Live data from Hacker News

Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

extrahop.com

71–78 of 78 posts

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#71
post #3

I'm currently trying to solve my RSI problems by going farther than the normal progression of ergonomic peripherals. If that doesn't work, I'll have to give up and go to voice control. I've designed and built my own chording keyboard, which should be 10x less stressful to type on than a normal keyboard. I also have an eye tracker that I'm going to program to use to replace most mouse tasks. I don't like the idea of i…

With a nice microphone I have found that I can speak rather quietly and have it still pickup my commands accurately. My office mate has said it doesn't bother him much.

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#72
post #44

Great article! I have wondered if this was possible before. The only problem is eventually you might lose your voice! I had hand/arm problems not long after starting my first programming job, but I have solved them now. My main advice would be to get a good chair and desk. I have a RH logic 400 chair and height adjustable desk, with an Imprint Cumulus Pro floor mat. I also use a Kinesis Freestyle 2 keyboard. All toge…

I mentioned this in an earlier comment as well; using a good microphone I can speak very softly and still have my commands heard accurately. Additionally I take a drink of water whenever WorkRave tells me to take a break (every 3 minutes). Haven't had any trouble with voice at all.

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#73

Watching the PyCon talk the author mentions as inspiration, the thing that seems like it would really kill this for me (even given a good macro set for the editors and applications I need) is the input lag. The whole time, it seems like he's either pausing between commands and able to react to incorrectly interpreted input, or he's speaking a long string of commands and something goes wrong in the middle that invalid…

Yes, there is a little lag but I have not found it to be a big deal. If you are getting excessive lag just make sure that the environment is mostly quiet and you have given the Windows VM enough CPU and RAM. Turns out voice recognition is hard.

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#74

Recently I've had RSI and been having physio. My physiotherapist seems to be very experienced and pretty much right about everything. Here's what she told me: 1. Fix your posture. 2. Use ergonomic devices. 3. Exercise to strengthen your core and back muscles, and counteract your sedentary lifestyle. Details below. 1. Posture The main cause of RSI is bad posture at the desk. Both the way you type and use the mouse, bu…

I also had RSI which progressed to the point where I was starting to worry if I'd be able to keep using a keyboard at all. A standing desk had helped for some time, but it was reaching the point where I'd stand for 3/4ths of the day, come home, and simply lie down.

I went to physical therapy, which identified problems with my neck and shoulders, and then we began working on those muscle groups and some of my core. I should note that these exercises were very gradual, such as using no weights or 1-2lb weights -- I didn't go straight to lifting!

After a few months of this, most of my symptoms have disappeared (I only went to phys therapy for about 1.5 months; afterwards I was able to keep doing the exercises at home). Also, my wife has noticed that my posture has naturally improved as a result of the exercises, such as my shoulders no longer rolling inwards.

I still have some remaining long term problems that I've had for a decade, but now I can sit and use a computer the whole day with very few problems. Of course, everybody's situation is different: physical therapy, surgery, and "The Mindbody Prescription" mentioned elsewhere have not helped a friend of mine. But at least in my case, it was a bit humbling to realize that all I really needed to do was exercise (and I'm not overweight, either).

Something else that helped me was getting a quality mechanical keyboard with low actuation and learning how to use it without bottoming out. The model that I like (CM Storm Quickfire Rapid) is unfortunately no longer made, but it uses Cherry MX Brown switches (not loud, but still has an actuation point) and has no numeric keypad, so I can keep the mouse close by without having to stretch my shoulder. I use blue switches at home, which have a more clear actuation point and thus are probably better for a mechanical keyboard novice, but they are probably too loud to use in an open office environment. This guide is very helpful for understanding the how & why of mechanical keyboards: http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/official-mechanical-keyboa...

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#75
post #28

EVERYONE who suffers from RSI should read this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1269951 I read it about a year ago, and it was probably the single most important article I've read in my entire life. Some background: I've been using computers since I was a little kid. Used to play videos games a whole ton. Around the age of 15, I started having severe RSI-related pain in my hands. Even after I stopped gaming, I c…

Really? I haven't read the book, but I did look up a book review. Please tell me if the review is inaccurate, because... wow. I thought Freud was a little off his rocker.

Dr. Sarno's theory can be stated simply: Most muscular/ skeletel pain is usually the result of early infantile and childhood trauma which has been repressed. The emotion involved is invariably that of profound anger and rage.

So repressed childhood trauma causes RSI. I'm not saying that body pains can't be psychosomatic, but that's a heck of a conclusion there. It sounds like some serious placebo effect. I'd love to see it tested against a similar but different explanation (a belief in your brainwaves being blocked by the lizardmen who run the government, for example).

http://primal-page.com/sarno.htm

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#76

Despite my extreme (32 year long) computer use, I only had RSI symptoms when using a mouse and under stress. Since I use my macbook trackpad and have no stress, I can sit in any position for any time and do anything and have 0 symptoms. I am very interested in coding without keyboards etc because these days I happen to think a lot more about my code before trying it and that means I walk around a lot; sitting down or…

Are you a home-row typist? I am not (my hands float freely above the keyboard, generally angled with respect to it, so my wrists are not bent), and I attribute my 23 years of RSI-free near-daily computer use to being home-row-free.

(Albeit, like you, mice started giving me trouble after about 8 years of mousing. The problem was gripping while moving the wrist. Solution? Trackball.)

(EDIT: Tangentially, I keep my eyes in shape with "preventative" eyewear: I don a pair of (weak) reading glasses ~33% of the day to shift the focal point of my monitor further away. Keeps eye strain at bay.)

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet another data point here... After using the ergonomically suicidal Apple Magic Mouse and Apple wireless keyboard, I developed RSI after just a couple of months. I having my wrists and forearms massaged every night until the tightness went away (for the night), and I switched to a mechanical keyboard, a nice-sized gaming mouse, and started mousing with my left hand at work. I haven't had any RSI symptoms for over 2…

Yes, Apple keyboards are ergonomical disasters.

I disagree. I've used all sorts of ergonomic keyboards, but always keep coming back to the quiet low-travel scissor-switch keyboards. I even went so far as to get an Apple wired keyboard for use with my Windows machine at work.

Re: Programming by Voice: Staying Productive Without Harming Yourself

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure that I really agree that a good mechanical keyboard is better than a good rubber dome keyboard for people with RSI. The key word there is "good." The thing about rubber dome keyboards is that they are the cheapest kind of keyboard. So you'll find a lot of absolutely awful ones out there. For example, you'll find ones where the amount of force you need to push in the key is unpredictable (keys feel "stick…

Thanks for the response. I actually picked up some schiek wrist wraps and they are definitely helping on the weights front. I'll look into typing postures today.

You shouldn't use wrist wraps while you're typing. They're strictly for use when you're sleeping or otherwise relaxing. There's a lot of misinformation and bogus products out there about RSI... my advice to you is to read a book by a good doctor, like Dr. Pascarelli's Complete Guide to RSI (http://www.amazon.com/Pascarellis-Complete-Repetitive-Strain...)
Post reply on HN