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May 24, 2006
On Keyboards...
..and the power of four!
So, while I am sitting here right now, Oh Patient One is in the kitchen plotting The Downfall Of Humanity, Teenager #1 (who is, yay!, staying with us for the summer) is watching an X Men DVD with a dictionary balanced on her head, and Teenager #2 is lecturing me about Dead Faeries. I, on the other hand, am mentally debating why it takes four trips to the electronics store to purchase a finger operated input device for this computer...
Before I get started on my rant, let me explain that Oh Patient One is also a writer, therefore his Downfall Of Humanity is a science fantasy kind of downfall. Teenager #1 is not training to become either an actor or a model (she's also a writer and is testing the book on head thing for some whimsical plot detail - don't ask). And Teenager #2 , who is not really a Faerie murderer, but IS also - you guessed - a writer, is currently half-way through his current work in progress, entitled Dead Faeries.
Yes, Michelle, but what does all of this have to do with the price of bread, I hear you cry?
Absolutely nothing, LOL. So, back to my input device issues...
A few weeks ago the keyboard for this computer finally had to go when the serial port malfunctioned. It was a good little keyboard. It had survived multitudes of people pounding the keys, the indignity of crumbs of cheese and other assorted snacks wedged between its keys, and various drinks spilled on it (including Shiraz wine), and being dropped on the floor and jumped on by various frustrated persons, but we won't go into that right now...
So we packed off Good Little Keyboard to keyboard heaven (we ceremoniously placed it in the trash can and said a few encouraging words. I cried...).
It was time to go and buy a new, state of the art keyboard. But when Oh Patient One and I got to the electronics store, we were just completely overwhelmed by the choice. Wall to wall keyboards of every color and style! (Well, black, white or gray, anyway.) The choice, the choice! Who knew? But in the end we settled on a mid-range, wireless keyboard, because less wires and no USB or serial port is easier, right? It sounded absolutely fabulous according to the blurb, I mean, this thing would get up on the table and dance naked for us! (Although keyboards don't technically need clothes. And the fabulousness explanation WAS in Dutch).
Not so fabulous, inexplicably, for us.
It worked for about two weeks, and then kept freezing up (due to lack of clothes?), and we got impatient, so we trekked back to the electronics store. This time we bought a mid-range USB keyboard, and it was fine until we had to reboot this bloody computer because...
Every time you reboot this bloody computer, you get an error message along the lines of, "This computer's hard disk will self-destruct in ten seconds unless you hit the F2 key right now." We're not worried about this, the computer's been telling us this for at least two years, and it's been a crappy computer from the word go, and we're just waiting for it to finally die so that we can buy a new one. But, back to the F2 issue. See, we can't do anything with this bloody computer unless we can get through the F2 issue. And apparently, the new USB keyboard had its function keys reconfigured for something or other, so pressing F2 didn't do what it was supposed to do (it didn't even get up on the table and dance naked!). We couldn't work out how to get to the "real" F2 because the instructions were, of course, like every electronics device we buy here, in every language except English, and our technical Duch isn't quite up to par.
Back to the computer store for a third time...
We got another USB keyboard, this time with the assurance of a sales person that it wasn't preprogrammed and the F2 key would definitely do what it was supposed to do and stop this computer from self-destructing in ten seconds...plus, it didn't dance on the table naked, which was fine by us.
Guess what? The keyboard is perfect! It is sublime! It even looks cute!
At least it was until last night, when somebody accidentally spilled a drink on it, and it had a nervous breakdown, never to work again!
So, guess where I went today, and guess what I bought?
Michelle
Posted by Michelle at 2:06 PM | Comments (10)
Comments
Out of curiosity, were any or all of these keyboards the normal kind or ergonomic? I have been pondering purchasing an additional keyboard for my laptop (to save my eyes from from melting under the harsch light of the screen!) and was wondering if the ergo ones were worth it?
My laptop keyboard has tons of crumbs in it (chocolate that's probably melted and fused to it by now, scone bits, etc). I'm waiting for the day that I can't depress the keys for all the junk underneath.
Posted by: Chrstina at May 24, 2006 4:07 PM
Out of curiosity, were any or all of these keyboards the normal kind or ergonomic? I have been pondering purchasing an additional keyboard for my laptop (to save my eyes from from melting under the harsch light of the screen!) and was wondering if the ergo ones were worth it?
My laptop keyboard has tons of crumbs in it (chocolate that's probably melted and fused to it by now, scone bits, etc). I'm waiting for the day that I can't depress the keys for all the junk underneath.
Posted by: Christina at May 24, 2006 4:09 PM
I have ergonomic keyboards for all of my computers and couldn't type any other way now. It's just SO much better. And poor Mesheroo!!!
hugs,
alesia
Posted by: Alesia Holliday ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 24, 2006 4:31 PM
Ugh! I feel your pain! I've gone through countless keyboards in the past few years, each one sputtering out after I accidentally dumped water on it.
And I second the ergonomic keyboard . . . the ergonomic mouse is also the bee's knees.
Posted by: Whitney at May 24, 2006 5:43 PM
For your information, the book balancing was extremely crucial to the development of my plot and characters! Due to the discoveries made during that experimemt, I completely re-wrote the turning point of the story, changed the ending, and added a singing parrot.
Well... then again, maybe not.... ;)
P.S. I rule at technology over you:P
Posted by: Teenager#1 at May 25, 2006 2:11 AM
Well, Gals, I'm ashamed to say it's just a regular keyboard. I'm a bit of an unintentional luddite when it comes to technology (as some of you might have guessed by now, LOL), but I forsee another trip to the electronics store at some point, so mebbe I'll aim for ergonomic next time around. My new keyboard is, however, smart and stylish in a black/chrome kind of way ;-)
Teenager #1 - sigh - yes you are right, honey, you do rule over me at technology, and I will now tell everyone else why...
When Teenager #1 heard about The Keyboard Affair, she immediately asked to take a look at Non F2 (as we have now named the doomed preprogrammed keyboard) because, of course, even though we couldn't get it to work, it is still with us (we couldn't find the receipt so we couldn't take it back to the store). Anyway, she unplugged the newest new keyboard, plugged in Non F2, and guess what? She pressed a button. One button. It is called Office Lock. And then Non F2 was suddenly transformed into a regular keyboard, and all the function keys do exactly what they are supposed to do.
By the way, recently my multifrequency DVD machine died, so I had to go the electronics store to buy a new one. But that's a story for another day :-)
Posted by: Michelle C at May 25, 2006 3:00 AM
Poor Michelle! I hate buying electronic equipment. I start looking at options and experience immediate and severe sensory overload which requires me to go home and lay down with an ice bag on my head.
Eileen
Posted by: Eileen at May 25, 2006 11:04 AM
Eileen, I have that same severe sensory overload! Which is why, the next time I have to purchase something electronic, I am taking one of The Teenagers with me, sigh.
Posted by: Michelle C at May 25, 2006 11:30 AM
Hehehe.... please refer all future technical questions to Teenager#1 ;)
Btw, Dad (Oh Patient One) has only just realized that we are using the NonF2 (now fixed) Keyboard, because Teenager #2 has ended the existence of the third (or was it fourth) keyboard with the cunning use of a spilled beer can... it only took him two days.. lol...
Posted by: Teenager#1 at May 25, 2006 1:41 PM
I also use an ergonomic keyboard and it is wonderful!! Takes a week or so to get used to it, but it is well worth it--this coming from someone who is already dealing with carpal tunnel... As for stuff falling into the keyboard--glad to hear that they can actually stand up to all the crumbs and whatnot! I know mine always has several hairs on it from the various dogs and cats that believe the living room (in which the computer resides) is their personal boudoir, as well as crumbs and lord knows what else left behind when my DDs and DS are finished using and abusing it.... !o far no liquids *she says while knocking on wood*
Posted by: Sheri at May 25, 2006 4:36 PM
