I want to tell you a story about my keyboard.
For context, after 5 years of service, I upgraded my Lenovo Carbon ThinkPad to a Microsoft SurfaceLaptop. And there are only two issues that I can think of from the top of my head. The first is the auto-night-light-activation feature which is a bit buggy and doesn't really work. That's okay. It's not hard to press the button manually to fix things up.
The second problem is the power button. For whatever reason, the designers at Microsoft thought itwas a good idea to put the power button next to the Delete button. This is literally the stupidest idea since whatever the last thing Kim Kardashian said.
I use the delete button a lot. Because despite these random ramblings appearing to be sprung from a rich and reputable source of spontaneous inspiration. I do, in fact, delete a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. Or it's too wordy. Or it's just wrong.
The delete button is the most powerful tool I have to fight off the "being verbose" condition.
So when the geniuses at Microsoft decided it was a good idea to put the delete button next to the power button. And then the product chief signed off on it. And the marketing people didn't even look at it. This - stupidest of ideas - went out the door andhas ended up on my desk.
It means that over a single day, I once turned my computer off five times by accident.
And I know you mightbe thinking - hey idiot - just use the Backspace button. But hey. Shut up.
There was only one answer I could think of, and that was to buy a keyboard to link to my otherwise brilliant new laptop.
Which keyboard to buy was a question I pondered on for weeks. And this has led me to an insight that wasn't as obvious to me before COVID ruined the world.
In normal circumstances, after the fifth time of turning off my machine. I would have raged, possibly cried, and then gone to the shop to look at a suitable solution to my fumbling fingers.
Here's the problem, the government has made it abundantly illegal to do or see or talk to or touch anything.
So when I wanted tofix my problem all, the only thing I could do was look at pictures online, read reviews, and compare pricing. I couldn't do what I really wanted to, which was to go to the shop, press the buttons, see how they feel, talk to the sales repto try and get a discount. Then leave and be more content with my decision,thinking that I've done my due diligence. Especially considering how much of my time is spent pressing these buttons - a new keyboard for me is the equivalent of a builder buying a new hammer.
Buying stuff onlineis great for people that know exactly what they want - because they'vepurchased the exact item before and therefore trust what they are buying. Butif you don't know what you want, you want to browse and explore and discover.
I settled on aMicrosoft Surface Keyboard. My logic is that the new set of hammers will syncwell with my machine, considering they come from the same parent. And it does,setup took all of four seconds, and now I have hot buttons that launch calculators and minimize everything and a full-sized number pad.
I took a risk -buying something I hadn't had a chance to touch before buying - and it's mostly paid off. My solution is mostly solved. Except now, because it's Bluetooth, Ihave a new problem. One that is just as annoying because the Bluetoothy natureof my keyboard means it randomly forgets it's at work and decides to go to sleep. Then when I press something, it wakes up and repeats the command twenty times - as if it were making up for slacking off... But hey, at least I can now press delete without turning off the