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Friday, September 08, 2006

"Uhhhhhh, how do write a letter E again?"

As most bloggers, I have a job that requires me to be in front of the computer all the time. Keyboard and mouse for most of the day. It was only last week, that I really noticed the down side to this. I had finished designig a project and a co-worker, in jest, asked me to autograph a piece for her. I began to notice that I was slowing down when I was writing my last name. No, I did not forget how to spell, (shut up Ezzie), but i was having a hard time actually writing out some of the letters. I usually write in cursive and I was slowing down at certain points where one loop would connect to the next letter. I was shocked (and a bit embarrased). Another co-worker told me this is completely normal since most of the time I am typing and not actually writing, and so what came naturally before in my hands mobility to easily write, now requires some effort of thought.

This was indeed an eye opener for me because all the time, you tell yourself that you should do more reading. But what about writing? Ofcourse, not everyone uses the computer all day, but for those that do, I think its important that we don't loose this basic skill. I have made it a priority now (along with a bunch of other priorities I have set aside) to do some random writing every now and then. Just like anything else, whether its drawing, skating, or even reading, if you don't keep practicing and doing them, you might eventually forget how to do it.

A lot of help I'm going to be when my kids enter elementary school and practice writing on those dotted lined pages only to have their dad doing the exact same thing right next to them :) Am i over exagerating here, or has anyone else experienced this?

15 comments:

  1. I also have this issue, and it makes it difficult when I am in class, without my computer, and need to take notes so I can go back later to study. Not only has my handwriting gotten much slower, but it's sloppier, and I'm less comfortable writing in cursive than I used to be (not sure why the fallout occurs there, but it seems to). I much prefer typing, and am much quicker at it, but it sometimes isn't feasible (I would rather suffer with my slow handwriting than lug my computer to class every night). I do think handwriting is going to disintegrate in the near future as I know children in as young as the 3rd grades who are expected to have laptops in school these days.

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  2. My handwriting was always terrible; I was so happy when I learned how to type. And I always get callouses too.

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  3. [perplexed look]

    Maybe it's not such a bad thing that my boss makes me take down all of his dictation by hand...

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  4. I think you're right. Along those same lines...I realized the other day, I never write "real" letters anymore...everything is email. Sad.

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  5. I do think handwriting is going to disintegrate in the near future as I know children in as young as the 3rd grades who are expected to have laptops in school these days.

    Thats crazy. 3rd grade? where? My wife teaches 2nd grade and her co-teacher wanted to bring some computers in the class. I was against this because I felt in the beginning, they need to stick with basics and have their heads off the monitor. Besides they get this enough probably at home.

    I have an idea. What say, instead of email, we all start righting letters to one another. Whos with me? Yay or nay?

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  6. Yup, my ability to write cursive has been severely degraded over the past 10 years.

    When in university, I started to switch to print chars for note taking since it seemed to be less of a strain on my wrist.

    Then, after then, I did not write much period, and was instead typing most things. As a programmer, most of what I do is on the computer... I only take short notes on a pad next to me on the odd occasion.

    On the upside, the calous I used to have on my middle finger where I rested my pen has disappeared.

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  7. On the upside, the calous I used to have on my middle finger where I rested my pen has disappeared.


    Ya, instead we're going to get Carpal Tunnel syndrom and sever eye strain.

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  8. I used to be a big letter-writer, even after the introduction of email into the olam. But eventually I stopped, because it's more fun to write letters when you have a chance of getting letters back.

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  9. because it's more fun to write letters when you have a chance of getting letters back.

    True. I used to love getting letters from friends in Israel and see the little doodles around the margins. Email is very impersonal.

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  10. "What say, instead of email, we all start righting letters"
    Better start watching that spelling too!

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  11. Ever since I got fibromyalgia, I'm pretty much incapable of writing gracefully. (Not that I was much good before; too much tension.) All I can do in cursive is my signature. Before I got married, I had to practice writing my new name just so I could sign things. I felt like a little kid in school again!

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  12. i also spend much time at computer and i type pretty fast... much faster than i write now. but my writing has always been shocking! They could never get me to write completely neatly in primary school. (But I did do quite well with calligraphy... go figure.)

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  13. Does your software tick and tie for you? I did plenty of writing when I audited. The guideline was that a workpaper shouldn't look "too perfect" or it was not revised as needed.

    Maybe times have changed, or maybe the software has.

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  14. As I'm still a student, I do not have that problem. I find it pretty entertaining to imagine, though! :)

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