So I got this new typey-thingy.
Apparently, schools used to use these things to teach kids how to type. I never saw one myself; my schools used real computers. But it’s a pretty neat little device to write on! You can only see four lines at a time, so you can’t really edit. You just write. Then you can transfer what you’ve written to a computer by hooking up a cable.
You don’t go into the filesystem on the AlphaSmart and pick the files out, though. Instead there’s a “send” button that sends your text in a stream to whatever program your computer has open. So I don’t even have to worry about the fact that this thing only has straight quotes and apostrophes; I have it send to Obsidian, where I’m using a smart typography plugin, and it’s all good.
I’ve used it so far to write a couple of stories for my self-imposed 30 days, 30 drafts challenge, as well as most of this blog entry. The keys are… a bit clumsy. But it’s nicer than typing on a phone (even my old MyTouch), and less distracting than typing on my laptop.
There’s a mod out there to replace the keyboard. I might try that? It looks hard, though, and I’m a klutz. So maybe I’ll just… get used to it.
Perhaps more importantly, today my wife and I made a trip to the Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary. I got a bunch of pictures of sweet precious babies; I’ll post those another time.