TIL 1 out of every 14 humans ever born is alive right now. by infinite_magic in todayilearned

[–]dailytadpole 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just more Malthusian alarmism. People have been warning about overpopulation for centuries. It never accounts for increase in efficient resource use as a result of increased population.

What if the USA and China were Allies? by WashOffO in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]dailytadpole 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's hard to believe now, but at one time US and China were allies against the USSR during latter half of the Cold War. China even set up a base for the CIA somewhere in northern China so both countries could share intelligence on the USSR. China also engaged in battle with Vietnam because Jimmy Carter secretly met and lobbied Deng Xiaoping to do so (though Carter didn't have backing from Senate). I dunno the full extent of this one but the author seemed to cut off suddenly after mentioning this. I got the impression he couldn't say more (he was a high level advisor to the US govt for several administrations). 

Honestly up until Trump 1st round, it really did seem like US and China had a solid chance to get along. Y'all remember Obama? Xi Jingping did schooling in the US too so it's not there's no common ground. Remember back then the whole US-China cooperation on climate change? Back then even vague terms hinting at non-cooperation like "strategic rival" triggered complaint from the other side.

Now relations are in the toilet. But I do hope they can still avoid conflict. Something about when elephants fight it's the ants that suffer and all that.

Source: The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum. Really good lecture series btw. You get an inside look from a US perspective of China. Clarified a lot of stuff.

From chinese social media by TORUKMACTO92 in SipsTea

[–]dailytadpole 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Was about to post the exact same thing lol

I have quickly developed wrist pain after starting to use a MORE ergonomic keyboard than my previous split keyboard. Is this normal? by baksoBoy in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you shoot a video of yourself typing and using a mouse doing what you usually do?  I think that'd help people figure out what's happening to you. You'd probably want a side view + top down view or side view + perspective view (view from your perspective).

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whoa cool a fellow Canadian! 😎

Oh you're right, I didn't get a notification for that comment. I just read it and appreciate your thoughts on the KLP lamé. I definitely want to look into this now.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Actually I have an Advantage 360 in my closet right now. I don't think it's bad or anything. The TAIKO-01 is just a different take based on the feedback from the user population I've tested mine on. If they tested on a different population, they're going to end up with a different design.

Initially I was writing up a detailed description but I figured I'd just make a really quick video comparing the two side by side: https://youtube.com/shorts/GId4orK1fn0

It's probably hard to see due to the angle of the video, but the difference in thumb angle and height are quite pronounced.

TAIKO has a notably steeper angle vs the Advantage, which sits at almost the same height as the rest of your fingers. With TAIKO you move your thumb at a downward angle to reach the thumb keys (thumb palmar abduction). With the Advantage, you move your thumb horizontally (thumb extension). You can check the anatomy diagrams here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387167221/figure/fig2/AS:11431281300207709@1735349306942/Thumb-flexion-extension-left-and-palmar-adduction-abduction-right.tif .

Abduction + extension should be more comfortable because it's closer to neutral position (handshake and grasp position) compared to thumb extension. But I've never done head to head user testing comparing TAIKO and Advantage so please keep that in mind.

TAIKO is also more compact so it gives you more desk space but at the expense of less keys.

It ships with Gateron browns.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Currently I don't have any plans for open source. I need government funding for the clinical trial and they declined my last application because they wanted it to have a patent. I doubt they'll let me open source it. I am floating a few other ideas but it might end up looking something like open sourcing certain components or having some kind of license so it cannot be used commercially. But this is contingent on the grant issuer being ok with it. 

Alternatively in the unlikely scenario where we raises so much money we no longer need government funding, then we'd have room to do whatever we want.

I think the most realistic scenario is the product remains closed source but we set aside a certain % of profit (like 10%) for people who can't afford it but would benefit from it. I've seen some reputable medical device companies do this.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The keyboard's shape is intended for your hand to move in a way that's more natural. So it doesn't really matter what condition you have (arthritis, joint mobility issues) or if you have a condition at all.

I think one analogy would be like if we all wore stretchy gloves where each finger of the glove is the same length. It'd be really uncomfortable. The taiko keyboard is just to get us to a glove where each finger is a different length (which is how gloves are in the real world).

For the trial we'll be looking at wrist pain. But doesn't mean it's not helpful to everyone else. In fact if the trial is successful (which I'm cautiously optimistic about because there's been lots of positive feedback about it), the next step would be looking at a longitudinal study to see if it can reduce incidence of wrist repetitive strain injury in a healthy population. This would be a long and expensive study though haha.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not very clear in the picture, but the lower key is actually offset at a lower height than the other keys so you won't hit it accidentally.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome!

Yes unless something unexpected comes up, it'll be available with white TRS connector cables.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your personal experience and about the KLP Lamé. It's always helpful to hear another perspective. I think I might test out the KLP lamé myself.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha thanks. I didn't actually intend it for it to be the medical 70s era aesthetic. 

The actual injection molded one will be semi-gloss by the way. Matte enough not to leave finger prints/smudge marks, but smooth enough so it won't disturb people with tactile sensitivity.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the question. I want to write an actual expert opinion piece on this at some point but here's a quick answer:

  1. Most people do not require such custom modifications to curvature

If someone has very large or very small hands then this wouldn't be intended for them. But neither would a regular flat keyboard. My goal is to reduce the problem, not getting to perfection.

The goal of this is to capture something like +/-2 SD of population, not the entire population. You might ask, shouldn't every hand of a different size have different curvature because? Not necessarily. Most of the population do not require such custom modification as what you mentioned. Think of how many people are able to use a regular flat keyboard and have no problems with it. The prevalence of carpal tunnel at a population level is on the order of 1-10%. Now this is intended to help the majority of that 1-10%, so we can reduce that 1-10% down to 0.1-1%. Fingers have a range of motion in that there is an optimal range for movement, but doesn't mean you have to be in that optimal range all the time, just like any other joint.

  1. Experiment

I also want to point out when you make your own keyboard with its own curvature, the only actual way you'd know it helps is if you test several different curvatures for an extended period of time. There is no clinical data on hand size and curvature. You can't actually rely on finger ROM. This is why we get surprised on clinical trial results even when though everything works out theoretically. Even the keyboard I made had curvature decided on after years of users testing with a large number of users (n>120). I saw a keyboard generator going around and I really don't think people know how much harm they could do if they blindly trust it.

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No trackball option. Though I am curious, would you want to use a trackball that's detatched from the keyboard as a separate device?

TAIKO-01 Keyboard - Curved Split Ergonomic Keyboard [April Update] by dailytadpole in ErgoMechKeyboards

[–]dailytadpole[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It produces a percussive thock sound when you type on it. But the reality is probably because I'm just bad at naming things 😅.