WPM

[BeTh...@gmail.com]

Hey all,

I would like to make a quick assessment of the overall competency and
speed of fellow grip-users.

Could everyone please reply to this thread by posting his or her
current WPM and length of ownership/hours invested?

While it's only been nearly two weeks since I first received my grip
(to be sure, I'm a lot more confident in my typing intuition), but ever
since I hit the 15 WPM mark at the end of my first week, my progress
has been less than impressive. Despite putting in a good two to three
hours of use at minimum per day, I can't seem to shake stagnation; I'm
stuck at 13-15 WPM. Has anyone else's experiece been similar?

I've been using the typing test at www.learn2type.com as my reference
point upon which to gauge my increasing abilities and playing a fun
"bubble popping game" to foster nimbleness, familiarity, and dexterity
(as well as speed). In addition, I've made it a point to use my grip
exclusively -- including instant-messaging and e-mail -- so as to
promote total immersion (kinda like when one completely immerses
himself into another culture without using his native tongue so that he
may learn the foreign language of that culture).

So, to start this thread off, here are my brief numbers:

15 WPM top speed since acquisition of grip on 03.03.2006 (approx. 20
hours invested)

[JCastagno]

I got mine just yesterday...

"Your speed was 9 WPM with 2 mistakes (adjusted speed 7 WPM)"

I've probably got about 6 or 7 hours of usage so far.

[Mike W]

For what it's worth (which I know is not much given my bias), I was at
about 20 wpm after 20 hours of use. I think I increased an average of
1 wpm for each additional hour I put in, but that's just an average; it
actually happened in spurts. I didn't test myself typing too many
punctuations like quotation marks, so I may have only achieved 15 wpm
after 20 hours of use if I tested myself on learn2type.com, which I
notice includes more difficult characters.

[JCastagno]

Ooooh, I did better the second time (different text). Maybe I was just
nervous ;)

" Your accuracy was impressive.

Your speed was 13 WPM "

[David Smith]

I just scored 33 WPM with no errors. I've had my Grip for about two
months now, but I don't use it constantly, as I have had lots of work to
get done in short amounts of time. Hard to say what my total usage hours
amount to. Probably in the 20-30 range.

DAve

[Avery Sawaba]

I too have had to set my Grip aside for awhile. I'm buried with
high-priority projects at work, and high-priority projects at home, so
usually, when I'm in front of a computer, I'm wanting to get something
done as quickly as possible and donate the remainder of my time to what
little sleep I'm getting nowadays.

Not a great excuse, but I honestly just need to put some regular time
into it, even if it is just 30min a day. The irony is that my increased
workload at work and home has increased my discomfort at the keyboard.

So, it seems fair to me to conclude that the learning curve is a
significant hurdle (as we all suspected, and as advertised), and that
anyone interested in owning one should plan on setting some training
time aside if they want to get their money's worth.

--Adrian

[drichards]

Well I got mine yesterday and have used it for about 2 hours:

Your accuracy was impressive.

Your speed was 8 WPM

I've been using it throughout the day a few minutes at a time, eg 10-15
min. Until the concentration of trying to remember where the keys are
gets to me. I dont look at the grip at all while I'm using it unless I
just can't remember where the key is. In the learn2type test that was
maybe 2-3 times.

[Steve]

Hello folks.

As regards typing speeds and learning curves, it's worth noting that
'muscle memory' is involved here, and so the rate of improvement in
skill will definitely go in fits and starts. IOW, if you sat down for
the very first time and typed continuously for 20 hours straight, you
would not see the same improvements as if you were to spend 20 hours in
total spread over a period of time. The reason is that muscle memory
develops while you're _not_ doing the activity, as well as while you
are. It even happens while you're asleep. Ask anyone who's ever learned
to play a musical instrument. You can struggle with a piece for days or
even weeks; you might even stop playing altogether for a month, or six;
but one day you pick up the instrument and the piece which you just
_couldn't_ get before suddenly becomes childs play. This feature is one
of the most underrated powers of the human mind: it works on things
while you're not conscious of it doing so. Amazing really. The good
news is that you can't predict improvements in a skill by simple
arithmetic, like 20 hrs = level 1, 30 = level 2 etc. Not only is
everyone different, but a even single individual will learn different
skills at different rates depending upon amount of time spent doing the
activity, time spent doing other things, _which_ other things, diet,
sleep patterns, stress...the list is endless. This isn't a case of YMMV
so much as YM_W_V! :)

IOW, all that you--or anybody--needs to do is just keep using the AG.
That's all. Use it whenever you feel like it. Your improvement will
continue until you're typing at a comfortable thinking speed; then,
although you undoubtedly could go even faster, the reason for doing so
will disappear and your brain will go into hover mode.

Just my 2 cents. Thanks for listening.

Steve

[Carl Andersen]

This is pretty much my situation as well, although I am hoping to get
in a position to go "all-Alphagrip" soon when things quiet down.

[ivanwfr]

> (..) donate the remainder of my time to what little sleep I'm getting nowadays.
That's not good...!
http://www.carotids.com/lifestyle/health-problems-related-to-the-geek-lifestyle/