It’s the keyboard!


There’s typing. And then there’s my typing.

Recently, I’ve had a random memory filter through to me about somebody typing away to the tune of the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ (they’re strange, the random thoughts that crop up occasionally, aren’t they?); so off I went to You Tube to see if anyone had uploaded a video of it. They had: it was Jerry Lewis, and he was typing merrily away to the tune.

Only he was typing without a typewriter.

Air typing, if you like.

I can’t be certain, but I bet that a couple of typos managed to get through onto that invisible page. I can just ‘tell’.

Unlike with MY typing.

Even though I use a computer these days, and not a typewriter, I can honestly say that more than a couple of typos get through within what I type.

The arrow on my backspace key is virtually worn off, and it is the shiniest key by far on the whole keyboard. Most people say their E key is the shiniest, but not in my case.

The top row of QWERTY keys are shinier than the others, it must be said, so I must spend more time using the top keys than the others, but the backspace and the delete key are the most shiny. In fact, tilting the keyboard reveals a slight groove in the backspace key. What does that indicate?

I used to blame my Inner Typist for every typo I came up with, but that isn’t fair. Fingers, my Inner Typist, is an excellent typerer, and I couldn’t type without him. I can’t actually say that I can type properly with him, thinking about it – but really it’s the keyboard’s fault.

I think I’m like a magpie, and drawn to shiny things.

Or sjuny thumhs as my keyboard would have me say it.

Sigh.

26 responses to “It’s the keyboard!”

  1. Andra Watkins avatar

    Sometimes, I can type like the wind, Tom, and others, my fingers will not do anything but mess it up. Sigh.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      When I type, Andra, I have a little slogan… why do anything once when it can be done twice or more!
      I didn’t do too badly with this reply… I only had to retype a few of the words a couple of times…

      Like

  2. nrhatch avatar

    At times my fingers are contrary (like surly teenagers) and intentionally disregard my instructions, all the while pretending to play along.

    Instead of stopping mid-sentence and refusing to budge (which would alert me to a direct challenge to my authority as CEO of this operation), they drag themselves slowly across the keyboard, striking out at keys that have nothing to do with what I am actually trying to say.

    Sneaky little . . .digits!

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Nancy, my fingers glide across the keyboard as though that was what they were trained to do.
      When I look at the screen, and see what they’ve typed, that gliding motion becomes more of a slipping and a sliding!

      Like

  3. Diane Henders avatar

    LOL! You just made me pick up my keyboard and tilt it this way and that to see which keys are shiniest. You’re right about the backspace… but I have a big worn spot on my space bar, and part of my N is missing. Hmmm, you could start a wonderful business analyzing keyboard wear – it’s almost as good as palmistry. 🙂

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Yes, that could be a good little earner, Diane!
      I wonder if anyone will have a worn out F1 key? (However, I have a bit of a shine on my F5 key!)

      Like

  4. prenin avatar

    I have managed to work my way through six keyboards and I have discovered that I can touch type as long as I don’t think about actually typing the individual letters!!! 🙂

    Crazy I know, but I’ve been a programmer as well as a fervent computer user for thirty years and as a result I have learned to do it by accident!!! 🙂

    This is a new keyboard so as yet none of the keys are shiny, but give me time… 😉

    God Bless on a foggy morning!

    Prenin.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      I work with someone who says he touch-types, Prenin. He’s a programmer.
      His typing is worse than mine!
      I touch-type. Well, I touch all the wrong keys as well as the right ones when I type!!!
      Hope your new keyboard lasts!
      It wasn’t foggy at 6am, but at 1.30 am the world had vanished!

      Like

  5. Visionkeeper avatar
    Visionkeeper

    I just have to ask T, where in heavens name do you come up with these ideas? Do they just come popping in or do you have to conjure them up? It really is fascinating! Blessings… VK

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Thanks, VK.
      I was looking for something to write about for this post, and had just read a post on Susan’s blog about typing on a typewriter, when the flight of the bumblebee tune came to mind. From there, my fingers did what they do …er… best!

      Like

  6. becca3416 avatar

    I like to think I am a good typer, but everyone knows using the Caps LOCK BUTTON *shit* instead of the quick Shift key for capitalization is so amateur. You knwo?

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Oh, absolutely, Becca. SO amateur!
      I DO IT ALL the time

      Like

  7. aFrankAngle avatar

    Air typer … brilliant … and your tune reminded of one-string willie.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Thanks, Frank! That’s the tune, I think!
      At least I can type a lot better than I can play the guitar with all of the strings, so that’s a bonus!

      Like

  8. Tilly Bud - The Laughing Housewife avatar

    I have a German keyboard- imagine how many typos I make in a day!

    Love your banner.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      An English one is challenging enough for me, Tilly! Does a German one have more keys?
      And thanks, I always add a poppy to my header at this time of the year.

      Like

      1. Tilly Bud - The Laughing Housewife avatar

        No more keys, but the symbols are all different.

        Like

  9. Deb avatar

    Some days I can type very well, and other day not well at all…as you may know.
    I had to hit backspace 3 times to get through the first sentence and once for this last one. 🙂

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      It’s all fun though, Deb!
      Our backspace keys must be the most over-worked ever! I’ve had to use mine about eight times in this short comment!

      Like

  10. europasicewolf avatar

    My fingers glide and fly across the keyboard in fine style being expertly trained ones and spellchecker ensures no backspacing is normally required since it does all the hard work 😉 However I do have an issue with shiny keys, in particular the “N” key. It is so shiny that the “N” has completely disappeared leaving a blank and frankly very upsetting key in it’s place. I am not at all happy about this as I cannot purchase a replacement key – I asked – and none of the stick on letters available from various sources are any use unless I want something like a gold itallic “N”, white letters in any form proving practically non existent and the few around are humongously large. So disaster. Shiny black very blank key offending my eyeballs and the laptop’s only about 18 months old. I must now purchase a nice shiny Windows 8 one with an “N” on it’s key. And a separate keyboard to avoid this ever happening again! It’s aesthetically horrible and obscene you see without the “N!!” Not that I need to look at the keys to type but I KNOW…you know what I mean? That horrible “knowing” that drives you quietly nuts and also seems to cause regular crashes and freezes leading to an unhealthy yanking out of the power supply to get it off!

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      You see, Icewolf, my typing is of the style that not only do I have to backspace constantly, I also manage to mis-type words for other correct words, so spellchecker doesn’t highlight them. Yes, the word is correct… it’s not the word I meant to type but the spelling is spot on. It’s a pity I don’t manage to hit the bullseye as often with the words I intend to type!
      And, regarding the N, I understand completely. I cringe when I have to use a keyboard and part of a letter is missing… it just doesn’t feel right!
      I sound like a complete barm pot at times… shiny keys, at present, don’t bother me.
      It would appear that N is the most used letter, rather than E. Hmmm…

      Like

  11. Sue Dreamwalker avatar

    If I had a £ for every typo error I could retire.. LOl… I love logging in on Chrome though as it gives you spell checker too so it makes you re-read that which was written..

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Same here, Sue… but sometimes I type the wrong word spelled correctly which spellchecker doesn’t pick up!

      Like

  12. shreejacob avatar

    Ah typos..I used to make typos even while looking at the keyboard and typing out the words! Then I learned how to type by not looking at the keyboard too often…and now I make even more typos while looking at the keyboard while typing!
    Does this mean I can keep my Typo crwon? 😛

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      You certainly can, Shree! My typos occur if I’m looking at the keys or not… once, and this may sound weird, my keyboard was typing away on its own and I was getting typos then too! I don’t mention that incident very often…

      Like

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