your saber. "Damn," you say under your breath.
"I said focus, Padawan! Now you have lost your weapon as well. Let us see how you fare."
"Aaaww," you say with a pout, "didn't they teach you that Masters read minds, too?"
You half expect a scolding from your Master, but you hear nothing. You then smile as you imagine the bet he is probably making with Qui-Gon over this practice round. You and Obi-Wan both know what this means. Anything goes.
While he's grinning, you move swiftly and slam him with a Force blow, followed by your body. He hits the ground beneath you with a thud and a grunt. You focus all of your energies on holding him down as he summons his to try and push you back. You pant heavily at each other like a couple of rabid animals, your sweat-soaked clothes making easy movement a little tricky as the fabric sticks to your skin.
The struggle continues. "Give," you say. You know better than to think he actually will. Your Force strengths are equal, but his physical size finally prevails. Suddenly you find your back slammed onto the floor, and your arms quickly pinned down.
"Give," he orders. You shake your head and scan his mind and body for a weakness. He leans down to your face and grits his teeth, "Give."
Then you find your opening. Without a second thought, you stick your tongue out and lick his cheek. He jumps in surprise. You grab his shoulders, buck him off your body, and then force him on his stomach, pulling his arms behind his back. You hear an echo of laughter coming from your Master.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Qui-Gon says.
You release Obi-Wan and stand up. He springs to his feet and points at you. "But, Master, she cheated."
"I did not!"
"You did!"
"Obi-Wan, you lost your focus," Qui-Gon says.
"But she...she LICKED me!"
"Padawan, if you are going to be thrown so easily, perhaps we need to work with the practice droid some more," Qui-Gon says.
You bite your lip to stifle a giggle, and Obi-Wan glares at you. He hates to lose to you, friends or not.
Your Master walks between the two of you and addresses you. "You know better than that."
You put your hands on your hips and say quietly, "So how much did you win?"
He raises an eyebrow at you and points to the door, "To the showers, Padawan."
"Yes, Master." You walk quickly into the shower room. As usual, you have the place to yourself, at least the women's side. The large shower room itself is separated by a wall, with a small, and always securely locked, door separating the genders. Occasionally for large practice groups - always men - the door is opened. But you've never actually seen that since there are far fewer women at the Temple.
You peel off your wet clothes and boots and turn on one of the shower faucets. You stand under the water and close your eyes, feeling like you could probably take a nap like this. You finally reach for the soap and clean the practice grime off your body and hair. As you rinse you close your eyes again, taking a brief respite...it's the only time you ever really get to be alone. It's one of the advantages of being a female padawan with a male Master.
You hear a faint creaking sound and open your eyes. You stand staring, surprised, for a moment as you see the door of the shower room slowly open. You reach out with the Force to determine who is there. No one. You walk slowly, a bit nervous in your vulnerable state, toward the now open door. You peek around the door and through the doorway but see nothing but the men's shower room. You hear water running, but see no one.
Then you hear an odd noise. You hear it again. It sounds like...a groan. You hear it again, a little louder and a little more enthusiastic. You know that sound...or what you think it probably is. And you also know that Obi-Wan is most likely in there. You reach out with your mind, but he - or whoever it is - is shielded. You know you should just turn around, walk away, and dry off...but you cannot.
Ever so slowly you creep toward the doorway. The voice of reason tells you to stop right where you are...the punishment for entering the men's shower room is severe. But before your reason can talk some sense into you, you pop your head through the doorway. You then slap your hand over your mouth to keep your gasp from sounding aloud.
Obi-Wan is standing under the shower, water running down his muscular chest and stomach...his hand wrapped tight around his cock, stroking slowly but intently. The groans continue to spill out of him. Your breath catches and you stare in wonder at how beautiful and purely sexy he is like this. And you also know you have crossed a line that you can never retreat from.
Like a magnet, you are pulled to him. You walk slowly so as not to alert him to your presence. He has shielded his mind, but he obviously is not on the defensive. As you get closer, you can more clearly see his arousal, which ignites your own. You see the tightness of his chest and neck...the strength of his hand as it pulls on his shaft.
You swallow hard as you stand before him. You reach out and touch his arm. He jumps and his arm instinctively reaches out and grabs you around the neck. In a fraction of an instant, he realizes it is you, and his eyes grow wide, and his breathing is staggered.
You sense an angry accusation rising up in him. Before he can act on it, you grab his hand from around your neck and move in quickly and suck on his erect nipple. You feel his anger toward you shatter, as he moans and grabs onto your head. You run your tongue along the smooth skin of his chest as it shakes with each shallow breath he takes.
He pulls your head away and says unconvincingly, "We can't do this."
You respond by descending to your knees, running kisses down his stomach as you go. You nip at his thigh with your teeth and then look up to see his hopeful eyes and mouth gaping open. "So," you purr as you lightly flick the head of his penis with your tongue, "what brought this on," you say as you lightly run your fingers up the length of his erection.
His cry echoes through the room as you swallow his length into your mouth. He eagerly presses his hips toward you as you suck him hard. You playfully run your fingers up and down the backs of his tense thighs and then up his hips and stomach as he leans back into the wall to support himself.
"Ooooohhhh," he moans as you press your tongue firmly against him as you run your mouth up and down his cock. He plants his hand firmly on the back of your head and thrusts deeper to the back of your throat. "Sssoooo good...mmmmhhhh."
You shift your eyes up, and a spark shoots through you when you find his enraptured face. Dueling with Obi-Wan had been one of your favorite activities. Now you know that pleasuring him is second to none.
"Oh gods," he calls out as you move your mouth faster and tighter on him. "Please...please," he begs. "Yessss....yessss...just like that...." You always knew he'd be chatty. He squeezes your hair and yells your name. His spastic abdomen lets you know what's about to happen. He growls, and he comes hard. You drink him down eagerly as he heaves raspy breaths between his grunts of pleasure.
The next thing you know you are pulled up and swiftly pressed into the wall as his mouth consumes yours. A constant, low rumble sounds from him as his tongue enthusiastically explores your mouth. He is quickly tasting your neck, hungry for your flesh. His experienced hands slide up your wet body and caress your breasts as he nibbles and sucks on your shoulder. His thumbs play at your nipples as he moves back slightly to take in your longing now.
He bends at the waist and takes your breast into his mouth. You moan your approval and run your fingers through his hair, pulling out the band that fastens his ponytail. His arm wraps around your back, but then his hand slides down your buttocks, and his fingers slide between your legs and tease at your opening. You pull on his hair and whimper as one finger barely enters you.
He lets out a hot sigh on your breast and raises himself up. He pulls your leg up and rests it against his hip as he inserts another finger inside you. His mouth latches onto your earlobe and he whispers heavily, "Gods, you're dripping."
You can only moan and whimper in response. He pulls his fingers out of you and moves them forward. You shift your hips back slightly to quicken the process. You moan again as his finger slides up to your clit, and he teases it with torturously slow circles. Your hips move in time to his caress, and he lightly licks your lips as he watches your face.
"Better than fighting, don't you think?" he says.
"Mmmmhhh..." You grab his face with your hand.
He sucks your thumb into his mouth. "If I would've know I could actually render you speechless, I would've done this a long time ago," he says with a slightly mocking tone. He continues to slowly circle your clit with his finger.
"Ohhh...don't tease... not...now...."
"Why," he purrs as he slightly increases the pace of his erotic touch. "Don't you like it?" He leans in and suckles at your bottom lip.
"Ohh...yesss," you whimper onto his lips. You then whine when his fingers leave you.
"Don't worry, impatient one," he lightly scolds. He kisses your lips sweetly...and then your neck...and then your breasts...and then your stomach. Your body begins to tremble in anticipation, and all rational thought flies out of your consciousness as his tongue makes contact with you. At first his tongue imitates what his fingers were doing, sliding hot and wet around your clit. Tiny groans escape his throat as you moan for him to continue.
At the first sign of your knees beginning to buckle, he suddenly stops and stands up. You begin to sputter. "What? What? Don't stop."
He chuckles as he pushes you along the wall. "Sit," he says. You look down to see the small bench that you've seen on your side of the wall hundreds of times. As you sit, he kneels before you and spreads your legs wide, lifting one over his shoulder. You shiver as he blows on your pulsing, hard nub.
"Pleeease," you beg.
He looks up - always the smart ass - and says, "Are you sure?"
You grab the back of his head and lower him between you legs. You lurch instantly as he licks at you again. You hold his head tightly there, although the pressure of his shoulders against your thighs pushes you slightly up the wall. You squeeze his hair, and his tongue darts hungrily at you. It seems as though you cannot get close enough to his tongue, and you grind your hips into his face. His mouth is setting you on fire, feeling so good, but you need more.
"Obi-Wan!" you call out as his fingers plunge inside you. Your moaning leads him to find the center of pleasure within you. He massages that sweet spot as his tongue laps you up on the outside. His fingers sliding in and out at the perfect angle rushes you to the edge. You spread your legs as wide as you can and claw at his shoulders. You've held off begging, wanting to make this exquisite sensation last, but you finally relent, knowing full well he won't allow your release until you do.
Your voice crackles as you whine, "Please...please...."
"Dammit," you growl, your body writhing on the verge of explosion.
"Ooohh gods...make me come...make me-aaahhh...." You are rocked with a fury of delicious spasms from the outside and inside. Your head bangs against the wall as you ride the orgasm, coming hard into his mouth and hand. You collapse in a heap, your half dry skin and hair sticking to the tile.
Obi-Wan raises himself, still on his knees, and gives you a smirk. "I believe you finally gave in to me."
You sign and blow hair strands out of your face. "Must you always be a brat?"
"No," he says lowly. He leans in and kisses you tenderly but deeply. You sigh happily and reach your tongue out to his, entwining them slowly and reverently. His chest is warm against yours, and you wrap your legs around his waist. He finally pulls away from you, his eyelids at half mast. "This changes things," he says.
You shake your head. "We're still friends, our Masters are still betting on us, and I can still kick your ass."
"And I yours!" He stands and pulls you up with him.
"Just wait til you really get inside me," you tease. "Then we'll see who's the champion." You slink away from his arms and walk toward the door, knowing that you need to be getting dressed before your Master sends a squad in after you. You glance at him over your shoulder and give him a sassy giggle as he stands there gulping...and just before you disappear through the doorway, you see his cock bounce in your direction.
"Wait," he calls out.
"See you later, baby," you laugh and close the door, locking it securely.
"Adequacy.org: Where congenital stupidity is not an option, but a requirement."
the Alternative Keyboard FAQ is here and has information about other kinds of keyboards.
also some news articles...
CU study: Vertical split keyboard lowers the injury risk for typists
Vertical Keyboard: the "Touch Easy."
A while back when I got my Tandy 200 (which is still a great little machine that nobody seems to have bothered to improve on), I noted that it had two empty RAM sockets for memory expansion. Thus a T200 has one to three (3) memory "banks" (some hacking will make it access more than three, but that's another story...) Tandy told me that they would kindly sell me RAM modules for these sockets at only about $270 Canadian each (this in 1991!!). This inspired me to find a way to make a RAM module for the price of a 32K static RAM and some small parts - about $20 each! (I've since found that others have preceded me in this discovery and have posted in Compuserve.) Description of the Memory Banks Each T200 memory bank is a 32K by 8 (256K bit) static RAM, of which about 20K is available for user files. The Tandy modules were made up of four 8K by 8 chips on a carrier, presumably because single chips were not available or too expensive at the time of the T200's introduction. Fortuitously, the RAM expansion sockets are almost pin for pin compatible with present 32Kx8 (256K bit) static RAM chips. The RAM used is low power (naturally) with a "standby" or "sleep" mode which allows the chip's contents to be preserved when not in use by a trickle of current (about 50 microamps per chip). Parts Required A home-brew module requires the following: - a 32K by 8 static RAM chip in a 28 pin DIP package, with speed 150 ns or faster and of low power type. Any of the major manufacturers make such a chip. I used PG2256-10L by OKI. Pinouts for these chips are quite standard: Address pins are 1 thru 10, 21 and 23 thru 26. Data pins are 11, 12, 13, 15 16, 17, 18, 19 (note that order doesn't matter for address or data pins in this application.) Chip Select, Output Enable and Write Enable are respectively 20, 22 and 27. - two 47K resistors, 1/8 or 1/4 watt. - an NPN switching transistor, such as a 2N2222. I used a 2N5772 in a small plastic, but NOT METAL, case (e.g. TO-92) Preparing the Circuit Board The RAM expansion sockets are accessed by popping off the module bay cover, located on the case bottom beside the battery compartment, with a dime or screwdriver. I removed the RAM expansion sockets to simplify my assembly. This will require opening the T200 unit by removing the four corner screws on the case's bottom plate and gently prying it apart from the top plate. The display and keyboard are attached to the circuit board by some ribbon connectors. The display ribbon can be simply pulled out, while the keyboard can simply be flipped back. Remove the two RAM expansion sockets. I did this by ripping the plastic part off, leaving the pins to be heated and removed one by one. Clear the socket holes (with solder 'sucker' or wick). You may be able to assemble the module by soldering to the socket pins (saving you the trouble of opening the case), but if you try this, the module may sit too high to allow putting the module bay cover on again. Assembly Note: Treat the RAM carefully when installing, as it is static sensitive. If only installing one module, install BANK #2 (RAM module #1). It makes little sense, however, to do the modification and not do both banks! On the chip, snip off pins 1, 20, 22 and 27 at the "shoulder", so that there is a stub left to solder wires to. Stretch the rows of (remaining) pins out from the chip body a little so that they line up with the expansion module solder holes. (If you think you can get by without removing the original sockets, you will have to devise the best way of doing this). Insert a 1" length of thin insulated wire (wire wrap or up to 24 gauge hookup) into socket solder holes 1 and 27 (from now on, called "holes") and solder in. Leave other ends pulled away from the socket holes. Insert one end of a 47K resistor in hole 22 as close to the resistor body as possible, while having the resistor body parallel to the circuit board and its unused end pointing towards hole 15. Solder hole 22. Insert the emitter of the transistor into hole 20, while positioning the base lead to attach to the unused end of the 47K resistor. The resistor and transistor body should be arranged to minimize lead lengths and to keep both components between the module sockets (so that you can plug the chips in!). The collector lead should also be accessible. Solder the emitter lead and solder (trimmed) base lead to the unused end of the 47K resistor (close in to the resistor body). Insert the chip into the socket holes and solder in. Bend the transistor collector lead to the stub of pin 20, trim, and solder together. Connect the stub of pin 22 to the shoulder of pin 14 with a short piece of hookup wire. Connect the wire from hole 1 to the stub of pin 23. Connect hole 23 and pin 1 similarly. Attach one end of the second 47K resistor to the shoulder of pin 28 and the other to the stub of pin 20 and transistor collector. The assembly is finished at this point, but some pieces of wire insulation and component rearrangement may be necessary to avoid shorts and crowding the adjacent module socket. Note: A dry run may help to see how the parts fit together for a more intelligent layout. One of the banks may demand removal of the T200 bottom case section to allow room to work. Reassemble the T200. The display ribbon will require some deft long fingers to reconnect (try half opening the display to maximally extend the ribbon out of the case top.) You should now be able to switch between memory banks by pressing "F1" or "TAB".
Serously, I love my IBM 370 and my fingers would have to fall off in order for me to switch to anything else. The IBM 370 was the origional awsome keyboard and its still the best IMHO. You just can't beat that tactile response and clickity-click noise. Heck you could beat somebody over the head with this thing and there skull would break before the keyboard did. And any keyboard that can be used to beat somebody to death without harming said keyboard gets an A+ in my book. Besides who in there right mind would spend $347 on a freaking keyboard. I might as well buy a new processor or graphics card instead.
We're going to make information free Mr. Anderson, whether you like it, or not.
I am very glad that companies are willing to challenge the wrist grinding design of existing keyboards. I purchased a datahand recently as it was the most aggressive erognomic product on the market (all typos are due to my inexperience). I never thought twice about the large price tag... my monitor costs just as much, and if you are on the thing 10 hours a day then comfort is your primary concern not price.. a run in with RSI can cost you tens of thousands, so a couple hundred now to keep your hands from becoming stressed is a great investment.
The datahand salesman warned me that programmers often return the units because of the difficulty in switching between number/symbol mode and letter mode. The sell a foot pedals which make switching much easier, if you purchase a datahand, be sure to spring the extra duckets to get them.
So if the keyboard can give you similar speed,comfort, and accuracy as the datahand it is a real bargin..
At $347 a piece, it also includes a 14.4 modem and a thtppd web server. If you are an indian goddess you may run a beowulf cluster of these.
Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
...if you look at the site it says its the university of california at san diego (ucsd).
I can't seem to load it, but the "major university" seems like it may be Cornell... the link I can't load is labelled cornell.html anyway.
It must be this study
I don't know why they are playing this out to be some type of miracle keyboard when in fact each of their pages clearly states:
Note: The Safetype(TM) keyboard is not offered as a cure for any medical condition.
I know I won't be using their keyboard any time soon.
Remove the following keys:
Windows
Windows (on the other side)
Thing Next To Windows with the Arrow and menu thing(same side as above)
PrtScn
ScrLk
Pause
Home
End
Delete
Page Up
Page Down
Insert
UP arrow (But what about games??? you cry. Ever heard of WASD?)
DOWN arrow
LEFT arrow
RIGHT arrow
The whole friggin numeric keypad (this allows space for your mouse so you arm is not bent all over the side of your desk)
Finally, switch escape with caps lock (for all you friendly vi users), and optionally remove the function keys. Surprise! You now have a typewriter with shift, control, and alt. That's all ya need folks!The best part is...you can still use emacs! If you really need a numeric keyboard, you should be able to buy it separately.
Got friends?
So, by their defintion of Pronation, we should never ever turn our palms downward, because this causes problems. I'm sorry, but I think if that was half as harmful as they made it out to be, then humans wouldn't have the capacity to do it, or else problems would be more widespread.
I tried achieving the position they show for the pronation display, and i had to put my elbows on the table touching each other before i could get my hands to rotate like that. granded that might be harmful, but the fact that the other two joints in your arm rotate a bit makes it like their points are rather contrived.
Deviation might be a more legitimate concern, but looking at my own wrists it still seems as if they are exaggerating purposefully
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
doh
FPGA, Wireless, ASIC, Verilog, VHDL, HW, 10yr exp, Team Lead, Ottawa (More? Email above. slashdotusername=dgmartin98 )
Happy penis!
STOP ME BEFORE I POST AGAIN!
After looking at the keyboard, I was surprised to see that you had to actually hold your wrist above the desk (without a rest) in order to type. IMHO, that would be VERY uncomfortable after while.
Perhaps thats the point though... it gets so annoying after awhile that you get up and walk away in disgust, thus taking the recommended "break" that you'd otherwise have ignored.
Valid question. Like I'm going to get carpel tunnel from data entry....
Actually "the turning your wrists sideways to type" thing kind of makes sense in an engineering point of view.
Thinking way back to my statics class, the stress at any point in the beam is inversely proportional to the moment of inertia. Modeling your wrist as a rectangular beam 1" x 2", the moment of inertia is given by the formula .1667 inches ^ 4 to .6667 inches ^ 4. With a corresponding decrease in the stress on your wrists.
( b * h ^3 ) / 12
So turning your wrist sideways changes the moment of inertia from
However the actual stress savings will be less for the following reasons:
1. If your wrists are anything like mine, they are closer to being ellipses than rectangles, and concentrating more mass at the centers means that the turning sideways trick will make a smaller change in the moment of inertia. Also, measuring my wrists more closely, it looks like the values are 1.75" and 2.75". I just didn't want to dig out my calculator.
2. Whichever way you turn your wrists, they still have to handle the forces generated each time you push against a key. Think about "equal and opposite reaction" from one of Newton's laws.
Why, oh God, why must companies insist on putting $#%@#$%@#$% annoying sounds on their web pages?
Better come with a vertical taco, as well...
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They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security
I'm willing to believe that this keyboard is cool, but the fact is, there is no such thing as the perfect keyboard. Any kind of repetitive motion will cause some muscles to grow and others to atrophy. The result is that you are going to have to exercise those atrophied muscles no matter what keyboard you choose.
If you watch their little video, they talk about some positions that normal keyboards force your hands to be in. It's those positions that cause all of the problems that are associated with typing. Their keyboard purports to remove the problems by putting your hands in a more natural and neutral position.
A little over a year ago, slashdot posted an article about the Evolution Keyboard, now by Kinesis. I have had one of those for several years, and would recommend that anyone interested in the SafeType keyboard also check out the Evolution keyboard. (You can the review I posted to slashdot here.)
The SafeType keyboard is fixed in position, and they consider that to be one of its major features. While I can see that preventing users from futzing with the keyboard keeps them from moving it to a position where it can hurt them, I happen to really like the ability of the Evolution keyboard to move to whatever position I like. In fact, I can make it go completely vertical if I want, gaining all the advantages of the SafeType keyboard. I can even drop it to the sides of my chair, removing even one more "unnatural" position of my arms.
To me, having lots of choices in how I configure my work space is a good thing. And having a keyboard that fits this mindset is one of the most important parts.
All the employees at the company are going ape shit right now calling friends and telling them to buy stock in the company because their website is so busy ;)
Try this:
Relax and stand up; arms down, totally relaxed.
What way do you're hands fall? Palms toward legs... This is the CENTER of the range of movement of you're hand and requires no physical strain to hold this position...
Not being able to put you're elbows down kind of sucks tho...
hard core geek-ware
From the "How it works" page:
(Reminder: Bookmark this page to use for comparing keyboards.)
Hmm, there was something I was supposed to do...
I'm gonna use this on all of my pages now:
(Reminder: Bookmark this page to use for noticing how sexy I am)
(Reminder: Bookmark this page to use for seeing pictures of my dog)
(Reminder: Bookmark this page to use for filling up your bookmarks)
I kiss you!
not this again -- it's been a year or so but a 'this funky keyboard will cure carpal tunnel' article always come up eventually.
Basically, ONE keyboard will never solve your carpal tunnel problems. carpal tunnel is a result of continous stress on specific parts of the wrist. and it is still not completely understood how to prevent it. i found that my moderate to severe wrist pain ceased when i started alternating keyboards. i use two: a regular keyboard and a Kinesis classic. by using these very different keyboards i work different muscles and distribute the stress throughout my hands which (in theory) prevents most harm from occuring.
Kinesis keyboards are sort of expensive but it is by far my favorite keyboard. took about a week to get used to (hint: be lazy, don't reach so far for keys). i got my boss to buy it ($275) for me after some mild whining.
fear is the mind killer
"Of course at $347 it also better make me coffee."
And mow my lawn, cuddle with my girlfriend after sex, make breakfast, and walk my dog!
i saw the picture,
and i had to check the date;
it's not april fools already is it?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Not a chance of me buying one, even to try out.
Very pathetic site..."awarded a patent"??? Give me a break!
At this price, I could buy a lot of much sexier hardware than this.
From the website:
:-)
"So unique it was awarded U.S. Patent #5137384"
As we all know, ideas must be completely unique in order to have the rare honor of being approved by the extremely stringent U.S. Patent office.
Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
The video also goes to great lengths to explain why the angles our hands go on with a conventional keyboard are bad, but replaces this with a design which involves having your hands in the air constantly. WTF? Try using this for an full day.
The "Post Anonymously" check box is not pure Anonymous. If you check it logged in and you have Mod points it will not let you mod it up. I thought it was no different from not being logged in?
The server is busy at this time
Windows Media Player cannot connect to the server that has the file you want to play; the server is too busy to handle your request at this time. The server may not be powerful enough to handle a large number of connections at a given time.
Try to play the file at a later time.
Error ID = 0xC00D0006, Remedy ID = 0x00000000
Sound on a website? How 90s. Thanks for not warning us in the post
I can't keep my arms extended like that for more than 5 minutes without getting extreamly tired. It's called gravity and it makes this product suck. Maybe Astronauts can use it.
you can do this. It's free, and there is no risk of getting a STD either.
Anon is not real. I was logged in with mod points and checked the box to "Post Anonymously" because i commented in the article. Then I noticed I couldnt mod it my Anon post at all. If it was true anon then I could mod it once. I also cant see the post when i am logged out. I am going to check this post logged in and give you the scoup. I posted this logged out.
For $347, that keyboard had better be giving me some sexual satisfaction!
Though *BSD is sick, it certainly is not as near death as LNUX is. LNUX will be remembered as one of the greatest loz3rs en histoire.
After destroying several cheap plastic keyboards in succession, I got myself an IBM Model M, the original "clicky" keyboard. It uses buckling springs and capacitance switches, it's built like a tank, lasts forever, and its diswasher safe.
There is no other keyboard out there with the sweet tactile response of a Model M. They can be had for 15-20 bucks + shipping on E-Bay. One of the sellers offers them used, but protected with the old "keyboard condom" dust covers - get one of those, clean it up with some isopropyl and WD-40, and you'll have a keyboard that is in mint condition.
Meldroc, Waster of Electrons
The best way to prevent repeated motion injuries is to vary the motion by forcing the person to change tasks regularly ... not by doing quick stretch-routines. I haven't seen any evidence that one can prevent repeated motion injuries by performing 5-minute "stretching exercises". How is a 5-minute stretch going to prevent damage caused by 8 hours of fixed positions or repeated motion?
All of the ergo-consultants I've seen ... they travel around the country at some other company's expense ... they're always smiling ... they're not held accountable if they're recommendations cause more pain or injuries ... and they all have nice tans. Why is ergonomic equipment so expensive? A footrest for $50 ?!? Snake oil, I say.
At $347 it had better swallow.
I'm 5'9" (1.7 m) and 225lbs (100Kg). I've also been touch typing for about 25 years. Now....everyone play along with this and find out where your neutral position is. I'll bet it's probably not the same as mine.
... my arms more like a V than parallel. I measured it, and the most comfortable position is my fingertips about 4 inches (10cm) apart.
First off, let's assume that the vertical position of your hands is actually better.
Place your hands like the one's in the picture of the Safetype keyboard. Now, when I do this, I feel a pressure in my sholders suggesting that my hands should be closer together
Now, look at your hands and wiggle your fingers as if you were typing. When I do this, my fingers are curled and move towards and away from me, not on the side like the Safetype keyboard. Except for my thumb, it moves up and down. Even neater.
So, my 10 minute research suggests that they take their keyboard and rotate it away from the body, and allow the user to control the distance between the two halves. Also, move the space bar, and maybe a few other keys like caps and esc to the top for the thumbs. THAT would be more ergonomic than the contraption they have.
The only drawback I can see, and the Safetype keyboard would have the same problem, is that my hands rest on the outside edges. I would guess that this would be very irritating after awhile.
Can I have my government grant now????
I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
"The mirrors slide up from their stowed position, and it is important that you push up in the correct place to avoid damage."
Now I really want to buy this keyboard. Not only do I have to keep my hands in midair and adjust mirrors to read the numbers backwards, but I can also cause damage by pushing in the wrong place!
The only reason you'd get carpal tunnel, or anything related is if your posture and wrist position isn't very good. You don't need a special keyboard, just some common sense.
For $347, it better make me crack.
/^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
I can go to the website if i want to be a consumer zombie.
Forget the coffee - at $347, the damn thing better have a blowjob attachment.
Lost: Sig, white with black letters. No collar. Reward if found!
When people put their hands to the keyboard, they'll find that their fingers are like mirror opposites. Yet the keys line up in one direction. To see what I mean, look at r f v and u j m. f and j are up above v and m, and to the left. I believe that f and j should be up and to the centre. When your hands are on the keyboard, the fingers will naturally reach up to the centre.
This won't help everybody, because many people are happy with their keyboards, but it will help some people. I'm sure that my idea won't hurt anybody. That's for sure.
testing out my trending skills
I remember back in college I saw a keyboard this dude had that could move into nearly every position imaginable. From the MS Natural Style to this vertical ability. Just with out the side mirrors to scope out cops.
I don't see this as an industry innovation but hey... if it sells keyboards.
What I would like to see is complete Voice Recognition computers. Not for gaming obviously but for all operations and data entry. That would be an ergonomical breakthrough. Until people start coming down with laringitis for talking all day.
Well I thought it was a good idea.
~Char Lander
Brothers and sisters I have none, but this mans father is my fathers son
Get two cheap-ass USB keyboards, a block of wood, and some duck tape. Now spend the $327 you just saved on something worthwhile.
-Mike
(Writing code on shitty, flat, non-ergo keyboards for years with zero pain. Exercise, stretch, and don't home-row, folks.)
something like a flute that would hang between your legs.
Now that would be a natural keyboard.
Treatment, not tyranny. End the drug war and free our American POWs.
See my user info for links.
this really does seem like an ideal keyboard design, but i don't see any mention of it being qwerty or dvorak.
sig.
...it better suck my cock.
Have your keyboard in the natural ass-scratching position.
(and make one for under $20)
go away. That's a big price to pay in my opinion.
but more with posture than the keyboards.
And it generally takes a long time to develop.
A lot of people who think they have carpal tunnel syndrom have tendonitis.. and really just need some exercise.
Lift a few freeweights once or twice a week, it makes a HUGE difference to your typing endurance.
I am content with 2 Maxiswitch MaxiproII kbds and a happy hacking kbd lite. Each of those keyboards is fine for Emacs since the ESC and CNTL are where they should be (ESC to the left of the '1' and CNTL next to 'A"). And so it was written!
22 years and no hand problems using Emacs with that kbd arrangement. (using emacs on a dec-20 back then).
Hedley
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uy t he mess eng e r t he tu rd report the wipo
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llercoaster trolltime whistler's mother yourmissionfortoday yr0 and all the
AC's and people I forgot to include. and now a word from our sponser:It ha
s come to my attention that the entire Linux community is a hotbed of so ca
lled 'alternative sexuality,' which includes anything from hedonistic orgie
s to homosexuality to pedophilia.What better way of demonstrating this than
by looking at the hidden messages contained within the names of some of Li
nux's mos t o utspok en a dv ocates: * Linus Torv
alds [mic ro s oft.co m ] i s an anagram of slit anus
or VD 'L, ' c learly r ef er ring to himself by the first
initial. * R ichar d M. S tallm an [geocities.com], spoke
spervert for t he Gay sex' s Not U nusual 'movement' is an a
nagram of m an s cram t hril l ad. * A lan Cox [microsoft.
com] is b ar el y an ana g ra m o f anal cox which is just
so filth y an d unchri s ti a n it unnerves me.I'm sure
that Eri c S . Raymond , co mp o ser of the satanic homo
sexual [goatse.cx] propaganda diatribe The Cathedral and the Bizarre, is pr
obably an anagram of something queer, but we don't need to look that far as
we know he's always s hoving a gun up some poor little boy's rectum. Up
date: Eric S. Raymo n d is actually an anagram for se
condary rim and cord in my arse. It just goes to sh
ow you that he is i ndeed queer.Update the Second: It
is also documented t hat Evil Sicko Gaymond is respo
nsible for a nauseat ing piece of code called Fetchmai
l [microsoft.com], which is obviously sinister sodom
ite slang for 'Felc h Male' -- a disgusting practise.
For those not i n the know, 'felching' is the act
performed by two p erverts wherein one sucks their
own post-coital e j aculate out of the other's rect
um. In fact, it a ppears that the dirty Linux fag
gots set out to u n de rmine the good Republican instit
ution of e-mail, t u rni ng it into 'e-male.'As far as Ri
chard 'Master' Stal lman goes, that filthy fudge-pac
ker was actuall y q uoted [salon.com] on leftist com
mie propaganda site Salon.com as saying the fo
llowing: 'I've be en resistant to the pressure to
conform in any c ircumstance,' he says. 'It's ab
out being able t o question conventional wisdom,' h
e asserts. 'I be l ieve in love, but not monogamy,'
he says plainly.A & #9617; & #9618; nd this isn't a made up troll b
ullshit either! H e actually stated this tripe, whic
h makes it obvio us that he is trying to politely say
that he's a flami ng homo [comp-u-geek.net] slut [rotte
n.com]!Speaking a b o ut 'flaming,' who better to point
out as a filthy c hutney ferret than Slashdot's ver
y own self-confe & #9617; ssed pederast Jon Katz. Although
an obvious deviant a nagram cannot be found from his
name, he has al & #9617; ready confessed, nay boasted of t
he homosexual [g oatse.cx] perversion of corrupting
the innocence o & #9617; f y oung children [slashdot.org]. To q
uote from the ar tic le l inked:'I've got a rare kidney di
sease,' I told h e r. ' I have to go to the bathroom a
lot. You can come w ith me if you want, but it takes
a while. Is that okay with you? Do you want a no
te from my docto r?'Is this why you were touchin
g your penis [ro t ten.com] in the cinema, Jon? And
letting the othe r boys touch it too?We should als
o point out that & #9617; Jon Katz refers to himself as 'Sl
ashdot's resident Gasbag.' Is there any more doub
t? For those fort unate few who aren't aware of t
he list of homos e xual [goatse.cx] terminology fo
und inside the L inux 'Sauce Code,' a 'Gasbag' is
a pervert who g ains sexual gratification from h
aving a thin stra w inserted into his urethra (or
to use the comm on parlance, 'piss-pipe'), then
his homosexual [ goatse.cx]lover blows firmly dow
n the straw to in flate his scrotum. This is, of
course, when he's n ot busy violating the dignity a
nd copyright of posters to Slashdot by gathering
together their po stings and publishing them en mas
se to further hi s twisted and manipulative journa
listic agenda.Si ck, disgusting antichristian pe
rverts, the lot o f them.In addition, many of the
Linux distributi ons (a 'distribution' is the mo
st common way to spread the faggots' wares) are r
un by faggot gro ups. The Slackware [redhat.com]
distro is named after the 'Slack-wear' fags wea
r to allow easy a ccess to the anus for sexual pu
rposes . Furthermore, Slackware is
Proof of the gay-linux conspiracy!
Proof of the gay-linux conspiracy!
I am typing this, right now, with a plastic stylus on a Palm V.
It is very painful.
Although the thing seems like a good idea, the really brilliant part is the dual mirrors- not so you can see your hands, but to prevent stealth attacks during Nerf cubicle warfare.
You're right, Caps Lock is no longer useful for trolling slashdot, now that it has lameness filters. Remove the key.
Regarding left handed people, you might notice that there's still the whole right side of the board intact, brought to you by the letters I, J, K, and L.
Got friends?
There is no such thing as "so unique". The definition of "unique" is "one of a kind". Either something is one of a kind or it isn't. It is therefore impossible for something to be "kind of unique" or "very unique" or "so unique". With each passing day I lose more patience with analphabets who assert the contrary. BTW, I saw an impressive demonstration Of Dragon Naturally Speaking today, which would appear to be a more certain solution to the issues which this keyboard addresses.
This seems a little odd.
The keyboard lets you keep yor wrists in a more natural vertical orientation, but forces you)
Get two USB keyboards and a lot of duct tape. What do you get? Your ergonomic keyboard :)
Three reasons why I don't need this anyway:
1) My elbows stick out, yes. But what are arm rests for then (well, maybe I need to say elbow rests).
2) The elevation of my keyboard (aproximately 4 inches above my elbows) keeps my wrists from bending up or down (propper angle). So I can let my wrists hang on my "incorrect" ergo keyboard's wrist pad.
3) My wrists don't twist (much) either because my elbows are out sitting on my arm rests.
I guess it's just a matter of sitting back improperly in my improper chair with my improper ergo keyboard and having fun on a computer. And let off your hands every few minutes.
Plus, try playing Quake 3 or Tribes 2 on that. It would be a nightmare.
There's my two cents.
this
DOH! ;)
Forgot to put it in Plain text. Pretend there are
's in there
The keyboard lets you keep your wrists in a more natural vertical orientation, but forces you to hover your arms so you can touch the keys correctly.
This forces your shoulders (and then your back) to hold the weight of your arms while you are typing. This is very ergonomically incorrect.
The manuals for every chair that I have ever owned tells me that the armrests are positioned correctly when the weight of my arms is off my shoulders, and on the armrests.
Even their own image shows the users arms far above the chair, and the desk.
It seems like they are trading 1 improvement for the loss of 2.Besides, how the hell do you see your monitor with the keyboard in the way???
The answer seems almost obvious dude.
:)
If you have a business that employs data entry people, you want them to enter data for 8 hours a day, not 7.
This keyboard will let you work them like dogs while still showing your employees that you love them
"What are you doing Cindy? No breaks any more! You've got those new keyboards, now GET BACK TO WORK!!"
Looks pretty comfortable for the wrists, but I bet holding your hands up in the air like that would shift the problems up to your shoulders and back. You would need like a 3-inch tall wrist rest in front of it, which would have to be nicely padded because you would be leaning on the bones rather than the undersides... Think I'll hold off on this one (even if it is unique enough to get a patent).
/. posted an article about three years ago (no I am NOT searching the archives to find it damnit!) about how vertical keyboards where better for the user and how those little thingies to prop up the back of keyboards just fucked up wrists more.
.. bending your wrists back, back, letting them go forward au natural, good. Yeesh.
People still don't listen to be about it though. .
Need help treating your acne? Come here!
Yes, it removes extension, deviation and pronation. But it causes your hands to either HANG or to be supported by the edge of a palm during rest times. It will be noncomfortable after a couple of hours. In comparison, when you don't use the usual keyboard your hand is supported by all the palm surface which is much bigger and specifically able to withstand it. And your fingers rest on F and J keys, so you may immediately lift your hands and begin touch-typing.
Now, look at the position of arrow keys. In order to use them you must lift your LEFT hand, carry it over the keyboard and land it on the arrows. Do this some thousand times a day and you either become a weightlifter or sufferer. It will be usable only when you don't use the arrows and use the mouse instead. Since the ordinary people press
the arrows with RIGHT hand, attempt to do so on this keyboard will result to MUCH MORE deviation.
Possibly the Happy Hacking Keyboard in this form will work much better than the original 101-key because it has much less keys and so they ALL can be placed vertically.
Windows stinks mice
When will we get keyboards that resemble Star Trek TNG LCARS?
Linux: When reboots are for upgrades.
As much as a completely flat & rectangular keyboard cramps up my wrists, this keyboard would be just plain awkward for me. the keyboard I use is pretty tame compared to the radical design of this vertical type, but I remember when I bought my (Generic ergo keyboard, which resembles the M$ Natural) keyboard, I thought it was quite the wacky design, but it turned out to be quite comfortable, and I still use it.
Maybe I should try DVORAK someday.
in the wallet!
Anyone that buys this keyboard is truely insane. $550 canadian for the thing put it at 2/3rds the cost of a entire cheap system.
I never get any pain in my hands unless I'm typing for a few hours straight, but let me tell you, if I had to keep my hands raised in the air for 3 hours, I have a feeling they will be a lot more sore then anything on a horizontal keyboard.
I don't know many people that can type without sight of the keys on a keyboard, sometimes things just get screwed up. And what about all us guys that browse.... one handed....
Also, in a quick test of holding my hands in the air at about the right height and pretending to type, my arms got tired in a few minutes.
While IT Director at a major oil company, a division HR Manager asked me to help solve the RSI complaint of an employee who was only affected by RSI at work (After work, she could golf, garden, play HOCKEY etc.).
So I got her one of these chairs (a different brand) and the HR Manager agreed to have her workstation and this chair adjusted by an ergonomic consultant. This included recording all measurements/angles etc.
The woman simply could not adapt to the keyboards on the armrests and her next complaint demanded VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE. (not too available for the old JDEdwards text-based app on an AS/400)
Instead, we noted that she had changed all the settings on her chair and removed the elevation blocks under her monitor.
SAFETY VIOLATION!!!! This is a BIG DEAL in an industry where OSHA compliance is so essential. "Failure to utilize provided essential ergonomic safety devices", "Intentionally circumventing protective devices"
Guess what? After that HR Visit, NO MORE COMPLAINTS.
You know I used to play the sax, and inorder to keep your arms from losing placement and to cange the angle of the mouth piece you had a little hook to put your thumb on... Now where am I going with this? Why wouldn't an inteligent individual incorpate some sort of arm rest, instead of some cracked out mirrors to confuse the typer...
Just a Thought.
now only if there was an ergonomic chair to get rid of this line that ends at my chest and starts at my gut! come on.... you know what i'm talkin about.. when you sit down and hunch over,its there... when you stand up, it goes away but the wrinkle is still around. I guess prevention is the key
Noisy flash crap while I'm earing music on my computer, they lost a potential customer...
Flouride causes cancer and *genetic* *mutation* if you listen to the right people. (Maybe I can score a date with a certain X5, if I mutate, though!)
Erm, right, where am I going?
Keyboard user. 120+ wpm, depending on my mood/adrenaline.
I don't use that homerow crap they teach you. My fingers descend upon the keys only when striking them. I don't look at the keyboard at all, and rarely make mistakes.
For some reason, I can type for upwards of six+ hours and not have one whit of pain. Not in my fingers, never in my wrists. In all honesty, the only real pain I've ever had was from marathon FPS sessions, and then, in my right hand/wrist. Where is my mouse? To the right of my keyboard.
I can't *type* on an MS Natural keyboard. It actually hurts after about twenty minutes, for me.
So, I ask, are they certain that current-day keyboards are so 'bad'? That they're the cause of RSI/CTS? I think at this point, we know that improper mouse use can do bad things. But, I don't see a mad rush on ergonomic mice.
Why keyboards? I have no pain now, but admittedly, I don't type 'correctly'. Is that why? Because I'm typing in, perhaps, a more correct way?
Maybe it is that my hands aren't touching the keys unless striking them. Perhaps they're getting regular 'breaks', eliminating the need to take a rest every hour. I don't know. All I know is that the MS Natural/other ergo keyboards cause me pain. So, I think at the least, that it isn't the shape of the keyboard, but what you do with your hands that causes/prevents RSI/CTS/etc.
...and found out thet vertical keyboards do not exactly feel ergonomic.
Mice are the most pain-inducing device for me. The 3M mouse is the best mouse I've used. I recommend giving it a try if mice make you hurt. Works better for me than my old Logitech Trackman Marble FX.
Why are you reading the comments if you are so outraged by seeing the linked article?
... but largely becuase my grandfather did some of the seminal work on it and coined the term: ;-)
0 7/qid=1023537597/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/202-7462303-9 644620
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/04120780
But yeah, there's a lot of crap out there.
Has anyone tried taking a standard keyboard and placing it at a 45 angle so that the right side of the keyboard is touching the back of your mousepad (roughly) and the left side is closer to you? It's much more comfortable to type on once you train your fingers to type at an angle without bending your wrists, and makes the transition of keyboard to mouse easier for your right hand.
I think the new vertical keyboard will be good for wrist motion, especially up-down motion where it counts for us men;-)
What a load of horseshit.
:wq
This one's old. Anyway they're all at keyalt.com
/A
I switched to the Kinesis-Ergo keyboard a couple years, and have never had wrist pain since. Here's a place I found with great prices on them:
http://www.dmb-ergonomics.com/mailtok2.htm
We could all see this coming, the only problem is that I can only see it catching on for people who "know" the keyboard layout already - ie nerds and typists :p, namely because people that have to keep on looking to either side for a key wont be happy - I'd love a go of one though, see if its any better
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Comment removed based on user account deletion
My Microsoft natural pro only just fits in the space for keyboards in my desk, this new "vertical" keyboard aint exactly space friendly, unless it can be folded up when not in use.
Still, it would make a great gizmo for the "must haves" brigade, who have more money than sense.
Milambar Help Services Director - irc.sorcery.net
see the pic here ? See the ring? Would you buy from some one with two left hands? ;)
b4n
Often overlooked is the fact that wrist pain can be the result of back trouble. All the nerves that go to your hands (or nearly every other part of your body for that matter) travel down the inside of your spine and then out between the vertebra. So, a "crick" in your neck or back may result in pinched nerves, which is likely to be perceived as pain in an extremity. This is why posture, regular breaks and stretching and exercise are so key; slumping and frailty tend to screw up your back alignment, and can cause pinched nerves.
Is a moderate mechanical response; a gentle but reassuring clackety-clack when I press the keys.
That's something we haven't had since when, the XT keyboards? All this membrane bollocks is so impersonal.
I don't need new layouts, I need a back to basics keyboard...
Blearf. Blearf, I say.
this is just one example of a product that you won't see becoming popular because its patent restricts its creation/selling.... grrr. i hate patents.
I had a friend who was working in the Occupational Therapy section of the army. Before you say it, Yes I had no idea that this was a "trade" in the Army either. Anyway, he had told me of such a vertical keyboard design. Supposedly the vertical design puts your hands/wrist in a more natural position. I imagine that it might take some time getting used to this method of typing. However, for someone with bad wrists this may be their saving grace.
you get carpal tunnel because you have to have a genetic predisposition to it (I should know I have had it an the opperations both hand 11 years ago), as for ergonomics, when I last sure the hand specialists I was referred to for a latter mystery condition, they told me that no-one can define ergonomic, it's differrent from one person to the next, you just have to adjust thing till you don't have strain, i.e. find the mouse for you etc.... One things for sure past experience with what sets my hands off, tells me that there board would kill my hands, which is par for the course, so far every ergonomic thing I've ever heard of, ended up in court over RSI etc....
in my life God comes first.... but Linux is pretty high after that
Francis Smit