How much is too much to spend on a keyboard?
I wondered on Twitter a while ago about how much was too much to spend on a keyboard (here referring, of course, to the kind of keyboard you type on. This had come from a discussion on a distribution list that day at work where a guy was talking about how he would never understand the IBM keyboard cult, meaning people who prefer the olde-tymey Model M clicky keyboards. This caused a huge outpouring of overt support including links to ebay and stores that specifically deal in these keyboards. A guy said he bought a bunch in bulk once.
A couple of weeks ago when clicky keyboards also came up (apparently some people really do go on about these things), someone mentioned Das Keyboard, that stupid keyboard that came out a while ago with no letters on the keys, prompting everyone to immediately go "Why the hell would I buy a keyboard without any letters on the keys, especially when it's so expensive? Why wouldn't I buy a goddamn $5 keyboard and spraypaint the keys black?" Apparently these people think that painting letters on keys makes up most of the cost of a keyboard or something.
I reversed their logic. "Why would I need letters on a keyboard when I can just buy a thing of white-out and a really thin paintbrush?" I posted to the DL: "Has anyone actually used a Das Keyboard?" Nobody had.
"My firm belief in the value of experimentation has persuaded me: I'm going to buy one of these crazy ass clicky keyboards. And since there's no point in doing an experiment only halfway, I'm going to buy the retarded one with no letters on the keys. Take that, guy who hates the IBM Keyboard Cult!" He was suitably humbled.
It came today. It is nice to type on. Only time will tell whether I find the damn clicking annoying after a while after so long on non-clicky keyboards.
A couple of weeks ago when clicky keyboards also came up (apparently some people really do go on about these things), someone mentioned Das Keyboard, that stupid keyboard that came out a while ago with no letters on the keys, prompting everyone to immediately go "Why the hell would I buy a keyboard without any letters on the keys, especially when it's so expensive? Why wouldn't I buy a goddamn $5 keyboard and spraypaint the keys black?" Apparently these people think that painting letters on keys makes up most of the cost of a keyboard or something.
I reversed their logic. "Why would I need letters on a keyboard when I can just buy a thing of white-out and a really thin paintbrush?" I posted to the DL: "Has anyone actually used a Das Keyboard?" Nobody had.
"My firm belief in the value of experimentation has persuaded me: I'm going to buy one of these crazy ass clicky keyboards. And since there's no point in doing an experiment only halfway, I'm going to buy the retarded one with no letters on the keys. Take that, guy who hates the IBM Keyboard Cult!" He was suitably humbled.
It came today. It is nice to type on. Only time will tell whether I find the damn clicking annoying after a while after so long on non-clicky keyboards.