Non-human FurryMUCK typists, Re: Dream of ....
Tobias Koehler
(that you can never be sure what kind of being sits on the
other terminal)
I believe there are quite a number of FurryMUCK characters
with non-human players. It becomes obvious by reading the
pinfo, but also by certain typos that can only be the result
of the fact that the standard keyboard is unsuitable for most
paws. The "nosey survey" on the BB also asked for the race of
the player, let's wait for the results.
Unfortunately I have never met any RL snowmeows on FurryMUCK,
and I must confess that I (Tobias, the player) was born
human. But there are some RL domestic cats and lions at
least. (RL lions: Lyon and Leonie say it in the pinfo, others
have told me purrsonally.)
greetings
tobias
Unci_Narynin (snowleopard) on FurryMUCK
(No ASCII graphic, sorry)
Gerrit Heitsch
> Gerrit Heitsch wrote something that my newsreader deleted ....
> (that you can never be sure what kind of being sits on the
> other terminal)
Get a better newsreader...
> I believe there are quite a number of FurryMUCK characters
> with non-human players. It becomes obvious by reading the
> pinfo, but also by certain typos that can only be the result
> of the fact that the standard keyboard is unsuitable for most
> paws.
Hm... I think that a RL (Alien-) Furry would use a keyboard
that would purrfectly fit his paws or user another, more advanced
way of communicating with its computer. Voice input for expample.
I don't know of a way that can tell me if the other one I talk to
via keyboard is a human or not.
> The "nosey survey" on the BB also asked for the race of
> the player, let's wait for the results.
Didn't see this... I hope it's still there.
Gerrit
--
Gerrit Heitsch Moenchweg 16 71088 Holzgerlingen Germany
Logical adresses: UUCP: ger...@laosinh.stgt.sub.org FIDO: (2:246/1216.9)
Gefaehrlich ist's den Leu zu wecken, verderblich ist des Tigers Zahn.
Jedoch der schrecklichste der Schrecken, das ist der Mensch in seinem Wahn!
(Friedrich Schiller, 'Die Glocke')
Jason C. Short
: In article <2ksih7$e...@nz12.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>, Tobias Koehler writes:
: > Gerrit Heitsch wrote something that my newsreader deleted ....
: > (that you can never be sure what kind of being sits on the
: > other terminal)
: > I believe there are quite a number of FurryMUCK characters
: > with non-human players. It becomes obvious by reading the
: > pinfo, but also by certain typos that can only be the result
: > of the fact that the standard keyboard is unsuitable for most
: > paws.
: Hm... I think that a RL (Alien-) Furry would use a keyboard
: that would purrfectly fit his paws or user another, more advanced
: way of communicating with its computer. Voice input for expample.
This got me thinking "what kind of keyboard _would_ you use if you
only had 4 fingers?" The "furry" keyboard would need slightly bigger keys,
since some paws are less nimble than a human hand. The keys could be
arranged in four rows of five keys each (the first and third "fingers"
working two coloumns of keys each, like on a normal keyboard). And a fifth
row with two keys for each thumb. 44 keys total. 26 letters, 10 numbers,
space, return, two shift keys, two "Alt" keys, and two punctuation keys (three
different signs apeice).
This is supposing that the furry in quesiton had an opposable thumb.
Commentes, please.
--
__
| Jason Short j...@capri.com
| Luuke @ FurryMUCK
Kim Q. Liu
{Stuff deleted}
> This got me thinking "what kind of keyboard _would_ you use if you
>only had 4 fingers?" The "furry" keyboard would need slightly bigger keys,
>since some paws are less nimble than a human hand. The keys could be
>arranged in four rows of five keys each (the first and third "fingers"
>working two coloumns of keys each, like on a normal keyboard). And a fifth
>row with two keys for each thumb. 44 keys total. 26 letters, 10 numbers,
>space, return, two shift keys, two "Alt" keys, and two punctuation keys (three
>different signs apeice).
>
> This is supposing that the furry in quesiton had an opposable thumb.
>
>Commentes, please.
If I only had four fingers (as opposed to if I had four fingers on each
hand, mind you. ('__ ) One option would be a chording keyboard. (That
is, instead of pressing one button at a time, you press one or more. Given
just four buttons, that's sixteen possible combinations. (Of course, with
eight fingers, that is 256 combinations.)
The two fingered poke and hunt is actually rather fast if you get used to
it. Recommend that those interested in different entry methods consider
taking a look at the typing injuries FAQ under keyboard alternatives.
Kim Liu
book...@netcom.com
PeterCat
>
> This got me thinking "what kind of keyboard _would_ you use if you
>only had 4 fingers?" The "furry" keyboard would need slightly bigger keys,
>since some paws are less nimble than a human hand. The keys could be
>arranged in four rows of five keys each (the first and third "fingers"
>working two coloumns of keys each, like on a normal keyboard). And a fifth
>row with two keys for each thumb. 44 keys total. 26 letters, 10 numbers,
>space, return, two shift keys, two "Alt" keys, and two punctuation keys (three
>different signs apeice).
Realize, of course, that the thumb is usually only used (by touch-typist,
anyway) only for the space bar. (We are assuming multi-digited, touch-
typists here, anyway? Equines and other hooved critters would have to
hunt-and-peck.)
Some furries (certain primates, etc.) could even type with their feet... how
would that affect the design? ('course, primates have five fingers ... and
prehensile tails... maybe that could do the space bar?)
I remember reading about experimental keyboard designs which reduced the
number of keys needed by extending the "control" key concept ... that is,
entering letters according to the *combination* of keys pressed, instead of
pressing each key one at a time. Eight fingers, on eight keys in
combination, could generate 256 codes. Six fingers would yield 64 codes,
with the thumbs on shift keys to generate upper/lower case, figures, control
codes, etc. (like the "figures" key on old TTYs). I guess that would be the
smallest keyboard possible!
-- PeterCat
--
pkap...@erc.cat.syr.edu Rhal on FurryMUCK (come cuddle!)
Jason C. Short
: Realize, of course, that the thumb is usually only used (by touch-typist,
: anyway) only for the space bar. (We are assuming multi-digited, touch-
: typists here, anyway? Equines and other hooved critters would have to
: hunt-and-peck.)
Actually, I am a touch-typist, so I know...It just seems kind of
wastful to only have the thumb do one thing. I usually only use my left
thumb for hitting the space bar anyway. I guess I'm just weird. :)
: Some furries (certain primates, etc.) could even type with their feet... how
: would that affect the design? ('course, primates have five fingers ... and
: prehensile tails... maybe that could do the space bar?)
The keyboard could use foot pedals as the "shift" key, for those that
don't have prehensile tails.
Keyboards for the feet would depend alot on how much the furry
could do at once. If just one key was used per digit (fingers and toes), with
5 used as "control keys," that the total number of characters is up to 90.
(This is assuming that only one control key is pushed at a time, instead
of pushing several at a time in combination with each other)
: I remember reading about experimental keyboard designs which reduced the
: number of keys needed by extending the "control" key concept ... that is,
: entering letters according to the *combination* of keys pressed, instead of
: pressing each key one at a time. Eight fingers, on eight keys in
: combination, could generate 256 codes. Six fingers would yield 64 codes,
: with the thumbs on shift keys to generate upper/lower case, figures, control
: codes, etc. (like the "figures" key on old TTYs). I guess that would be the
: smallest keyboard possible!
Still, 64 characters is enough. 26 letters (assumeing the english language
is used), 10 numbers, tab, return, backspace, a few math signs and
punctuation, and a row like the F1 - F10 keys.
: -- PeterCat
: --
: pkap...@erc.cat.syr.edu Rhal on FurryMUCK (come cuddle!)
--
<> dgal
>PeterCat (pkap...@erc.cat.syr.edu) wrote:
>
>: Realize, of course, that the thumb is usually only used (by touch-typist,
>: anyway) only for the space bar. (We are assuming multi-digited, touch-
>: typists here, anyway? Equines and other hooved critters would have to
>: hunt-and-peck.)
Assuming fur the moment that the Beings Furry in question have some
degree of opposition in their paw digit system(s)
(Specialization considered). To design and execute a "Keyboard" such as
This one or anyfurry would use without regard to species specific traits,
one must abandon the idea of the "keys" themselves.
Bill-Sensei found need to design and to animate such a keyboard many
seasons ago.
Let us consider what "Keys" do.. In short, they make codes that are
understood by a proceesor and "translated" to our eyes as letters/symbols
we recognize in language specific groups. This idea has a universality,
so let us retain it. What is wanted if the goal of the "Keyboard" is to
generate therse symbols, then the challenge becomes a clearly defined one
of more Mechanics than anything else.
Now, "Keys" exist because of the Human hand's digital specialization.
Lacking this fine development and motor skill, The task then becomes to
find a way to communicate groups of (scaned) keyboard codes in another
way. Or to be exact, thru another medium.
Barring a rather crude set of "wands" and other mouth/muzzle/claw/talon
held implements to allow the typest to single out keys in lieu of
"fingers", it is obvious that the most expedient sollution is to
*ELIMINATE THE "KEY" CONCEPT*
To be replaced by..?
Well, to deal with a wide number of paws/hooves/claws/ and digits
a change of shape, size and configuration is understood, based on
language more than ability, and anatomical differences that are obvious.
In the end, we submit a large retangular (more or less) "surface"
whose face is covered with a polymer like (and slighly elastic) plastic
or other matter. While these might be manipulable by direct contact of
"digits" an easier method exists, and is even within the Relm (albeit
limited) of even Human technology.
Above what we call the Symbol screen, there are, set between layers of
the polymer material, electro-activated criss-crossing networks of
fibers, which react in the same way a keyboard does when a "key" (switch)
is detected. (This makes possible a set of scan codes unique to language,
and keeps the basic idea of the "keyboard"'s prime function.
But rather than contact directly, also set into the lays of the polymer
below the "Symbol screen" and in a layer 500 microns thickness is a fine
layer of heat sensitive filiments. Minute changes in the temperature and
and change in pressure that accompany it are thus detected and translated
into electrical pulses that can be "read" as normal "keystokes" are on a
machanical "Human" keyboard.
So, in the end, what you have is a smooth (FAST) surface over which the
"paws" (et al) may be brushed, so as to detect heat (and or pressure)
in lieu of the single (rapid?) "switchpushes" that "keystrokes" are.
The sensitivity level (and the amount of "insular" matter to hold, detect
(and to reflect excess heat from the environment) can be controled by
sensitivity adjustments on the frame which supports the "typing tablet"
if you will, as well as designed into more species specific models of the
basic unit itself.
More to follow,
roci
Brandi Weed
>could do at once. If just one key was used per digit (fingers and toes), with
>5 used as "control keys," that the total number of characters is up to 90.
>(This is assuming that only one control key is pushed at a time, instead
>of pushing several at a time in combination with each other)
Wouldn't foot keyboards tend to work better for creatures with prehensile
toes, like apes and lemur types?
BTW, this thread is refreshing after all the flamage sweeping through here
the last couple of weeks. Very interesting.
--
Brandi Weed "I've got a good mind to join the club
bw...@muddcs.claremont.edu and beat you over the head with it."
bw...@muddcs.cs.hmc.edu --Groucho Marx
dbi...@news.delphi.com
> only had 4 fingers?" The "furry" keyboard would need slightly bigger keys,
Firstly do we have to consider this in light of mechanical
evolution (ie, old style typewriters) or just electronics?
Given just four buttons for each paw/hand, it is possible to
encode the entire 8-bit ASCII character set via "chording". I suspect
though that a 7-bit set would be more likely, with the eigth button used
to signal "send character" (7-up, tap 8 -> sends ASCII NULL). And perhaps
some of the less used control characters would be used as mode-shifts (a
la Baudot teletype coding).
Dennis Lee Bieber KD6MOG (Wulfraed)
D.Bi...@GEnie.GEIS.com (Email preference)
DBi...@Delphi.com
Matthew Smeltzer
In this post response, I am only using four of the fingers of my hand,
inclusive of the thumb. I have noticed that I do not use the little finger
on my hands when I type, because I make more mistakes it seems.. So, to me,
the generic 102 keyboard would work just fine..
But agin, that is preference to each person as they type..
Andros/ Ally...@pro-amber.cts.com
ProLine: allynrud@pro-amber
Internet: ally...@pro-amber.cts.com
UUCP: crash!pro-amber!allynrud
Eric A. Schwartz
Kim Q. Liu <book...@netcom.com> wrote:
>
>If I only had four fingers (as opposed to if I had four fingers on each
>hand, mind you. ('__ ) One option would be a chording keyboard. (That
>is, instead of pressing one button at a time, you press one or more. Given
>just four buttons, that's sixteen possible combinations. (Of course, with
>eight fingers, that is 256 combinations.)
>
either forward or backwards, and each allows a different function. In
fact, the particular model I'm thinking of only has four keys per
hand and does not make use of the thumb at all, so it's nice to know
furries will get along well in our world once I make them. Or become
one. :-)
Of course, mustelids have five fingers per hand, though I expect
the webbing between my fingers would lead to a lot of typos if I were
an otter, no matter what kind of keyboard I used. :-)
E.S.
jmcar...@happy.uccs.edu
I'm a self-taught typist who uses a method completely unlike the conventional
styles, so my style is not likely to be representative of the majority. Still,
though, what the heck, thought I'd throw my two bits in. :)
My typing style tends to use all the fingers pretty much equally, with both
thumbs resting on the spacebar, the pinkies hovering over the Shift and
Control keys (right pinky over the Return key), and the three middle fingers
fanned out over the letter keys. (Believe it or not, I manage to type
reasonably quickly this way.)
I attempted typing without using the pinky, and found it quite comfortable,
except for use of the Shift and Control keys. Perhaps on a keyboard designed
for the four-fingered in mind, these keys would be down beneath the spacebar,
to be pressed with the thumb.
Numeric keypads, however, might present a bit of a problem to the four-fingered
hand. While the thumb could (in theory) handle both the zerobar and the return
(EXE) key, it might make for a lot of awkward slipups. With the ring finger
managing the operation keys (plus, minus etc.) and the return key and the thumb
on the zerobar, only two fingers are left for typing numbers, which slows
things down considerably. Any thoughts here?
Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that depending
on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to account for non-
retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines wouldn't have a problem
as their claws are retractable, but I imagine a lupine or vulpine would have
a miserable time (not to mention sore paws from the claw stress).
I'm not really sure how this problem could be worked around...any thoughts?
jmcar...@uccs.edu -- Justin Carpenter
"Heaven is a large and interesting place, sir!" -- Agent Cooper, Twin Peaks
<> dgal
>: Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that depending
>: on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to account for non-
>: retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines wouldn't have a problem
>: as their claws are retractable, but I imagine a lupine or vulpine would have
>: a miserable time (not to mention sore paws from the claw stress).
>
>: I'm not really sure how this problem could be worked around...any thoughts?
>
>claw.
Not always practical due to various nature (compostion ) and shape of
claw(s). Better, but still clumsy is an Idea like the ornate "fingernail
shields" of Anchent China.
The keyboard Bill-Sense desingned and animated (see pervious
post on subject)
deals with the problem of claws by using a "sweeping" touch (with a light
pressure) rather than a "poking" (Stabing) touch.
I also do not believe that it is beyond the bound of logic to make a safe
assumption. If a Being Furry has enough mental development (specialization
again) to employ a data input device, I think it reasonable to assume that
said Furry can also regulate both gross and fine motor skills enough to
regulate to some design tolerant degree the control of non-retractile
claws.
roci
Paul Trauth
JCS> Still, 64 characters is enough. 26 letters (assumeing the english
JCS> language
JCS> is used), 10 numbers, tab, return, backspace, a few math signs and
JCS> punctuation, and a row like the F1 - F10 keys.
y'know, everybody who designs Modern Ergonomic Keyboards always seems to
make two erroneous assumptions: (1) everybody wants to put their hands in
one place and leave them there, and (2) in the future, everyone will
touch-type. [especially people who push the 'chord' typing... ugh]
Both are bunk. Me, i'm somewhere in between a touch-typist and a
two-fingerer, more because i use my computer a LOT than due to any
training. Mostly i use my first and second fingers on each hand, an
occasional thumb, and sometimes a little finger for those "CTRL-P" type of
things when i'm only typing with one hand.
And when i want to cursor around, i'm perfectly happy to lift up a hand and
plop it on the inverted-t cursor. Numeric pads are good too - even for
non-numeric uses (such as the instrument selection mechanism it's turned
into in most Soundtracker derivatives).
Since the furries i draw are of the more human-like variety, essentially
three-fingered people with fur, animal heads, and tails, i figure they're
probably just about as happy with ordinary keyboards as J. Random Human...
(was that an ObFurry?)
-- Via DLG Pro v1.0
.|\.` / paul_t cartoonist "Gee, Tah, nice sound system, but _
,;/#n\_. rauth@ag animator where's the other speaker?" _ //
.+:/, __/ wbbs.new programmer "Stereo is for /wimps/." \X/
';'< _\{ -orleans raccoon. -Bad Bunny explains her a2000
', \'!`~ .la.us / [sig v2.3] audio setup. 1m/4m
Peter L. Wargo
No problem here. I've been a ~50WPM or so typist for years, and I only use
two fingers and one thumb. I hardly eve jrkj up...
-Pete, somewhere in the land of TV listings...
--
Peter L. Wargo (war...@sun.soe.clarkson.edu) |
Technical Support Analyst | THIS SPACE FOR RENT
TVData Technologies, LP |
I speak for myself. I think TVData & I like it that way...
Kkatman (Furry Rep.)
: Barring a rather crude set of "wands" and other mouth/muzzle/claw/talon
: "fingers", it is obvious that the most expedient sollution is to
: *ELIMINATE THE "KEY" CONCEPT*
: To be replaced by..?
There are already several computer designs that eliminate the
keyboard. They allow people with spinal injuries to use the computer,
and are based on simple movements of the head.
--Kkatman: Furry Rep.
Michael Rubin
>Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that depending
>on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to account for non-
>retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines wouldn't have a problem
>as their claws are retractable, but I imagine a lupine or vulpine would have
>a miserable time (not to mention sore paws from the claw stress).
Haven't you ever seen secretaries with inch-long nails?
I'm not sure of the physics of the situation, but it *does* seem to work.
(Of course, that sort usually spends more time nail-filing than typing....)
Another catty comment by:
--
--Mike Rubin <mi...@panix.com>
Watch out for the Smokeys on that information highway!
Jason C. Short
: Hmm...
: I'm a self-taught typist who uses a method completely unlike the conventional
: styles, so my style is not likely to be representative of the majority. Still,
: though, what the heck, thought I'd throw my two bits in. :)
: My typing style tends to use all the fingers pretty much equally, with both
: thumbs resting on the spacebar, the pinkies hovering over the Shift and
: Control keys (right pinky over the Return key), and the three middle fingers
: fanned out over the letter keys. (Believe it or not, I manage to type
: reasonably quickly this way.)
: I attempted typing without using the pinky, and found it quite comfortable,
: except for use of the Shift and Control keys. Perhaps on a keyboard designed
: for the four-fingered in mind, these keys would be down beneath the spacebar,
: to be pressed with the thumb.
: Numeric keypads, however, might present a bit of a problem to the four-fingered
: hand. While the thumb could (in theory) handle both the zerobar and the return
: (EXE) key, it might make for a lot of awkward slipups. With the ring finger
: managing the operation keys (plus, minus etc.) and the return key and the thumb
: on the zerobar, only two fingers are left for typing numbers, which slows
: things down considerably. Any thoughts here?
The index finger manages 6 keys (for touch-typist, anyway) on the
keyboard, perhaps it could work the 7, 8, 4, 5, 1, and 2 keys. It depends
on how nimble the paw is.
: Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that depending
: on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to account for non-
: retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines wouldn't have a problem
: as their claws are retractable, but I imagine a lupine or vulpine would have
: a miserable time (not to mention sore paws from the claw stress).
: I'm not really sure how this problem could be worked around...any thoughts?
How about thimble-like devices made to fit over and protect the
claw.
: jmcar...@uccs.edu -- Justin Carpenter
: "Heaven is a large and interesting place, sir!" -- Agent Cooper, Twin Peaks
Alex Williams[SysOp]
> This is supposing that the furry in quesiton had an opposable thumb.
>
> Commentes, please.
Certainly. Its my contention that to send ASCII, you only need
eight keys. In fact, just eight microswitches. Place one on the end
of each finger and play "chords" of letters and symbols that
coorespond to their ASCII representations in binary.
Considering that some people can play 1/64th notes on woodwinds the
typing rate could be phenomenal, for those with a talent for it.
Plus, all you need is a surface to tap against, not a whole bulky
keyboard. And here they thought I was just tapping my fingers to
the music on the bus...
--
tha...@runic.via.mind.org (Alex Williams [SysOp]) | PGP 2.0 Key avail
...!emory!uumind!runic!thantos | upon request.
-- ----- --
"Are all men from the future loudmouthed braggarts?" "Just me, bebe.
Just me." -- Ash, _Army of Darkness_
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Arlow
>In <1994Mar6...@happy.uccs.edu> jmcar...@happy.uccs.edu writes:
>
>>Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that depending
>>on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to account for non-
>>retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines wouldn't have a problem
>>as their claws are retractable, but I imagine a lupine or vulpine would have
>>a miserable time (not to mention sore paws from the claw stress).
>
>Haven't you ever seen secretaries with inch-long nails?
>I'm not sure of the physics of the situation, but it *does* seem to work.
Well, *this* kitty has non-retractable claws -- not an inch long, but
usually between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch past the fingertip. I type
quite well. My nails usually just fit over the tops of the keycaps,
sticking a little ways into the space between the keys while the
fingertip is actually what depresses the key. Sometimes, though, I
just strike the keys with my nails. I have very tough nails, and it
does not make my fingers sore or anything, even after an entire day
at the keyboard.
Long nails are great for origami, untying knots, turning pages,
gouging an assailant's eyeballs, etc.... :)
--
"REALLY, JIM! Great, dead composers eating | Steve Arlow, Yorick Software Inc.
PIZZA may be one thing, BUT IMAGINARY | 39336 Polo Club Dr. #103
CARTOON ANIMALS in BED with you..." | Farmington Hills, MI 48335-5634
-- Father Andrew (Barela) | 810.473.0920 (s...@umcc.umich.edu)
John Turner
typing might be a problem, and all sorts of complicated office automation
might have to be conceved. But furrys in our reality bring on the
controversial image of "humans in a fur suit". Thats not the kind of furry
story I prefer. I prefer furrys with a history of their own, where the
mechanics of the world would be quite different.
In a world that was technologicaly advanced enough to biologicaly create a
"furry" don't you think that things would have gone past the point of
haveing to comunicate by typing? In a cyberpunk type world everything
would be baised on graphical images, or direct connected to the nervious
system. Even in a magick baised society there could be the equivelent of
interactive visual media.
Ther is a historian, (I forget the fellows name, "Burk" or something) but
anyway, he has a TV show that is aired on the public stations sometimes.
He traces a current invention back through the ages and shows how seemingly
unrelated events helped create what we see now. A while ago he spoke at
our company and had this to say about comunication; up to this point there
have only been two major advances in this type of communication. The first
written comunication was the cave paintings. They conveyed thoughts and
Ideas, but not very clearly. It was a major advance when man started using
hieroglyphs, since specific ideas and concepts could be conveyed. The
problem was that hieroglyphs are an incredably complex way of comunicating,
and as much effort went in to the comunication its self as went into the
ideas trying to be comunicated. The next advance came with the phonetic
alphabet, since it made it possible for many more people to express their
ideas without puting as much effort into the process of comunication its
self. He said that we were on the verge of another breakthrough that would
be as great as the change from hieroglyphics to the phonetic alphabet; that
change was the revolution in interactive visual media that we are begining
to see today (of course he said that our indy product would help to usher
this change it, but then again, that was probably because he was talking to
us). So what I have been trying to say in all of this is that a furry
society may be beyond the point of having to use writen comunication.
-Katarn(jturner)
--
*=======================================================================*
* - John Turner (jtu...@bast.mfg.sgi.com) | Monster Grendel was rather *
* =>Standard disclaimer<= My opinions | plainish, for breakfast he *
* are mine, SGI can't have them. | simply have a couple *
* I doubt that SGI would want them. | of Danish... *
*=======================================================================*
Greywolf
> There are already several computer designs that eliminate the
> keyboard. They allow people with spinal injuries to use the computer,
> and are based on simple movements of the head.
Yeah, but what if you're a dogmorph, typing -- er, entering data via head
movements, and suddenly you've got this nasty scratch on your head...
Dratted flea.
>scratchscratchscratch<
What the? I've got "asnpzuioEWavdsoi@@#" on the screen! Grrrrrrr.
>deletedeletedelete<
=)
--
-Jordan .. PEACO...@cobra.uni.edu "Q: How many DMs does it
.OO. Jordan Greywolf (Jordan Peacock) take to change a lightbulb?"
O/\O 1610 Parker
~~ Cedar Falls, IA 50613 "A: 1d6."
Radical right-winger fundamentalist ultra-conservative religious fanatic
critterfan/miniatures-hobbyist/wargamer/sculptor/composer-wannabe/pilot/
student/programmer/doodler/writer/SwordTagger/mek and old car enthusiast
John VanStry
A question: Why would furries have less fingers than humans do?
Most real animals have the same number of fingers (4) plus a thumb
or 'dewclaw' or such. Even horses which walk on one finger tip
still have the bones for the rest, no matter how atrophied.
(and stop calling the thumb a finger! I don't believe it is considered
to be one.) ;-)
--
jvan...@nyx.cs.du.edu
van...@agora.rain.com
A sig in search of a good quote.
Bruce Grant
(Kim Q. Liu) wrote:
KL> One option would be a chording keyboard. (That is,
KL> instead of pressing one button at a time, you press one or more.
KL> Given just four buttons, that's sixteen possible combinations.
KL> (Of course, with eight fingers, that is 256 combinations.)
Mindboggling! Give it a bit more development, and you could give a
space-cadet keyboard a run for its money! :-)
KL> The two fingered poke and hunt is actually rather fast if you get
KL> used to it.
And not just for actual furries: that's how I started on keyboards.
Now, <ahem> years later, I'm up to about 4. - 6 fingers when I get a
good head of steam up.
Furgonomics -- now _there's_ a fascinating field for study! :->
Bruce.
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Niels E. Rasmussen
[snip]
>I don't know of a way that can tell me if the other one I talk to
>via keyboard is a human or not.
[snip]
How about a Turing-Test, or Furring-Test? No, better go, sorry...
--Niels E. Rasmussen.
Dave Bell
Pe> Some furries (certain primates, etc.) could even type with their
Pe> feet... how would that affect the design? ('course, primates have five
Pe> fingers ... and prehensile tails... maybe that could do the space bar?)
According to informed opinion on alt.fan.pratchett this is pretty much
how a certain librarian would work. Only he's an ape, of course, not a
you-know-what. An Orangs fingers are intended for brachiating, not
manipulation.
Dave
... For I must to the greenwood go
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.11
Jason C. Short
: In a world that was technologicaly advanced enough to biologicaly create a
: "furry" don't you think that things would have gone past the point of
: haveing to comunicate by typing? In a cyberpunk type world everything
: would be baised on graphical images, or direct connected to the nervious
: system. Even in a magick baised society there could be the equivelent of
: interactive visual media.
If you're thinking of writing directly to the computer with a light pen
or touch screen, I can type much faster than I can write. (Once again,
personal opinion)
Even if the whole system were based on graphical images, how would
the user communicate with other people (like email, usenet, etc)? I still
see the need to enter data.
Joe Thiel
Somebody said:
>Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that
>depending on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to
>account for non- retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines
>imagine a lupine or vulpine would have a miserable time (not to
>mention sore paws from the claw stress).
>thoughts?
said:
>How about thimble-like devices made to fit over and protect the claw.
>Not always practical due to various nature (compostion ) and shape of
>claw(s). Better, but still clumsy is an Idea like the ornate
>"fingernail shields" of Anchent China.
>The keyboard Bill-Sense desingned and animated (see pervious post on
>subject) deals with the problem of claws by using a "sweeping"
>touch (with a light pressure) rather than a "poking" (Stabing)
>touch.
>I also do not believe that it is beyond the bound of logic to make a
>safe assumption. If a Being Furry has enough mental development
>(specialization again) to employ a data input device, I think it
>reasonable to assume that said Furry can also regulate both gross
>and fine motor skills enough to regulate to some design tolerant
>degree the control of non-retractile claws.
You have sapient furries with a number of fingers and a handspan
that varies widely. Some have paws. Some have hooves. Some have
wings. And you'd have to design different hardware for every single
one of them. Not to mention the problem of switching between them
when you have multiple users of different species!
I would recommend something like voice recognition software. Even if
all furries don't speak the same language, you could switch back and
forth between languages a lot easier using the software than the
hardware.
--
*THE ADDRESS AT THE TOP IS WRONG!*! O O Wile E. Coyote
Please send replies to ! ( \=/ ) GENIUS
AL...@freenet.buffalo.edu! ! (=) Have brain Will travel
Joe Thiel Troy, MI ! O "Coyote ugly" is an oxymoron.
puma
>j...@csn.org (Jason C. Short) writes:
>
>> This is supposing that the furry in quesiton had an opposable thumb.
>>
>> Commentes, please.
>
> Certainly. Its my contention that to send ASCII, you only need
> eight keys. In fact, just eight microswitches. Place one on the end
> of each finger and play "chords" of letters and symbols that
> coorespond to their ASCII representations in binary.
>
> Considering that some people can play 1/64th notes on woodwinds the
> typing rate could be phenomenal, for those with a talent for it.
> Plus, all you need is a surface to tap against, not a whole bulky
> keyboard. And here they thought I was just tapping my fingers to
> the music on the bus...
In fact, only seven keys, since the 80 bit is either parity or forced
high/low anyways. I recall an electronic construction project in one
of the magazines a long time ago for a keyboard like that. I think it
was one-handed, used *four* keys, and entered data a half-byte (some
folks call that a *nibble* <really!>) at a time, so it took two
strokes for each character.
jeolo...@miavx3.mid.muohio.edu
>
> A question: Why would furries have less fingers than humans do?
> Most real animals have the same number of fingers (4) plus a thumb
> or 'dewclaw' or such. Even horses which walk on one finger tip
> still have the bones for the rest, no matter how atrophied.
> (and stop calling the thumb a finger! I don't believe it is considered
> to be one.) ;-)
>
It's a shortcut for animators/artists to leave out that extra finger. But they
usually have to animate a tail as well, so we can furgive' em'...
John Turner
As far as personal communication, two words; Video Telaconferencing.
Entering data is a harder problem. The solution that we are close to now is
the development of a good speach to text converter. We have them now, only
they are quite cluncky.
One of the things that you find in the Cyberpunk genre is the idea that
much of the things we do with text will be replaced with graphical
equivelents in the future. Present day example; on your common garden
variety IBM, you can open a dos shell and type "cd /pictures/furry" to go
to the directory called "furry" or you can simple click on an icon of the
"furry" directory. Cyberpucks theorize that more and more complex tasks
are going to be able to be performed this way.
They envision a computer that will monitor your every spoken word and
physical movement, translate it into commands, and provide you with visual
feedback of your actions. As a comparison a keyboard only takes imput from
your fingers. That way you could literaly walk down a virtual city street
where every door was a databank and every road was a conection to another
computer network. By using a method like this you would be able to
compensate for a large variety of physical handicaps, and the difference
between a furry anatomy and the human anatomy would matter much less.
The next step in this line of reasoning would be to directly interface the
computer with the brain, so that all you had to do is "think" instead of
making slow physecal movements. If we were technologicaly advanced enough
to biologicaly design a "furry", then we would probably also have to
capability to link the nervious system to a computer.
Dave Bell
I'd say a lot depends on the background. Single-species furry would
have no reason to adopt human-style keyboards. Furries in a
mainly-human culture would have to cope. Multi-species furry cultures
might have problems.
Considering that the character arrangement and physical layout of a
keyboard is largely down to history, I wouldn't be surprised to see
something different in a furry environment. In some cases, I can
imagine reliable hand-writing recognition. Let's not assume too much
about the language or the script they might use.
Dave
... DOS never says "EXCELLENT command or filename"...
Dave Bell
EAS> Of course, mustelids have five fingers per hand, though I expect
EAS> the webbing between my fingers would lead to a lot of typos if I were
EAS> an otter, no matter what kind of keyboard I used. :-)
But would an otter really care? Think of the fun they'd having watching
everyone else trying to read their messages :-)
Dave
... "Bother," said Pooh as he tried to install OS/2
Eric A. Schwartz
>>
>>: Another problem with the structure of a keyboard for furries is that depending
>>: on the specifics of the furry, a keyboard might have to account for non-
>>: retractable claws, such as those of canids. Felines wouldn't have a problem
>>: as their claws are retractable, but I imagine a lupine or vulpine would have
>>: a miserable time (not to mention sore paws from the claw stress).
>>
>>: I'm not really sure how this problem could be worked around...any thoughts?
the folks in the arcade playing a game of Mortal Kombat or the likes.
Two keys, with enough degrees of freedom, produce plenty of symbols,
in very rapid succession, certainly fast enough for communication. Maybe
furry computer terminals won't use the same complex language as
ours. After all, why do we sit here typing (mostly) gramatically correct
English when we could come up with 44 phonic sounds and do everything
we need on less moves than even a video game? And even here, computerese
is starting to specialize away from regular language. Who's ever said,
":-)" to anyone? How would you even pronounce it? Yet in this medium,
it gets a message across.
I wonder if along with scrapping the keyboard, we might not do well to
scrap the requirement that furries type in the same alphabet, too.
On another note, there are chord keyboards with eight keys, each having
two degrees of freedom, that can produce every symbol that a regular
computer keyboard can, with plenty of bits to spare. And they speed up
typing tremendously, even for human hands. The main drawback is that
they are not fun to use, since thinking fast enough to keep up with
your new typing speed can cause headaches. Also, you can't use the
numeric keypad as a joystick for games like Test Drive, since there
is no numeric keypad in the first place.
E.S.
Eric A. Schwartz
John VanStry <jvan...@nyx.cs.du.edu> wrote:
>
>A question: Why would furries have less fingers than humans do?
>Most real animals have the same number of fingers (4) plus a thumb
>or 'dewclaw' or such. Even horses which walk on one finger tip
>still have the bones for the rest, no matter how atrophied.
>(and stop calling the thumb a finger! I don't believe it is considered
>to be one.) ;-)
>
>--
fingers, though five toes. Horses walk on only one toe, but
have the bones for only three. Some larger breeds of dog have
six. Five is a nice number, and is rather common, but it's
by no means universal.
E.S.
Dave Bell
<D> I also do not believe that it is beyond the bound of logic to make a
<D> safe assumption. If a Being Furry has enough mental development
<D> (specialization again) to employ a data input device, I think it
<D> reasonable to assume that said Furry can also regulate both gross and
<D> fine motor skills enough to regulate to some design tolerant degree
<D> the control of non-retractile claws.
It might be argued that human have "non-retractile claws", only they
call them fingernails.
Whether a furry would have something as innocuous as fingernails is an
open question, but there would be a lot of other changes just to get
fingers.
Dave
... Librarians Rule! Ooook!
Peter da Silva
Me.
> How would you even pronounce it?
"Smiley"
> I wonder if along with scrapping the keyboard, we might not do well to
> scrap the requirement that furries type in the same alphabet, too.
I wonder why there's this weird idea that their being furries has any
relevance to whether they use a keyboard or not. I dunno, maybe it's just
me, but things like keyboard layout have more to do with historical chance
than any careful ergonomic design. Stick furries in this society, they'll
use keyboards. Create a new society, and they could well use something
else... whether or not they're furries.
(My first 'furry' alter-ego, "Elvar", was a dolphin who "modulated his sonar
directly into the phone, simulating a 300 baud modem in real time". Hey,
it got a few laughs... I would supect that Argent would use a similar
mechanism... a computer with a high quality audio transducer that could
communicate in the range of thought.)
--
Peter da Silva. <pe...@sugar.neosoft.com>.
`-_-' Ja' abracas-te o teu lobo, hoje?
'U`
Looks like UNIX, Feels like UNIX, works like MVS -- IBM advertisement.
Peter da Silva
> fingers, though five toes. Horses walk on only one toe, but
> have the bones for only three. Some larger breeds of dog have
> six. Five is a nice number, and is rather common, but it's
> by no means universal.
Every mammal and reptile has the basic genes for a pentadactyl limb. It's
one of those accidental choices that was made way back in the evolutionary
sequence. You would expect genetically engineered furries to have five
fingers. Furries that evolved on another world (say, Nicolai's Altani)
would of course have their own evolutionary accidents.
Most breeds of dogs have been artificially selected for pretty random
characteristics, and a lot are highly inbred. You really can't generalize
from them. In most species extra dactyls are associated with badly damaged
genes or prenatal trauma, and don't tend to breed true if they can breed
at all.
Boston-Baden
different layouts. Somebody hosted a typing contest. The winner
had memorized the layout on his typewriter (is that cheating? <grin>)
and that layout was... QWERTY.
So we use the QWERTY keyboard because, about a hundred years ago,
somebody one a contest with it.
Incidentally the QWERTY layout is designed to *slow down* the typist,
by putting commonly-used letters farther apart; this is so the old
letter-hammers (watchamacallums) wouldn't jam together.
I would expect that a furry society would use a completely different
keyboard. I would also expect that it would, in part, be influenced
by their alphabet. What is it like? Perhaps there aren't as many
letters in it. that would make things easier.
chaz baden, ha...@netcom.com, (310) 542-5849, fax (310) 542-7948
Birthplace of Margarita Jell-O, an alcoholic use for lime jell-o
(Ask me how) P.O. Box 1792, Redondo Beach CA 90278, USA
Boston-Baden
In the center you'll see a five-sided star.
And so, the truth comes out...
We're all descended from apples!
Picture them, millions of years ago, bobbing in the primordial sea...
eventually developing flippers, feet, fur, and so forth...
Greywolf
> In article <2lon7u$6...@usenet.rpi.edu>,
> Eric A. Schwartz <sch...@rembrandt.its.rpi.edu> wrote:
>> Thumbs are just mutant fingers. :-) But rodents only have four
>> fingers, though five toes. Horses walk on only one toe, but
>> have the bones for only three. Some larger breeds of dog have
>> six. Five is a nice number, and is rather common, but it's
>> by no means universal.
>
> Every mammal and reptile has the basic genes for a pentadactyl limb. It's
> one of those accidental choices that was made way back in the evolutionary
> sequence. You would expect genetically engineered furries to have five
> fingers. Furries that evolved on another world (say, Nicolai's Altani)
> would of course have their own evolutionary accidents.
I was WONDERING about that. Even though I'm one of those religious wackos who
actually believes in a diety capable of just zotting everything into existence,
back in school I learned all about those basic similarities in structure,
especially in the limbs. Schwartz' commentary seems to COMPLETELY ignore the
"dewclaw" comment that I believe preceded it.
Of course, for fictional characters, you can stick how many fingers you WANT on
them, particularly if they're aliens, toons, or whatnot. However, I've had
a couple of situations (brought up while I was doing my "how many digits on
each hand" portrait routine, I think, on FurryMUCK) where someone's tried to
convince me that it makes MORE sense to have only four fingers. I also recall
some Albedo thread where someone tried to suggest that it would be easier to
engineer a furry by leaving off that extra unneeded finger. I still don't buy
that argument. That would be about as easy as genetically engineering someone
to leave out that unneeded appendix. You don't simply slice off a gene
labelled "pinkie finger" and presto-bammo end up with a hand that is minus that
pesky little finger, saving poor genetic engineers countless hours of trouble.
=)
> Most breeds of dogs have been artificially selected for pretty random
> characteristics, and a lot are highly inbred. You really can't generalize
> from them.
What's this about the "six toes", though? I've never even HEARD of that
before.
Peter da Silva
Greywolf <peaco...@cobra.uni.edu> wrote:
> What's this about the "six toes", though? I've never even HEARD of that
> before.
Pretty common in domestic animals, and often associated with obvious genetic
damage. I've seen a cat with 7 toes on the front paws, and six and five on the
back.
Most of 'em are pretty inbred, you know.
BILL FORTIER
>In article <1994Mar11.2...@cobra.uni.edu>,
>Greywolf <peaco...@cobra.uni.edu> wrote:
>> What's this about the "six toes", though? I've never even HEARD of that
>> before.
>
>damage. I've seen a cat with 7 toes on the front paws, and six and five on the
>back.
>
>Most of 'em are pretty inbred, you know.
exchange! The hand signals could bankrupt someone!
...Not that five fingers _couldn't_.
dbi...@news.delphi.com
Assuming an equivalent of ASCII perhaps, but many wordprocessors
offer access to extended characters (accent marks, foreign language stuff)
which uses the 8th bit.
> was one-handed, used *four* keys, and entered data a half-byte (some
> folks call that a *nibble* <really!>) at a time, so it took two
Actually, I've always seen that as "nybble" to match "byte" <g>
Dennis Lee Bieber KD6MOG (Wulfraed)
D.Bi...@GEnie.GEIS.com (Email preference)
DBi...@Delphi.com
Dave Bell
JT> Ther is a historian, (I forget the fellows name, "Burk" or something)
JT> but anyway, he has a TV show that is aired on the public stations
JT> sometimes. He traces a current invention back through the ages and
JT> shows how seemingly unrelated events helped create what we see now.
James Burke -- The series was "Connections", made by the BBC in the late
Seventies, and fascinating viewing. There was a related book as well.
AIR, he started out on TV in a magazine series (still running today)
called "Tomorrow's World" and also was one of the frontmen on the
British TV reporting of the Apollo missions (hence, in a comedy show, a
scene with a sub-title reading "James Burke (Simulation)".
He did quite a lot of other stuff in the Seventies on science and
technology issues, apparently picking up on things which interested him,
and doing a good job of putting them across on TV. And then he seemed
to fade away. It's good to hear that he is still around, and still
active.
Dave
... Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.
Bruce Grant
JS> If you're thinking of writing directly to the computer with a
JS> light pen or touch screen, I can type much faster than I can
JS> write. (Once again,personal opinion)
I agree with you -- I'm not a very fast typist, but the only way I can
write at anything like the same speed is to make my handwriting almost
unintelligible. Even to me. :-)
JS> Even if the whole system were based on graphical images, how would
JS> the user communicate with other people (like email, usenet, etc)?
JS> I still see the need to enter data.
Worse still, how would the user play on FurryMUCK?
Wait a minute, though. Since the users _are_ furries, wouldn't it be
called BaldyMUCK? :-)
Bruce.
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~ MMST 1.25 UnRegistered
----
Mark Lutton
AW> Certainly. Its my contention that to send ASCII, you only need
AW> eight keys. In fact, just eight microswitches. Place one on the end
AW> of each finger and play "chords" of letters and symbols that
AW> coorespond to their ASCII representations in binary.
AW> Considering that some people can play 1/64th notes on woodwinds the
AW> typing rate could be phenomenal, for those with a talent for it.
AW> Plus, all you need is a surface to tap against, not a whole bulky
AW> keyboard. And here they thought I was just tapping my fingers to
AW> the music on the bus...
Do you remember the writer who travels around the country with his
computerized bicycle (I've forgotten his name)? For a long time he
had a TRS-80 Model 100 mounted on the front. He installed 8 buttons
on the handlebars, one for each (non-thumb) finger. Each one represented
a bit for an 8-bit ASCII byte. This way he could type as he cycled.
"It's a lot like playing the flute," he said.
Mark
---
ş DeLuxeı 1.25 #12905 ş
Dave Bell
[B>Pretty common in domestic animals, and often associated with obvious geneti
>damage. I've seen a cat with 7 toes on the front paws, and six and five on th
>back.
>
>Most of 'em are pretty inbred, you know.
BF> Try and picture the wierd action on the trading floor at a furry stock
BF> exchange! The hand signals could bankrupt someone!
BF> ...Not that five fingers _couldn't_.
Never mind the fingers, what about the ears and tails?
Dave
... Reality-ometer: [\........] Hmmph! Thought so...
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.11
Dave Bell
PDS> (My first 'furry' alter-ego, "Elvar", was a dolphin who "modulated his
PDS> sonar directly into the phone, simulating a 300 baud modem in real
PDS> time". Hey, it got a few laughs... I would supect that Argent would use
PDS> a similar mechanism... a computer with a high quality audio transducer
PDS> that could communicate in the range of thought.)
I've seen people test 300 baud acoustic couplers by whistling. Like any
other sort of acoustic interface you have a privacy problem.
Keyboard/VDU combinations aren't entirely private, but there is no
strong interaction between physically adjacent systems.
Dave
... A Dragon is For Life, Not Just for Hogswatchnight.
Kenneth Chisholm
: -=> Quoting John Turner to All <=-
: JT> Ther is a historian, (I forget the fellows name, "Burk" or something)
: JT> but anyway, he has a TV show that is aired on the public stations
: JT> sometimes. He traces a current invention back through the ages and
: JT> shows how seemingly unrelated events helped create what we see now.
: James Burke -- The series was "Connections", made by the BBC in the late
: Seventies, and fascinating viewing. There was a related book as well.
: AIR, he started out on TV in a magazine series (still running today)
: called "Tomorrow's World" and also was one of the frontmen on the
: British TV reporting of the Apollo missions (hence, in a comedy show, a
: scene with a sub-title reading "James Burke (Simulation)".
: He did quite a lot of other stuff in the Seventies on science and
: technology issues, apparently picking up on things which interested him,
: and doing a good job of putting them across on TV. And then he seemed
: to fade away. It's good to hear that he is still around, and still
: active.
He has done another series called The Day the Universe Changed with
talks about how science has changed us in a philosophical and cultural
sense. He has done a special talking about the possible effects of
the Greenhouse effect and he is coming out with Connections II
His major series can be seen on the The Learning Channel (PBS with
commercials)
Alex Williams[SysOp]
> Do you remember the writer who travels around the country with his
> computerized bicycle (I've forgotten his name)? For a long time he
> had a TRS-80 Model 100 mounted on the front. He installed 8 buttons
> on the handlebars, one for each (non-thumb) finger. Each one represented
> a bit for an 8-bit ASCII byte. This way he could type as he cycled.
> "It's a lot like playing the flute," he said.
I had the idea when I was generalizing in-head 'board designs for
handicapped folks with limited mobility. The question became "Why
do you need 102keys /anyway/ if you're just using eight bits?" I
have some interesting conceptual designs for 8-point 'boards, one
for each foot, each knee, each elbow, each thumb, and a head switch
if necessary to allow the presses to be buffered if necessary (hit
in order) then released with that one press. Using the right
microswitch design you can basically require as little pressure as
you like.
Pity I never found anyone with an engineering degree to go in with
me. :/
ObFurry: The whole idea of input devices is an open field for
speculation... but I'd vote to not assume high-tech touchpads and
the like. Remember, you're not born as a civilization with
high-techerie (unless you /are/ :) ). The humble keyboard will be
around forever, because its a /simple cheap/ device. The same
reasoning will apply universally.
--
tha...@runic.via.mind.org (Alex Williams [SysOp]) | PGP 2.0 Key avail
...!emory!uumind!runic!thantos | upon request.
-- ----- --
"Are all men from the future loudmouthed braggarts?" "Just me, bebe.
Just me." -- Ash, _Army of Darkness_
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles Lochel
DA>JT> but anyway, he has a TV show that is aired on the public stations
DA>JT> sometimes. He traces a current invention back through the ages and
DA>JT> shows how seemingly unrelated events helped create what we see now.
DA>James Burke -- The series was "Connections", made by the BBC in the late
DA>Seventies, and fascinating viewing. There was a related book as well.
DA>AIR, he started out on TV in a magazine series (still running today)
DA>called "Tomorrow's World" and also was one of the frontmen on the
DA>British TV reporting of the Apollo missions (hence, in a comedy show, a
DA>scene with a sub-title reading "James Burke (Simulation)".
DA>He did quite a lot of other stuff in the Seventies on science and
DA>technology issues, apparently picking up on things which interested him,
DA>and doing a good job of putting them across on TV. And then he seemed
DA>to fade away. It's good to hear that he is still around, and still
DA>active.
His shows "Connections" and "The Day the Universe Changed" are currently
played here in the states on "The Learning Channel" cable channel. I
also saw an IMAX movie a few months ago that he narrated, called
"Speed". It seems we're only just starting to know him over here. I hope
we see more- he has a really interesting way of describing things.
---
ş SLMR 2.1a ş I'm in shape ... round's a shape isn't it?
Bruce Grant
(Boston-Baden) said:
BB> Incidentally the QWERTY layout is designed to *slow down* the
BB> typist, by putting commonly-used letters farther apart; this is so
BB> the old letter-hammers (watchamacallums) wouldn't jam together.
It gets even better, according to the version of the story I heard.
(Which included the design criterion that the letters of the word
"typewriter" should all be on the top row!)
Apparently the jamming problem (which QWERTY should have solved) was
based on old technology which was already on the way out at the time
the decision was made. Run that by me again?
BB> I would expect that a furry society would use a completely
BB> different keyboard. I would also expect that it would, in part,
BB> be influenced by their alphabet. What is it like? Perhaps there
BB> aren't as many letters in it. that would make things easier.
Such as Steve Gallacci's Albedo alphabet, for example? That's entirely
phonetic, and doesn't have nearly as many alphanumeric and punctuation
symbols as the keyboard in front of me right now.
Bruce.
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Bruce Grant
peaco...@cobra.uni.edu (Greywolf) said:
JG> What's this about the "six toes", though? I've never even HEARD
JG> of that before.
Maybe I should tell you about a cat I met last year, then.
[Shifts into Max Bygraves mode.]
This was while the family had emigrated to the other end of the
country to visit an old friend. She had two dogs and was owned by two
cats. One of them, the biggest black cat I've ever seen in my life,
liked to curl up in a friendly lap (usually mine) for a massage. I had
to be careful, because when he'd had enough he'd just stretch and walk
off, leaving _twenty-four_ neat little pinholes in my trouser legs.
Fortunately, not in my legs as well. Not every time.
Yep, six (very sharp!) claws on each foot.
Bruce.
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| Anything not nailed down is a cat toy. |
Peter da Silva
Dave Bell <dave...@evaware.org> wrote:
> I've seen people test 300 baud acoustic couplers by whistling. Like any
> other sort of acoustic interface you have a privacy problem.
A pack of tine definitely has a privacy problem.
Michael Rubin
>In article <1994Mar11.2...@cobra.uni.edu>,
>peaco...@cobra.uni.edu (Greywolf) said:
>JG> What's this about the "six toes", though? I've never even HEARD
>JG> of that before.
>Maybe I should tell you about a cat I met last year, then...
[Story deleted]
>Yep, six (very sharp!) claws on each foot.
Six- and even seven-toed cats are fairly common in New England;
I believe the mutant gene is dominant, at least in Maine Coon cats.
I've ALSO heard, though not confirmed, that some extra-digited
felines can oppose their endmost toes and pick things up!
Now, who's forgotten to mention the usefulness of the PREHENSILE TAIL
in an overworked office situation? (Receptionist pushes phone buttons
with left paw, talks on phone using headset, writes down appointments
with right paw, buzzes door open with... er...)
--
--Mike Rubin <mi...@panix.com>
Watch out for the Smokeys on that information highway!
Paul R Lester
>I've ALSO heard, though not confirmed, that some extra-digited
>felines can oppose their endmost toes and pick things up!
A friend of mine (currently in vet school) used to have a couple of cats
like that named Pancho and Six-toe :) He claimed to have seen them
picking things up with their unusually-endowed forepaws, but then again
I've got a 'regulation' cat whose done the same thing.
>
>Now, who's forgotten to mention the usefulness of the PREHENSILE TAIL
>in an overworked office situation? (Receptionist pushes phone buttons
>with left paw, talks on phone using headset, writes down appointments
>with right paw, buzzes door open with... er...)
I'm reminded of a Pluggers cartoon by Jeff MacNelly showing an
auto-mechanic raccoon he occasionally draws sitting down to breakfast
with a donut in one hand, a slice of toast in the other, and a cup of
coffee in one prehensile hind paw. One of the few instances in which he
overtly acknowledges the non-humanness of one of his characters, I believe.
as...@acad2.alaska.edu
> In <457.29...@evaware.org> bruce...@evaware.org (Bruce Grant) writes:
>
>
> Six- and even seven-toed cats are fairly common in New England;
> I believe the mutant gene is dominant, at least in Maine Coon cats.
> I've ALSO heard, though not confirmed, that some extra-digited
> felines can oppose their endmost toes and pick things up!
Had a friend who had a cat like that. Difficult to play chess while
it was watching...
"No, Swagly. Bad cat. Put the pawn down."
Also, extra claws + carpetted basement walls + climbing ability
= one stuck cat.
John Friese
as...@orion.alaska.edu
williamon turluon
Paul R Lester <wi...@gagme.wwa.com> wrote:
>In article <2mbdsc$a...@panix.com>, Michael Rubin <mi...@panix.com> wrote:
>
>>I've ALSO heard, though not confirmed, that some extra-digited
>>felines can oppose their endmost toes and pick things up!
opposable thumb, as well as a non-thumb.
+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+
| williamon turluon, explorer of | A person without a religion is |
| the multiverse, speaker-to-spam | like a fish without a bicycle. |
|---------------------------------+---------------------------------|
|CEonOm col'n"argeydFEzivOJ mEanOm| Never count your chickens |
| -catolon first-contact greeting | before they rip your lips off |
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