Well, like you're probably saying, like "What's that boy gone and done now"? "Has he like, signed on for an expedition into the Darién Gap. That would be awsome, right". ...or "Oh wow, like have you begun learning, like Dari... so that you can read beautiful ancient Persian poetry, er somthing--way cool, dude". Nope, nothing as interesting or exciting as that. I have begun trying to teach myself to type blind. Mundane, I know. :-? Tja, but I write a lot and I do it all with two fingers, basically. It goes quite fast, but the weakness is that I must constantly look at the keyboard and then go back and correct errors at the end of each paragraph, or at the end of the correspondence. I have wanted to do this for some time, but it was my partner who drummed-on until I finally committed myself to trying this on. Now, my bride is a typing whiz, you see... and she has been known to chide; from time to time, when she sees me at work on the compi. I have heard the stories of her exploits of when she was a puber and was good enough to go to a national typing contest. She further points out that it is better to see and correct mistakes as I go along. This being possible if I look at the screen and not constantly at the keyboard. She is right, of course. Hey--I don't need to be convinced, I'm a believer already. Right then. I began by looking on-line for a gratis course in "Blind Typing". I found a couple and one concentrates more on learning and the other gives the opportunity to practice. There is a very reputable...perhaps THE MOST reputable secretarial school in Nederland...but I am not making THIS sort of commitment. Sometimes when I am just sitting around and reading or computering on a rainy day...my bride will stroll in and say, 'Hey, lets practice the typing, shall we"? I will begin to move like molasses in february and making soft moans of discomfort....while she cheerfully begins telling what we shall do this time. I open an empty Word document and she begins dictating; first letter combinations, then short words comprised of the letter keys that I have learned the location of to a greater or lesser degree. She strolls back and forth trying to get me to type in a sort of cadence, saying that this is the way it is done. If i am not "getting it", she inquires if she must get out the flogging cane. to tap out rhythm and to deal-out the occasional corrective "tik". Whaaaat!? I have great latitude when it comes to relationships, but this?! I draw the line here. She, undaunted, continues to say in an almost menacing tone...."You will learn this, but you have to practice.". Tch! What is she like. So she begins dictating again and I type First Dutch, then English), There are dogs the there,were [tap,tap,tap,tap,,,,] waar is de huis, wat, serre, Theo, de deur [tap,tap,tap,tap....] I was constantly looking over my shoulder at the cane she tapped on the floor like a sort of metronome. Sigh. No pressure, right. At one point, she said, "Just have a look at this-- The YouTube film is of the way it once was, y'know. The sound must be turned up and you must watch the whole thing to see what happens midway in, I just love this vid.". http://youtu.be/su4w50qSOo8 Well, it really is a challenge to me to try and learn this, but I am going to try and master it. She listened to my waffling about how I would not quit and how I could learn this, and said with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, but the question is --'will you live long enough'". Pivoted and left the room.
Your wife's good intentions will be for naught. I have tried to get my husband to use more than two fingers on the keyboard, but he is still a "hunt and peck" typist (actually, it's more like "hunt, consider, then peck, then delete, then peck again"). If it works for you, go with it. Personally, I just stay away from the computer when my hubby is "typing". It sounds like a dyslexic woodpecker at work.
After learning to type 54 years ago, I can now type much better on the computer keyboard than I ever could on a typewriter. I think, if your keyboard is the standard alphabet layout, you should concentrate on learning to type the alphabet without looking. When your fingers learn which one hits which letter, typing words and phrases will come with ease. Printout a photo of the keyboard, lay it to the left of the keyboard and look at it instead of the actual keyboard while typing the alphabet. Good Luck...but then I have seen some people who never learned to type, use the two finger method and type faster than many two handed typists.
Good luck with this most worthy endeavor S. There are 2 things that I am glad I learned early in life, one is how to drive a stick shift car, the other is how to type by touch.
I was taught to touch type in the late 1980's in a room very like the one in the video clip. The only difference being that we had a projection screen on the wall in front of us with a layout of the qwerty keys. We were taught (as Toni said) to learn the alphabet first and then our hands were covered by a handkerchief and we concentrated on the screen for positioning of our fingers. It didn't take as long as I thought it would but there were a few hilarious letters written on those old typewriters until we got the hang of it!! Ian has no intention of learning - he much prefers to be a woodpecker and have me check his e.mails before he sends them. Good luck Sjoerd!! I hope there's lots of this and not a lot of this
I taught myself to type on my dad's old typewriter while I was elementary school. I wasn't very good at it. But I did know where all the keys were. But I got better over the years and when I took typing in high school... guess who was the prize student? Basically it was a snap looking at the letter or assignment that had to be typed. What I struggled with at first with a computer was doing something like this... just typing what I'm thinking. I used to would have to write it down and then type it. Strange huh? Good luck Sjoerd... and it's okay if you don't ever get the hang of it... you seem to do pretty good already.
MG--Thanks for your advice. hahaha. I can type really fast with my two fingers, but I do want to learn how to do type "normally". It has to be possible to learn. "....a dyslexic woodpecker"--That's s good one (poor guy). Thanks TONI--for the idea to learn the alphabet first. I will try and incorporate that. It makes sense. I can type quite fast, but I always loose time when I have to go back and then check for mistakes afterwards. Ach, never mind--I shall just carry on. Thanks for the words of encouragement, 4-G-- My hat is off to you for learning two very important things in life. Good, senseable goals. I liked reading about your typing experience, EILEEN-- Querty is the system that I am learning. Thanks for the good wishes, I may need all the good wishes and luck I can get. hahaha. I see that you watched the video. I showed my bride some of the responses and she was amazed that there wasn't many comments on the vid. She thought it was so funny how the women typed to the music and how the cadence continued right along perfectly when the music was stopped. It was, in fact pretty amazing, I agreed. CHERYL--Hey, congrats on winning that prize (becoming a prize student, I mean). I imagine that teaching yourself to type beforehand helped you to reach that notoriety. That was foresight. It was interesting that you could not type a letter out of your head. I wonder if I shall have to write down my thoughts first when typing blind. I never considered that as a problem....Uh-oh. Anyhow--I appreciate your encouragement. I shall do my best.
Sjoerd... I went back and watched the YouTube video... I was in a hurry earlier and skipped it. You know... I think I remember some sort of music in my high school typing class now that I watched that. But... I thought I'd just show you this to give you a little boost of encouragement. Yep... the one I learned on years ago. My dad's old typewriter ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
When I was a kid in school, we were taught how to type the "proper" way (thumbs on spacebar, right hand on asdf, left hand on ;lkj, etc)...or should I say, they -tried- to teach us...I just could never get the hang of it! Im not the hunt and peck type though (my mom and boyfriend are! Drives me nuts...). I poise my fingers over the keyboard, think of what I want to type, and my fingers start flying. I alternate between watching the keyboard and glancing at the monitor. I do make quite a few mistakes, but I either fix em after Im done typing or fix as I go. And I always try to proofread before hitting 'send'
I'm another of the "can't type properly" brigade. Right now as I type this I am staring at each key, with a glance up to the monitor as I complete each sentence. My hands are flying every which way around the keyboard and who knows which finger is going to press which key. As a side note I also hold my pen and my chopsticks in an incorrect fashion. I wonder if there is some correlation. Best of luck Sjoerd and thanks for the chuckles during your post!
From typing SFP (search-find-punch) to typing touch? I'm so proud of you, Sjoerd! I know it's hard work, but it will be worth it, if... well... what your wife said. To add insult to injury, there's a saying that goes something like "If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way your wife told you."
Good luck with your endeavour Sjoerd! I' sure that your wife is only acting in your best interests because she knows that you wouldn't progress if left to your own devices
I am speechless, CHERYL!--What are you still doing with that thing? heh heh heh. Remarkable to see it. Hats off to you for learning. That thing ought to cast in copper or something and preserved as a monument to you for your accomplishment. Heck, BIP-- I shall be delighted if I ever get to your level of competency. You are welcome, FRANK-- I am going to give it a go. Progress is slow, but the main thing is NOT to give up, I think. DROOPY-- I see that you and my bride see all-to-eye-to-eye. In fact, it would seem that you and KM are all in ka-hoots with my bride here. :-? ARRRRRRGH! Well, I shall carry on plugging-away with this project, although I ought to just stop the whole thing so I do not have to listen to this concerted chiding. hahahaha--buit then, I would be noseless, wouldn't I? KM-- good thing I can't reach you at this moment, for I should give your little nose a twist! What are you like! chortle.
Sjoerd... the old typewriter is one of our family "treasures" that just sits in the corner... for years and years and years....
Haha one time I was at work at Home Depot doing a return on a damaged item and we had to put a note in the computer about whats wrong with it. I did my normal "flying fingers every-which-way" and typed out the message (something like "customer says didnt work" I dont remember exactly) and the guy laughed and said he'd never seen anyone type so fast in his life. Made my day!
