EnMasse

[Tehanu]

Silly question that popped into my head after whipping through a gazillion emails (and now I'm trying to check so am typing pretty slowly ...).

I don't look at the keyboard. Score one point, I guess.

Huh. Seems the majority of my typing is index and middle fingers of both hands and I can whip stuff off pretty damn fast for being unconventional. I use my left ring finger for "A" and my right one for punctuation marks but that seems to be about it. Minus a bunch of points.

Enter and backspace: right middle finger. Dammit, that's worse than I thought! Shift is left ring finger. Marginally better. Space bar? Right index finger. Shit!

I may as well not have thumbs at all.

And now I'm so busy analysing I can barely type at all.

Did anyone take a typing course in high school?

[TS.]

I took a required typing course in highschool, and as a consequences I can type pretty quickly. However, I still use primarily my thumb, index and middle fingers for typing, even when reaching to farther letters like P or Q. I use my thumb primarily for the space bar and alt, and I use my right hand pinky finger for shift.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

[Senor Magoo]

Funny you should ask. In public school, my handwriting was poor. Very poor, to the point that comments about it appeared on nearly every report card. I started high school back when "business" courses were common, such as typing and shorthand, and my parents promised me a typewriter if I would take and pass typing.

I took it, achieving a remarkable 20 wpm on my final test, but I passed and got myself a nice Smith-Corona electric for my troubles. Years of keyboarding have made me faster, but with the 'crutch' of the Backspace key to help.

When I first started touch typing I would have to say, in my head, what I was typing. "D-E-A-R-space-S-I-R-comma". Then one day, without specifically trying, I noticed that I could just "say" the words themselves, like dictation. My fingers would spell out the letters, though I do notice that when I'm tired, they tend toward the occasional homonym.

I'm still no good with the numbers, but I can type without looking, especially if I'm dictating from my mind, and I like to unnerve staff by continuing to type rapidly while looking up and talking to them.

I regret, bigtime, not taking shorthand, but there was no deal in place for that.
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[Timebandit]

I took typing in grade 10.

In grade 9, we had to meet with the guidance counselor to determine which "stream" we'd be placed in: University stream, clerical/business stream or trades stream. I had high marks and my family had been talking up higher education since I could walk, so my intention was to go to university.

I remember the counselor's eyebrows going up when I told him my intention, then opening the file, the gentle shake of the head and the hardly audible tsk tsk. I wasn't really university material, you see. My father was a tradesman and my mother hadn't finished school. Perhaps a more realistic goal was in order. Wouldn't I like a nice office job?

I stuck to my guns, made my case on marks and aptitude scores and insisted that I really wanted those university qualifying classes (algebra vs "business math") and he kept getting redder and redder in the face. Finally, I proposed a compromise. I would give up French and take typing if he'd approve the other uni entrance courses. He finally gave in.

So I took typing and then Greek instead of French in university. Sent the classist old bastard a copy of my sheepskin when I got it, too.

Not that typing doesn't come in handy, but still.

[Raos]

I was always a bit of an odd typist and adaptable. Growing up/going through school I could type "properly" with all 10 fingers without looking(and quite quickly, I might add) but If I were just typing casually, I'd only use 7 fingers. My whole left hand operated just as it would for formal typing, but on my right hand I'd only use my thumb for the space bar and my middle finger for everything else on the right side of the keyboard. I still managed to be quite admirably quick despite essentially singe fingering the entire right side of the keyboard.

Now I keep my keyboard set to a dvork layout and use my hands "properly", and can switch back to qwerty with proper technique in a pinch.

[bshmr]

FYI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard seems to be what was alluded to (-:

[unionist]

I type with nine fingers - all but my left thumb.

[Caissa]

four fingers

[Hephaestion]

I usser mayt gnos.
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin

[Rufus Polson]

I'm a boring typist. Took a course in grade 8, did mediocre, but it stuck pretty well. So yeah, 8 fingers, both thumbs. Which was handy because there was a typing speed requirement for at least one job I've been in--the requirement had practically nothing to do with the job, but you had to take a test anyhow, so . . .

Timebandit--it's assholes like that keep the system running, what? What a creep.

[Timebandit]

It was a bit of an eye-opener. I always chuckle when somebody tells me there is no class system in Canada. I didn't make it to my 25 yr high school reunion last summer, but was in touch with a few people and there were a few of us who bucked the odds, but only a few.

I had to take a typing test for a job once and totally choked. I can type pretty fast if I'm focused, and faster if I'm making it up myself. Now that I write for a living, it's a pretty good skill to have. So not a total loss.

I got very good at typing one-handed when the wild girls were small and I was nursing them. I believe I used all 5 fingers.

[Raos]

Just ran across a link to the Ultimate Typing Championship.

They have a practice game that has you type a short excerpt and clocks your typing speed. I managed 113wpm twice (on my third and fourth attempt), I've still got it!

[Tehanu]

Oh my, Raos, you are EVIL. Talk about a new addition!

Anyway, I'm at about 68 wpm but I'm also trying to get over being self-conscious. I'm impressed at your speed, that's for sure, you're a demon!

[Raos]

But a fun addiction! I just tried while using a qwerty layout, rather than my usual dvorak as mentioned early (which is what I was using to get the 113wpm), and I clocked 107wpm on my second attempt with qwerty.

[fork]

I got 31 wpm looking from the monitor to the keyboard (41 when typing the excerpt from Stairway to Heaven), and 13 and 15 wpm when keeping my eyes on the monitor.

I vaguely recall taking a typing class in high school, and it was easy to not be the worst because there was a guy who refused to even try going beyond two fingers. He was gonna show us all. Except he didn't.

[TS.]

I tried it out seven times. The first two times I got 71 WPM, the second two times I got 78 WPM, the third two times 83 WPM and the seventh time 80 WPM.
_________________
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

[Raos]

Somebody sounds consistent.