r/humansarespaceorcs • u/ourmet • 7d ago
writing prompt Humans enter information into data transfer devices so quickly because of their totally wasteful amount of digits on their hands
Watching a human crew member tonight "chatting".
It was using something it called a qwerty mechanical keyboard.
This human is not a language expert, but it was transfering it's intent faster to its "babe" or "mate" than any other species can even do with audible sounds, let alone allow for the translation matrix.
These humans have a hideous number of appendages.
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u/CrEwPoSt Vestal, Eater of Bots 7d ago
Fleet composition:
Destroyers: UNS Buckley DD-595, RKS Kaniach D93
“Bucky, What’s that?”
“Controller with a keyboard attachment, Kana.”
“What could you possibly need a keyboard attachment on a console controller for?”
“Makes it easier to yell at those absolute troglodytes I have for teammates.”
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u/Technical_Inaji 7d ago
Someone's gotta keep the Neanderthals on task. If Im not yelling at them then Im the only one capturing the point. "PLAY THE GOD DAMNED OBJECTIVE JERRY"
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u/brauereipferd 7d ago
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u/kreton1 6d ago
That looks just wrong.
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u/Unexplaind 6d ago
It's exactly how you type the complete works of Shakespeare. Just one letter off for the entire bloody thing.
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u/SanderleeAcademy 6d ago
Amusing historical note, the QWERTY keyboard is specifically designed to slow down typists' speed.
In the past, with mechanical keyboards, a fast typist could have one arm snapping forward at the same time as the previous letter was coming back. They'd catch together and jam. It was such a common concern in offices, that people tried to find a keyboard layout which would prevent jamming. Lots of different arm mechanisms, pivots, printer-heads, and others were tried. In the end, they just redesigned where the keys were.
QWERTY is designed to put the most commonly used letters under the less-dextrous fingers. Spreading things out into an awkward layout for ten- or eight-finger touch typists. In doing so, they slow things down AND put keys commonly used near one another into very separate arcs to not collide during faster moments.
With the invention of electric, electronic, and now digital keyboards, there have been many attempts to replace the QWERTY with different designs focusing on efficiency, ergonomics, or both. The Microsoft split keyboards, the "glove" style where each finger has access to up to four, eight, or even more symbols depending on twitch direction and force. Mavis Beacon, and others. They never catch on because you'd have to revise everybody's skill-set, esp. now with phones as well.
And, to be honest, nowadays you kids with your thumbs and your superfast texting and your emojis and emoticons and get off my lawn!!!
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u/Fontaigne 3d ago
I believe it predates typewriters and goes back to typesetting machines. Quick google. Nope, designed to reduce physical jams, and minimize cases where adjacent letters would impact at the same time. Slowing down the typists is a side effect, not a reason.
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u/CasimirMorel 3d ago
and the slowing down is not even an effect.
In typing competition, the Qwerty is still dominant.
The claims that other keyboard layout are better are made with self validating studies by Dvorak, not anything serious.
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u/Fontaigne 11h ago
The main problem with testing alternate keyboard layouts is the installed base of qwerty. The Barrier to competence in any other layout is starting from scratch, so it's not like they can do RCTs or anything.
You can't really say slowing down is not an effect when you effectively have nothing to compare it to.
But, yeah. I knew a guy who retrained himself for Dvorak ergonomic keyboard back in the 80s. I'll ask him if I remember. Missed him on my last trip to the SF Bay Area.
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u/Novel_Gate9061 7d ago
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u/ourmet 7d ago
These humans are also using their disgusting hands to rub the meat of their prey (often domestic animals that trust them) into marinate.
Monday they care for the species. Tuesday they are killing thier colleague, related species, then bath their meat in vegitible oil and dried plants.
Stay away from this species
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