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Ask Slashdot: Typing Advice For a Guinness World Record Attempt?

An anonymous reader writes "In fifth grade, I amazed my fellow classmates when I demonstrated what 132 words per minute looked like. Recently, an acquaintance of mine saw me typing out a word document for graduate school and was impressed by my typing abilities. He suggested that I seriously contemplate attempting a Guinness World Record with such abilities. At the moment, I can manage an average of about 155-160 words per minute, with bursts around 180-185 words per minute (in the typing world, five characters defines a word, in case you were wondering). That aside, I have a few questions to pose to Slashdot readers (whom I am sure have been typing much longer than I have): What are some tips to fully maximize one's ability to type at the fastest possible rate? Do you have any specific keyboard recommendations that will improve my speed? Has anybody here ever competed in a typing event or thought about going for the world record? Is it worth learning Dvorak for the sole purpose of attempting such a record? How difficult would it be to improve my typing abilities from where they are now to where they need to be to acquire such a record?"

20 of 307 comments (clear)

  1. Bad place to ask by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Most /.ers are far from good typists. You can tell by the typos.

    1. Re:Bad place to ask by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Programmers and IT workers are actually rather bad typist.

      Just because we are on a computer all day... It doesn't mean we are typing all the time, we are Programmers not data entry. If we end find that we are typing too much we write a program to do it for us.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Bad place to ask by thereitis · · Score: 4, Insightful

      A problem I find is that my muscle memory is tied to typing computer terms, so I often misspell ordinary words as a similar, computing-related word. I've never progressed past 106wpm (probably not that fast anymore as I've gotten a little sloppy). I can't really imaging 'scaling up' to 160 wpm without making a personal breakthrough on typing efficiency.

    3. Re:Bad place to ask by ArsonSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

      Like I tell my wife, "I may not be good, but at least I'm fast!"

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    4. Re:Bad place to ask by bojanb · · Score: 5, Interesting

      He, and I thought I was crazy. When typing fast, every time I try to write "serve", my hands automatically type "server". Every single time.

    5. Re:Bad place to ask by raymorris · · Score: 5, Funny

      Same here. Also many of my IM messages end with ":wq"

    6. Re:Bad place to ask by jfdavis668 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Do you end every sentence with a semi-colon?

    7. Re:Bad place to ask by QuesarVII · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or you could be polite and realize it takes a minute to figure something out sometimes, and not demand immediate responses. You should expect a delay in many situations.

    8. Re:Bad place to ask by sco08y · · Score: 4, Insightful

      We use an instant messenger product at work, and the programmers often use it to ask me questions. I will spend about 20-30 seconds to type a 4-6 sentence response. They will take 2 minutes to respond with 4-5 words. BTW, you can see when they are responding, so I know they are typing the entire time.

      It's called editing.

  2. Hepl offreed by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cotnact me if your gonig for teh recrod. I am a nexpret in tiipyng and can gvie you ltos of usfeul tips .

    --
    My first program:

    Hell Segmentation fault

  3. PS2 VS USB? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    PS2 VS USB?

    what one can handle faster input?

    1. Re:PS2 VS USB? by rossdee · · Score: 4, Funny

      Do they have USB 3.0 keyboards yet? That could handle millions or words per minute...

    2. Re:PS2 VS USB? by Guppy06 · · Score: 4, Funny

      USB easily; a DualShock 2 controller is lousy for picking letters at any decent speed.

  4. You've got a ways to go by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm a speedtypist as well (130-150WPM average, 160+ bursts) the issue that you will run into is that it gets incredibly hard to add the extra WPM, and last I checked your goal is above 200.

    Good luck but you generally peak out eventually.

  5. Re:Why is this posted AC? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've never had a Slashdot account, though I've been posting here for years. Your sort of bigotry is not nearly incentive enough.
    I've had several dozen +5 first posts over the years, and have made a positive contribution to many discussions.
    What does it matter what silly pseudonym is displayed above a good comment, or how many digits are in the number next to it?
    Even if the submission is completely made up, the discussion will still be meaningful.

    Now on topic: if the submitter's been typing QWERTY mad-fast since fifth grade or before, I find it hard to believe he can do any better with Dvorak.

  6. Current Records by Mr.+Sketch · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to Wikipedia:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute

    The fastest typing speed ever, 216 words in one minute, was achieved by Stella Pajunas in 1946 on an IBM electric.[6][7][8][9] As of 2005, writer Barbara Blackburn was the fastest English language typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 wpm for 50 minutes, and 170 wpm for shorter periods. She has been clocked at a peak speed of 212 wpm.

    One of the most notable online records considered genuine is 256 wpm (a record caught on video) on TypeRacer by American Sean Wrona, the inaugural Ultimate Typing Championship winner, which is considered the highest legitimate score ever set on the site.

  7. Confusious Say;... by flyneye · · Score: 4, Insightful

    - Practice, Practice, Practice- --10,000,000 anonymous piano teachers
    - See the ball, be the ball- --Chevy Chase in "Caddyshack"
    - Use the force, Luke- --Obiwan Kenobi in , you know, that one show...
    - Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be- --Johnny Cash-- "Cocaine Blues"
    What can I say, go for the record.
    I had a friend, of simple mind and scheming disposition, who in his drifting sought donations to fund his time and sojourn to Ireland to demonstrate for Guinness his ability to bicycle backwards continually. For months he drifted around the country putting on exhibitions and demonstrations of his talent amassing quite a warchest. He traveled to Ireland, pretty much free of charge and being free of responsibility for months in pursuit of his dream. He did then bicycle around the Guinness buildings for 24 hours and change , setting the record. The next week a local Irish held the record. There are no losers in this story. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

    --
    *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  8. Re:Hello? Editors? by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

    It might be redundant but he/she typed the sentence really fast.

  9. Re:Why is this posted AC? by adolf · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What does it matter what silly pseudonym is displayed above a good comment, or how many digits are in the number next to it?

    Simple: In a discussion, I like to know if discussing with the same person, a different person, or with several people.

    I also prefer some level of surety that the person I'm replying to might actually read it.

    I do realize that logging in on /. offers no guarantee of either of these things, but it's a start.

    Meanwhile, I killfile all reply notifications that come from Anonymous Cowards because doing so makes discussing things on /. feel more like conversing with humans instead of talking at a wall.

    If I wanted an anonymous place to randomly comment on the world with no sense of personification, I'd just go over to pastebin and be ignored there instead.

  10. Re:I didn't catch that... by TheGothicGuardian · · Score: 5, Funny

    <movietrailervoice>"In a world where all words are five letters... one man can make the difference between brilliance and darkness..."</movietrailervoice>

    "Innna world where allll words arrre fiive lttrs... onnne mannn cannn maake theee dfrnc betwn brlnc annnd drkns..."