RSI-basher?

[Ryan Thompson]

Hi Paul,

Sorry for jumping in kind of late. I don't follow -chat quite as
religiously as I used to. However, I do know a thing or two about RSI,
and keyboards.

When I first started noticing stiffness/soreness in my wrists, I reacted
quickly. (Given the fact that I was eighteen, I wasn't about to sluff it
off to 'getting older' like some people I've talked to). I was already a
100WPM touch typist while my joints were still growing (on everything
from electric typewriters to the 'old clackety-clack AT keyboards'
(actually, it was an XT.. but not many people remember the difference
these days :-) Now that my fingers are longer, I don't have to move my
hands as much as I did when I was a young lad. :-)

Anyway, the split keyboards (Microsoft Natural) were supposedly the
hottest thing going five or six years ago, so I bought one. It didn't
take me long to become proficient with it, but, even after a couple of
months, my wrists continued to become more sore. So, especially
considering I was about to start this new hosting business, which turned
my 4-5 hours/day in front of a computer screen to 14-15, I knew
something had to change in a hurry.

My doctor and I kept an eye on things. He suggested I spare no expense
on a good keyboard, considering my line of work. So, did a ton of
research (consisting, mainly, of "Let me borrow that, and I'll get back
to you", with about a dozen different vendors). I bought one of these
for about US$300:

     http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/contoured.htm

At the same time, I was pretty fed up with QWERTY, so I purchased one of
the Dvorak-switchable ones. It was slow going for a couple of months,
but that gave my hands a rest, and, due to the better design, and better
layout, I can peak up to 140WPM+ for short bursts/phrases, and
*comfortably* sustain 100-110WPM for everyday use. That was 1997. The
keys are worn smooth, and the built-in wrist rests are shiny. I've
logged many millions of keystrokes on that old girl, far, *far* beyond
the rated duty cycle, and haven't had a minute of discomfort since.

I still use that keyboard every day, and purchased one of their cool new
black USB models last year. I take it with me when I do on-site
projects.

And the bonus? The layout and physical characteristics of the keyboard
are different enough from standard keyboards that I can still do 90+ on
a regular old QWERTY when I don't have one of my keyboards handy.

The other bonus? Leave one of these connected to your workstation, and
you almost don't need passwords. :-)

This being said, others were correct to point out that everybody is
different, and you really should spend some time in researching (and
trying out) different boards to find one that works for you. And, of
course, don't forget about other equally important ergonomic
considerations. Spending $1K on a great keyboard, chair, desk, monitor,
and maybe a footrest, will go a long way. (Maybe not *all* of those
things need replacing in your case, but check it out!) That's not a lot
of money to invest, IMO.

One guy I worked with a while ago had a chronic kink in his neck that
lasted for months. He had massage treatments, chiropractic adjustments,
you name it. It was worse in spring/summer/fall and generally in the
mornings, at that. It turns out the guy's computer screen faced a window
that shone directly on his screen for a couple of hours every day, and
he was unconsciously sitting or putting his head at funny angles to
block the sun or see through the glare. Hundreds of dollars in various
treatments, or twelve bucks for a set of blinds. Sometimes it's that
simple.

- Ryan

Paul Robinson wrote to chat at freebsd.org:

> Hi all,
>
> My hands/wrists are starting to give out. I'm spending 10+ hours a day at a
> screen having done so now for maybe 15 years, and no matter how many breaks
> I take, the ergonomic setup of my desk, whatever, I'm starting to feel the
> onset of RSI creeping in.
>
> So, I want to see what keyboards you guys are using. Is the painful switch
> to Dvorak worth it? Have you found a particularly decent keyboard that is
> incredibly comfortable?
>
> I'm currently seriously considering:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5113536463&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
>
> but $300 is a lot to blow on a keyboard. Even if it does have an emacs mode.
> Anybody used these and reccomend them, or condemn them?
>
> Any thoughts/comments gratefully received before I get the credit card out.
>
> --
> Paul Robinson
> http://www.iconoplex.co.uk/
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-- 
   Ryan Thompson <ryan at sasknow.com>

   SaskNow Technologies - http://www.sasknow.com
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