A Better Keyboard
I’ve just installed a Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 5000, which I bought from PC-World in Cambridge for £49.99 as it was on special offer and also because a guy called Simon took the trouble to sympathise with my needs.
It’s a lot better, as the keys have a good feel and the mouse seems properly bal\nced with the keyboard. I’ve also started to use my left hand to do other than shift and control. Now that I’ve installed the special software, I’ve also been able to disable the caps lock key. It’s a pity I can’t do this for control and Windows. So at least one of my problems has been mitigated.
I do hope the next version of the software allows disabling most of control, but retaining those like control-C that I want.
It certainly a lot better than anything else I’ve tried. All the driver needs is a little bit of thought and we would have a stroke-friendly keyboard.
For some reason this post attracts a large amount of spam comments in Russian. Whoever is posting these, could they please Foxtrot Oscar and get back to their vodka. If they are comatose, Isuspect they can’t post. I delete all the comments which WordPress marks as spam, so they are not getting any gain, but I’m getting a bit of pain.
On July 14th I deleted 23 of these comments. On the 16th, 34 hit the dust. 2 so far on the 17th.
Darrell’s Day
If you read my last post, you’ll read a little of the story of Nathaniel Darrell, who saved Britain from the Dutch. I just thought I’d search for Darrell’s Day in Google. I then opened a site, which because it had an embedded QuickTime video in it, locked up my computer. I’m running IE8 in Vista and there are many forums that say that QuickTime and Vista are like oil and water. So I then tried to uninstall QuickTime and the uninstall software seemed to get in a pickle.
If I’d written software with those number of problems, I’d have been very ashamed of what I had done!
It’s only when you have had a stroke or have suffered serious injury or disability, that you realise how truly crap some programs are. Perhaps, such people should do most of the program testing. Preferably with the programmers in the same room, so that they could vent their feelings properly. Sometimes, I think various other instruments should be available for use in the testing process, but then I’m against violence and capital punishment.
Just think of the times recently, where software has been released without adequate testing and it has caused true distress and even possibly loss of life.
Toolbar Problems
My computer now has all sorts of toolbar problems and in some sites the clicking doesn’t work.
I’ve obviously hit some keystroke. But what?
My Overdaft Has Been Suspended
I received this scam from someone claiming to be Egg. I also received it four times. And overdraft was spelt the same in each. I don’t have an overdaft. but I suspect they are!
Note that a link in the e-mail points to a German web site. Perhapd, it’s to unsettle English fans before tomorrow. I don’t think it was sent by Germans though, as all the ones I know can spell better than that!
Dear Valued Egg Customer
Due to a recent credit limit check on your Egg Card, we have cancelled your overdaft until further noticed. Logon below to ammend your Egg Card and reactivate your account.
Failure to do this within 24hrs will lead to your online access been suspended.
Sorry for the inconvienence.
Regards,
Egg Card Customer Service
As this e-mail is an automated message, we can’t reply to any e-mails replied.
The Phone Finally Arrives
It was finally delivered at 14:45, by a pleasant driver, who hadn’t been the one, who had ytied to deliver it on Monday.
The Samsung B2100 is now working and I’m trying to find all the features. It didn’t come with a cable to link it to my computer, so this may be a problem, as I like to update the contacts from the computer, rather than by typing them in on the small keypad.
Alien Keystrokes
I got in a real mess yesterday with Word. I hit a key like control-shift-something and Word formatted everything in something truly alien and wouldn’t let me delete anything at all. In the end, I had to completely retype a two-page document.
I now use a Logitech Cordless Keyboard and Mouse, which is better than that of the laptop but I am still making mistakes. Small ones like capitalisation I can correct, but these control keystrokes just move me into am unwanted wildeness. I want to cut them out selectively.
I’ve just e-mailed Logitech, to see if they have any ideas. Here’s what I said.
I have Logitech cordless Desktop EX110. I have no issues with the product, but as I have had a couple of strokes, I find that I keep mixing the control, shirt, alt and Windows keys. This is a typical problem and several of my disabled friends say they get the same problem. It is a real pain in something like Word where combinations like control-shift-C drastically affect the way the program works.
As a programmer for nearly 50 years, the solution is to be able to disable caps lock, control, alt and the Windows key. Do you have a keyboard driver that does this. Ideally, it would still allow certain keystrokes with control to be selectively allowed, as I use control-C etc. for cut, copy and paste.
Thanks. I shall post the quest for a perfect stroke-friendly keyboard on my blog.
Let’s hope they have a solution!
Spam in French
Over the last couple of days, I’ve started to receive the usual search engine optimisation spam in French. It’s funny but it seemed to start after France’s real troubles started in the World Cup. I wonder why?
Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
I have found a full list here on Microsoft’s web site.
But I reaaly need some way of turning them off, or at least restricting them to the ones I want, to solve my keyboard problems.
One that seems to have caught me out is using the Windows key with L. This locks the computer.
Stroke-Friendly Keyboard
I know it will get better with practice, but my typing annoys me!
I usually hit the right key, or one that a spell-checker will correct, but it is the caps lock, shift and control keys that are the problem. For example :-
- I sometimes hit the caps lock instead of shift and get everything in caps. That is very rude in an e-mail and one has to have standards doesn’t one!
- I do a lot of shift characters by using two fingers of the right hand, rather than shift with the left hand and and the character with the right. But thinking back, I’ve always done this to a certain extent, but really I shouldn’t as it’s ignoring getting the left hand back in good form.
- I sometimes, hold the shift down with my left hand and not release it for the next characters. So I end up having to retype a whole phrase or sentence.
- But the major problem is that as the control and shift are so close together, I sometimes use control instead of shift. As control with a character has a meaning in most programs like Word or Internet Explorer,I tend to get in a mess, with all sorts of unwanted actions being carried out.
These problems are caused because the keys are so close together on my laptop, but even on a 2005-vintage Dell keyboard, I get the same problems.
I thought about disabling the control stroke, but that would mean I couldn’t use control-C and control-V for cut and paste. Old habits die hard.
How about the shift, control and old keys being something like piano keys on the edge of the keyboard.
Has anybody got a better solution?
Royal Dutch Shell – Service to Humanity
Have nothing to do with this? – I’ve just had four – One to each of the e-mail addreses that used to be on my web site – So someone has bought a mailing list from a scammer. They all came from an e-mail address at ahs.state.vt.us. Sounds like something to do with Vermont! It is this web site that looks totally kosher to me.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Service to Humanity
Your email has won you the amount of 500,000GBP HLP/200-26937
Contact Processing Agency: spdcgrants@discuz.orgDantino Gary
Shell Co-ordinator
The Anonymous Widower 