Typing Superhumans: The Mystery Unveiled

[mcknia07]

Mavis Beacon is where I learned the most about typing. It's a good program and it's fun too. Though, I have kinda strayed from the proper form, but I know the keyboard without looking so I can type pretty good. We started proper typing back in like 3rd and 4th grade. Our school got us started early and clear up until college even we have had to take typing courses.

 

[GeorginaS]

Mavis Beacon is an excellent typing teaching software. I purchased it for my ex who, prior to our purchasing a computer, had never even stared at a keyboard in his life. And he was in his late 30s at the time.

He had no clue what the "shift" key was for, or the space bar or the "enter" key. Nothing. We began from ground zero. First I taught him not to type with all caps just because it was easier than switching back and forth. Once he figured out his basic way around a keyboard, I got Mavis Beacon for him. It worked like a charm, especially the games He's really competitive and they got his speed up quickly. I was really impressed.

 

[psyklon]

I have to second Mavis Beacon. My mother whipped up a tough typing curriculum the summer before I entered middle school so I sat through an hour of lessons each day for about two months. Good way to learn how to type.

 

[Art]

A PC computer program 'Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing' taught me touch typing within a few weeks. Speed then comes with practice.

 

[SticksandStones]

Years of playing Starcraft got me to the point where I can type a paper @ >100wpm while holding a conversation with someone on a different topic and looking away from the screen.

 

[mcknia07]

Years of playing Starcraft got me to the point where I can type a paper @ >100wpm while holding a conversation with someone on a different topic and looking away from the screen.

Mighty impressive...

 

[Math Jeans]

Years of playing Starcraft got me to the point where I can type a paper @ >100wpm while holding a conversation with someone on a different topic and looking away from the screen.

Gaming+Dedication=Fast Typing

I can relate .

 

[Lisa!]

I lost this skill since I don't type much these days!

 

[Oerg]

you know, I think most gamers like me have their index finger of their left hand on the d key instead of the f key which is taught in touch typing classes.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

you know, I think most gamers like me have their index finger of their left hand on the d key instead of the f key which is taught in touch typing classes.

Thats so true!

 

[Oerg]

Thats so true!

haha yeh, and very much so for fps players cos of the wsad controls.

 

[cristo]

haha yeh, and very much so for fps players cos of the wsad controls.

Regardless of how fast you can type, the problem then arises that the rest of the world have no idea what you're talking about!

 

[Danger]

Regardless of how fast you can type, the problem then arises that the rest of the world have no idea what you're talking about!

I took typing in grades 9 & 10. First year was on manual Underwoods, and we felt pretty special when we got to use IBM Selectrics the second year. The keys were blank, and there were no charts available to sneak a peak at. We were taught to type to music, usually marching tunes. That meant firing off a blast of 5 or 6 characters, pausing for a quarter second or so, and hitting the keys again. What might be even more important is that we never saw 'words'. We were taught to take each letter individually. That is, we would spell each word as we typed it, as opposed to thinking of the whole word and trying to get it straight on the fly. I still do that now.
On the IBM, or my Facit 1850C that I bought for personal use, I could usually manage about 120 wpm. I'm much slower on a computer. Right now, I'm doing about 80 wpm. That's partially due to arthritis, but more to the fact that computer keys are too sensitive for me. My training was to keep my fingers on 'home row' (asdf jkl;) and my wrists on the bottom rest. This Mac book isn't too bad key-wise, but any other machine that I've used actually fired the keys that I was trying to rest my fingers on. And even this one doesn't have either a wrist-rest or stepped row system. I see the practicality of it for a lap-top, but it's tough to reach straight forward when you're used to having the rows set up like stadium bleachers where you go up and forward.

 

[Oerg]

Regardless of how fast you can type, the problem then arises that the rest of the world have no idea what you're talking about!

oh, fps stands for first player shooters and wsad refers to movement controls that are standardized for most fps games. So fps players usually have their left fingers on the w,s,a and d keys.