January 13, 2012
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, yet much of our digital communication still relies on the keyboard. Starting with the typewriter – which debuted way back in the middle of the 19th century – we’ve had to supplement our speaking and writing with typing. Even now, we still use the keyboard to communicate from computer to computer – websites, forums, chatrooms, instant messengers and email.
December 6, 2011
They tell me touchscreens are taking over the world, and Windows 8 is going to be composed mainly of huge brightly colored tiles, easy to hit with a fat finger (or your nose). Until that happens, I’ll stick to my trusty keyboard (and Colemak, my layout of choice). But having a keyboard (and even a nice layout) is just not going to cut it – if you use a computer for a living, you need to type like a pro.
November 13, 2011
A huge majority of computer users use Qwerty as their keyboard layout; it’s the default in almost every keyboard in the world, and everyone is used to it. But there are at least two more layouts out there, and according to the people who use them, they’re actually better. So what do MakeUseOf readers think of them?
October 5, 2011
In a recent article, I reviewed a free text expansion program called DashExpanders that automatically types designated words, phrases, sentences, or entire paragraphs, based on an assigned abbreviation. So for example, if I type “bkc”, the text expansion program I use will replace it with my full name. For every article I write, I use at least a dozen text expansions to speed up the process.
August 28, 2011
Those of us who spend a lot of time on our computers know that there’s often a huge gap between the typing speed of a geek and an everyday human. There’s also a wide gap between those who do two-finger typing and those who touch-type. What’s your speed across the keyboard?
August 11, 2011
Tapping out a text message on a touchscreen is not my idea of a good time. Annoying typos happen, and even once you gain some skill, the process still feels irritating. I first heard about sliding keyboards via the much-hyped Swype keyboard. But Swype seems to be eternally in Beta, and was difficult to get a hold of. So I set out to find a good sliding keyboard that I could actually install and use, and I found SlideIT.
July 13, 2010
In this digital age we spend an incredible amount of time in front of our computers. How many hours per week do you spend typing emails, status updates, reports, blog posts, and whatnot? Imagine you could improve your typing skills and jot down those routine messages in just seconds rather than minutes. It would save [...]
February 10, 2010
I was asked today by a friend of the family, who is 11 years old, how he could learn to type better. I showed him a few tutorials that were kind of fun but not really. They all failed and failed miserably at keeping this young guy’s attention. Now I need something more along the [...]
January 25, 2010
Twenty years ago, typing was a skill reserved for PAs and office admins. Pen and paper ruled. Today however, the scenario is the complete opposite. If you live in the Western world, and even much of the developing world; PC skills are a must for anyone wanting to find a job or even book a [...]
September 14, 2009
During my initial days as a laptop user, I had discovered a mysterious phenomenon of sorts. I would be typing thick and fast, trusting my skills without paying too much attention and then when I would look back at the screen, I found the lines of text mysteriously intertwined! It was a mystery because at [...]
