TouchType

This may not be a topic that’s discussed all that often but, even though almost everyone I know spends a good part of their day looking at a computer; not many people I know can touch-type.

Doing a random you-don’t-know-I’m-doing-this-survey at work the other day, I found most of my colleagues – all of them skilled programmers – hopelessly poking at the keyboard with their forefingers while concentrating on what they are writing. Some of the more experienced people used up to two fingers per hand but that was it.
In fact, the only people I really did see touch-type (at a remarkable speed too, I must add) were the secretaries.

I don’t know why this really bothers me enough to do a post on it, but it kind of reflects on the skill-set we take pride in not having. I mean, even though we no longer concerned about handwriting (I mean, the only times I seem to hold a pen anymore are only to sign something), in a world where the only difference between someone crossing their “f”s and dotting their “i”s depends on the font used, the least we can do is take a little more concern in how we run our fingers on the one surface that’s become the standard means of getting the message across…from Email to fax, printed letters, IMs, social networking and of course, blogging!

9 comments:

Akash said...

Hi
I do wonder that too sometimes when I see my father type so fast.But when he first started typing from a keyboard, he did struggle to start with though...
anyway i am also a 2 finger person....ha ha ha lol.
Akash
Known Stranger

Anonymous said...

would the emergence of handwriting recognition software complicate this debate i wonder. :)

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@akash
Hey hi dude! Nice to see a new face.
Hmm, your dad touchtypes huh? Guess we have a lot to learn from their generation

@Firas
na, I wouldn't bet on it...
Handwriting recognition (just like voice-to-text software) caters to a very small group

Anonymous said...

Thanks to IM, I'm a little ok with typing without looking at the keyboard every now and then.. Btw, this is an interesting observation! :)

m said...

I did take courses on typewriting...but i don't know whether it helps my typing these days...esp. while switching between German and English key boards...

BTW, while typing this comment i realised that i became conscious of this touch-type typing, so i made remarkable typos and had to erase and type many times!

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@victorious
Well there's more to touch-typing than not looking at the keyboard...but I guess it brings its own problems such as the Carpal syndrome and stuff.

@ela
Agh...I hate the German keyboard; I had to nearly fight for English OS at work and I use my own sweet English keyboard.

Anonymous said...

Carpal Syndrom? What is it?

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@victorious

Its one of those new modern illnesses that strike the professionals of today.
According to some research, people who spend long hrs typing on a keyboard can develop a painful condition in the wrist...this is supposedly aggreviated by tying fast.

Anonymous said...

:O

Allahu!

Anyways, thanks for the info, brother.. I tried googling for it, but i didn't have the patience to read.