Tough Luck for the Picky Touch Typist

Well, I am attempting to write this with a different keyboard today. We'll see how it goes. I'm picky about keyboards in a way. (Though probably anyone who spends as much time as I do writing on the computer probably cares quite a bit about the keyboard also.) My old, comfortable keyboard bit the dust on me. Various keys weren't working anymore at all, and sometimes even the still-working ones would type in jibberish instead of the letter I was pressing. Odd behavior for a keyboard, but I suspect it may have had something to do with the liberal dousing in water that J gave it last week.

All right, take two with a new keyboard. The last one (a standard-issue Compaq one) required me to press too hard, making my fingers hurt. But this one I'm trying out now is the strangest one of all. I suspect they were going for "ergonomic design" or something, but mostly it's frustrating. It took me a few tries just to figure out where to place my fingers. Instead of the normal, continuous "QWERTY" layout, it has a break in the middle-- a large gap with both sets of keys sloped up on each side. I don't think I'm describing it very well, but let's just say it's awkward. Less awkward than the last one, but

still. . . . Hey, I found a picture so you can see what it looks like:

The keyboard angles up to meet where that break in the keys on the left is. Supposedly this thing is supposed to reduce symptoms of carpal tunnel or other discomfort. I don't know; so far it just feels weird. Does anybody use anything similar? Is it worth the strangeness, and I should just keep on with it until I get used to it?

Even if I decide I can't stand it, I don't think Terence has any more random extra keyboards so I'm just going to have to use this one until I can buy a new one. Sheesh.

Anyway, the original plan was to take a few moments to blog about what kind of day I had yesterday. But since this keyboard is driving me batty (and I keep having to retype everything sixteen times since I can't hit the right keys) I think I'll put this off until tomorrow.

I think it's going to be "essential" that I go shopping tonight and find a new keyboard.

(Maybe I'm a little nuts?)