I just realized that I've now been typing on the Dvorak keyboard for as long as I had used the QWERTY keyboard before that, 13 years. I'm glad that part of my typing history is now just an old memory. If you've never given it a try, I strongly encourage you to test it out. Not for the speed (I type at roughly the same speed I did before), but for the lower hand and arm strain and the mental enjoyment of using a keyboard layout that just makes more sense. [Read more…]

I almost forgot that one of the reasons that I bought this particular trackball (Logitech's Optical Marble Mouse) is that it's left-right symmetric. (Physically, that is, not functionally.) But my right shoulder was a bit mouse-fatigued so I switched sides. I'm just a hair less in control than when right-handed, but a small price for ergonomic help. Besides there are interesting tiny differences in the way you think about mousing lefty. Navigating submenus seems to be the least fluent part. Been a few days as a south-paw now and I should remember to do this more often. My shoulders feel much better today. [Read more…]