[ale] Lighted keyboards

[Ben Coleman]

On 6/13/2020 8:04 PM, Alex Carver via Ale wrote:
> Thanks, I'm trying to go towards not clacky.  The CEO of the household
> complains bitterly about the current clacky keyboard. :)

You could always tell her it's good for your neurological health.  A
clacky keyboard means you're getting good physiological feedback while
you're typing.

The best illustration I can think of about the importance of
physiological feedback is an old telegraphers malady called "glass arm",
or "telegrapher's paralysis".  A telegrapher with "glass arm" can't send
with a straight key more than a few minutes before the arm stiffens up
and he can no longer send.  It's a result of bad adjustment of the key,
to where you can't feel when you've actually made contact.  With no
physiological feedback, the nerves act up.

Something similar can happen with keyboards.  A mushy keyboard may not
result in "glass arm", but it will have it's effects.  And mushy
keyboards probably won't last as long, as the user tends to "create" the
feedback by hitting the keys harder.  One article I found discussing
glass arm tells of cracking the circuit on a calculator with mushy keys
because of how hard he was hitting the keys, while a calculator with
clicky keys didn't have that problem.  So while the sound of a clacky
keyboard may be irritating, it's certainly better for you than a mushy one.

Ben
-- 
Ben Coleman oloryn at benshome.net | For the wise man, doing right trumps
http://oloryn.benshome.net/     | looking right.  For the fool, looking
Amateur Radio NJ8J              | right trumps doing right.

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