Posted on 09/14/2008 3:26:39 PM PDT by Tax Government
Dear Freepers,
Let's try to put Mr. McCain in touch with companies that can supply ergonomic keyboards and chairs that allow him to work at a computer comfortably.
I suspect the best positions will include those where his arms are separated, in his lap or at his sides. This suggests a split keyboard, with attached magnetic mouse and pad, and support hardware that allows the keyboards to be moved to a variety of positions, until the best arrangements are known. Then, the hardware should be combined with a great ergonomic chair.
The keyboards are not likely to be in easy view during use. It's important the keyboard shape conform to the curved shape of a hand at rest, and provide significant positional feedback to make touch typing easy. I suspect something in the shape of a softball or soccer ball, with keyboard wrapped around it, would work. Although Mr. McCain suffered upper-arm damage, if his finger dexterity remains, he can plan to type by touch, especially if all keys are within easy reach of the hand-at-rest position.
He will, of course, need a copy of Mavis Beacon or the equivalent.
Resting postures need to be available when using the proposed keyboard, without requiring him to reposition himself. (Typists at ordinary keyboards have the option of relieving back stress by resting hands, forearms or elbows on the table or arm rests.) So, highly adjustable arm rests may be in order. Vendors of ergonomic chairs can help here.
Just as Mrs. Palin is a poster person for parents with disabled children, Mr. McCain is a poster person for those with keyboard-related disabilities.
The first step is for Mr. McCain and his doctors to identify the several ways he can place his arms comfortably while seated.
The next step is to make known to all ergonomic keyboard and chair vendors that this is a time to offer solutions, and to get the publicity that being a successful vendor to a president will create.
None of this is free. I am ready to pay $100 toward making a setup Mr. McCain can use, especially if FR opens a fund for it.
Maybe a better option is Dragon Naturally Speaking.
In the case of McCain, the basic ergo equipment wouldn’t be very useful.
When shoulders, arms, fingers have been broken again and again and not properly set over that time, you are not going to keep yourself in a position to use a computer nor
the fingers work let alone the pain
I can only feel on a certain level having had mega orthopedic surgeries, etc myself and am limited in various areas.
The President, any president, has better things to do with his time than “type”.
That’s what secretaries and speech-recognition software are for.
If he doesn’t already know how to type, he’s got really, really, really better things to do with his time than learn to type.
Really, this is the type of attack that does not even dignify a response.
Even if the Democrats roll out a disabled person who can work a computer with his three remaining working toes, it doesn't matter.
Sorry about the rant - but I remember when I first got of grad school, being asked if I could type at job interviews. I always said no. Got a great job, where there was a group secretary. (Yes, I am that old.)
He may not want to type a lot but it may be something that could provide comfort should he want to just to use it at all.
I think the idea merits some thinking.
Do we really need our President to be on the computer?
You're kidding, right? No one needs to learn touch typing before using a computer. McCain has better things to do.
“It’s important the keyboard shape conform to the curved shape of a hand at rest...”
I couldn’t agree with you more.
And having keyboard ergonomics connected with the Oval Office would be hugh and series... anything could happen. One interaction at that level could have a virtual butterfly effect on the entire industry.
That's ridiculous. If McCain wants this he certainly can afford it. He has a lot more money than the majority of Freepers do.
I would hope that this is not the intent here. It just seems to me to be too clever by half.
It is anticipated that any President will read a great deal. Computers provide the highest-bandwidth, most flexible access to printed matter available. Making efficient use of the future President's time is what this discussion is about.
Obama should be raked over the virtual coals for mocking people with disabilities. In speeches recorded on YouTube, Obama hunched his shoulders in supposed McCain style and drew laughter. Although it happens fast and can be overlooked, the mockery was intentional...it points to a catastrophically flawed character and is utterly contemptible. I hope Obama gets 400 virtual lashes from the democrat party itself, after he loses in November and the reasons are identified.
Final thought: If America wants to be home to an educated population and remain preeminent in the information age, it will put computer ergonomics on the front burner, treat keyboarding as an Olympic class sport, and become interested in how to use computers efficiently. Mr. McCain, our next President, can lead by example here as in other areas.
We are electing Mr. McCain because of his mind. To that end, we expect to adapt technology and computers to suit him, and the other way around.
McCain/Palin in 2008; Palin in 2012.
Correction: “and the other way around” => “and not the other way around”.
No one has to learn touch typing to read Web content.
Learning “keyboarding” is a waste of time, unless your full-time job is data entry.
With all respect, you are incorrect, sir. Keyboarding is the quickest way to write a novel or computer program, trade a stock, take notes, write a legal brief.
I’ve been a technical writer for over 20 years, have a Master’s degree in Computer Science, worked in college as a computer programmer, and taught kids and adults computer literacy, apps, and programming. I never learned “keyboarding.” And I would not waste classroom time teaching it either. Make it available for students who want to learn it on their own time, sure. But never require it.
Writers and programmers should type less, and think more.
The best software developers I have known are almost all insane typists.
How else might a single person hope to write, manage, morph or grow commercial-quality software whose source files run into the many 10s of megabytes?
Think through your code before you ever hit a key. Work in pairs to review code as you write it. Write efficient code.
“Insane typing” produces bug-ridden, bloated software (unless you’re getting paid by how many lines of code you produce). Modern dev tools automate much of the tedious text entry anyway.
It’s a great world where people with vastly different views and life experiences can all survive. Good luck.
The point of this thread remains. Computer skills are essential and should be optimized. Those with higher skills do better.
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