Russell Beattie

The xkcd blog just published a X-Windows keymap which lets you type with one hand by using the caps-lock as a keyboard modifier. I've seen something like this before, but it was a special keyboard, this is just an easy software hack. This is pretty cool, and in theory should be a lot easier to grok than trying to memorize a whole new layout or learn a chording system.

Well, that's the theory anyways. I loaded it up on my Linux box in 2 seconds, and it works great, but I can't seem to get my left hand to obey! I see the logic behind the idea of making it a mirror image of the right side of the qwerty keyboard layout, but I keep trying to type the keys with my left hand in their normal order. Maybe I've been moving my hand over to the right side of the keyboard long enough that my brain doesn't work like that any more? Not sure... I like the idea though, so I may stick with it.

At the end of the post there's an amusing sentence to practice your one-handed skillz: "I'll kill him in Honolulu, you unhook my pink kimono." Try it, it's *very* amusing to type - you keep waiting for your other hand to come into play... :-)

-Russ