I feel like I'm back in typing class...

The Chicago report is going to wait a few hours (or maybe not).

As for the subject line...

I just got my new Kinesis Advantage Pro Keyboard at work. I actually ordered 2 of them (one for the mac, one for the PC).

It's really cool, but it's going to take a few days to get used to.

I've learned a lot of bad keyboarding habits from various standard keyboards. I'm suddenly discovering what all of them are. I reach for the "6" key with my left hand (thank you, Microsoft ergo-fucking-nomic keyboard). I reach for the parentheses with the wrong fingers. This keyboard makes those moves difficult if not impossible.

Then there are the changes that Kinesis made in the keyboard layout. Finding the home keys is not as natural (read "not what I'm used to"). I've discovered I hit the space-bar with my left thumb. Only problem is the space-key in this layout is on the right thumb.

Strangely enough, those are really the only changes that are really odd getting used to. "enter," "backspace" and "delete" on the thumb clusters are really easy to get used to. Nav keys on the thumb clusters are pretty easy too. Arrow keys below c/v and m/, are nice, actually (well, except for gaming, I expect).

A foot-switch activated 10-key mode is even available, and easy to use.

It's the end of the first day having this keyboard, and I'm already almost back to my regular typing speed. Who knows; maybe I'll be able to type even faster once I'm used to it.

'course, now I'm even more impatient for the second one to arrive for the Windows machine, and I need to order one for home.

Geek Moment...

(this was going to be the subject for the last post, but the other was so much more appropriate for discussions of the keyboard, and this is so much more appropriate for this...)

No sooner do we get back from Chicago (report still pending), than does kproche hop another plane, but this time it's not an Imperial Court function.

About now he should be arriving in Anaheim for IEEE Wescon 2004. If you take a look at session K2 you'll see that he's giving the second keynote presentation of the conference.

Anyway, just thought that some of you might like to know that the same spintronics lecture you've seen him give at WorldCon and regional science fiction conventions caught some serious attention and will be presented at the west coast's biggest engineering conference.