Striking Home

Spring 1996, Page One

WHAT'S INSIDE ...
[ World's Fastest Typist ] [ Archives Moved ] [ The President's Corner ] [ Classifieds ]
[ From the Mailbox ] [ Single Hand Solutions ][ Home Row Story ] [ MacKeyCaps ]
[ Cartoon ] [ Supporting Cast ][ Dvorak Left Hand Layout ] [ Previous Issues ]

Barbara Blackburn, the World's Fastest Typist - PART II

Barbara Blackburn has been listed in The Guinness Book of World Recordsas the world's fastest typist. This is the second of a two part interviewDvorak International had with Barbara. Part one appeared in the Summer 1995 issue.

DI: - What type of reactions do you get from your co-workers who see this funny arrangement of keys on your keyboard?
Barbara: - Oh, they're all real surprised. Of course when I went to work at State Farm in '81 there were four other people there who typed on Dvorak, in the word processing center...
DI: - Oh really?!
Barbara: - And that's the reason I went to work there-because I knew they had the keyboard available. They had Vydec machines in the word processing center and Vydec had made a switchable keyboard strictly for them. So there were four typists there and all the rest of them were supposed to learn it. But the ones that were typing on it backed out, and one of them particularly was very, very strong-minded against it. She didn't hesitate to express herself very strongly about how she didn't like it. In fact she did that when CBS Evening News came in to interview me! Then a couple of them left and the other two who were still using it converted back to QWERTY again. The state (of Oregon) did the same thing. They had the Vydec machines in there, too, in the Department of Revenue. In fact I worked there for a time after I came out here on the Vydec machines. Right now I've got one here sitting right here beside me. When State Farm got rid of them, they gradually started fading all of them out and they didn't exactly know what to do with them. Well, they gave me five of them that I kind-of farmed out to various people. But the one I've got here is not working right anymore and it would cost about $800 an hour to get it fixed. So it's just sittin' here looking at me! They're a great big heavy machine and they have their own stand-alone printers too.
DI: - It seems like the Dvorak layout is gaining momentum. It's even in the Windows operating system.
Barbara: - Linda Lewis is responsible for that. She's the head of Keytime.
DI: - So we have Linda to thank for that?
Barbara: - Yes. I called her a while back, to find out how to get into Dvorak, because I was going to get a keyboard for Sonia, my daughter. And they're doing real well, but she's the one who basically was responsible for getting Dvorak on Windows with Microsoft. I don't remember when, but anyhow I went back to Seattle and demonstrated a computer electronics show for them for one weekend, and I had such a nice time-she's such a wonderful person. In fact, my grandson was born the day after I got home and she sent flowers, I guess '87.
DI: - You've mentioned that you have a daughter, is it just one daughter or do you have more kids?
Barbara: - I have four children. A boy and a girl and a boy and a girl!
DI: - Wow! And Sonia is interested in the Dvorak keyboard?
Barbara: - Yes, she's the oldest daughter. She actually refuses to even think about typing on the QWERTY keyboard. They have a new computer, but she has figured out how to get into Dvorak. She's a flagger with a road construction company, and during the summer she gets very little done except get out there and try to stop traffic. So she hasn't had a chance to do too much yet this summer, actually. She is just very vehement that she will not use anything else!

Dvorak Archives Moved to Poultney

Coordinating the busy schedules of myself and Virginia Russell hasn't been easy. It has taken more than a year to arrange a time when we could get together to transfer the Dvorak International archives from Virginia's office to mine. But patience has paid off, and they are here in Poultney at last. Now I have the pleasurable task of sifting through it all, so I can be better versed in the history of the Dvorak movement. I expect the task to take at least a year, possibly more. In briefly going over the files, I have found that enthusiasm for the layout is nothing new. The folders are filled with individuals who have "discovered" the American Simplified Keyboard, and have subsequently made their work and personal lives more productive and enjoyable. If space allows, I'll share some of their experiences with you in future issues of Striking Home.

The President's Corner

This issue of Striking Home has been long overdue. No, I don't mean that it is simply late in arriving at you mailbox. Regular readers know by now that just because the front cover says Spring, that doesn't mean that Spring is still with us. (I will try to get the Summer issue of Striking Home out before the snow hits the ground, but that's another story.) This is the first issue of Striking Home that places a major emphasis on the Dvorak single hand layouts. I had originally planned to work this theme into Striking Home over a year ago. Things don't always work out as planned. That being said, look for some common Dvorak solutions for single hand typists on page 4, as well as some interesting letters on page 3. I know that there are many more resources for Dvorak one hand typists than we have listed here. If you are an individual or company representative who knows of additional resources for single hand typists, I strongly encourage you to write to us with specific information. Striking Home is a forum, not a pulpit, and Dvorak International exists to help all typists do their jobs easier and faster. Not only is this the first "single hand" issue, it will also-in all probability-be our last. This is because I feel that the issues facing single hand typists are too important to "put off" for special issues. It is my intention instead to bring more information to single hand users into every issue. Keep a lookout for more single hand product reviews, first person stories, and training aids. You may have noticed that the Dvorak left hand layout is shown on the back cover. In a future issue we will show the right hand layout. We will continue to periodically show the one hand layouts, either on the back cover or elsewhere in the newsletter. (If for any reason a reader needs to see the Dvorak right hand layout right away, just write to us and we will send you a printout. If you are not already a supporting donor, a small donation to cover our costs is appreciated. We rely solely on donations to keep our doors open.)

In Zen Buddhism, there is a path to enlightenment that uses koans. A koan is a sort of riddle that seems to have no answer. Through meditation, one eventually comes upon the answer to their koan. A well known koan is: What is the sound of one hand clapping? If I may be so bold as to borrow from the Masters, I would ask: What is the sound of one hand typing? A koan cannot be solved unless one works at it with all their might until they are forced to give up. Then the answer comes of itself. For one handed typists, the answer is obvious-thanks to the Dvorak single hand layouts.

steve@dvorakint.org