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Clever Creatures
Stone Age
Virtual Keyboard
Pigeon Power
Clever Creatures
(6 May 2013)
Ladybird on shorthand dictionary
I thought you would be interested, as a shorthand devotee, in seeing
this photo of a ladybird (or ladybug) on the page of my book. I had left
my shorthand dictionary open on the table and when I turned back to
check a word, I found the spotty insect had chosen to sit on the
shorthand entry for "dotty". I quickly grabbed the camera and took a
couple of closeup photos, in case it suddenly started to move or fly
away. Fortunately it stayed quite still and I was delighted to have
caught the moment. I then escorted the ladybird, still on the page, to
my window and a gentle puff in its direction sent it flying away. This
is an absolutely genuine occurrence and I was astounded to see it
sitting on that word. Dotty Ladybird was obviously a very erudite and
discerning bug who had made an excellent choice of educational subjects.
Maybe it had been reading through my library of shorthand books while I
was out shopping, and had decided to lie in wait until it saw the
dictionary open at the correct place. It’s too late to ask it now, as it
has disappeared into the wide world beyond my window.
I am sure I have quite a number of other intelligent and thoughtful
creatures in my garden all speaking perfect English. The robin
particularly has a lot to say for himself, in fact* every time I am
standing at the kitchen window and see him perching on the post just
outside, I always hear these words coming from approximately his
direction, "I like crumbs, you have a pile of them at the bottom of the
bread bag which you will never eat, and here I am looking at you
patiently. OK, so no problem then. Your move, if you please." He says
the same thing* every time.
* Omission phrase "in (f)act"
*
"same thing" Not phrased, as that would look like "something"
Me, me and me
The blackbird has a similar line of petition, except that the words are
slightly different, "Just throw the bits of bread and step back out of
sight. I will be down to clear it all up as soon as you do. Thank you in
advance, and keep it coming." Sometimes he says, "That was a bit of a
hard stale crust, please soak it for me next time*."
The sparrows have their own version: "Quick, throw it out so I can get
it before the others do! I’ll thank you later but right now I have
chicks in the nest to feed before sundown."
* Omission phrase "ne(k)s(t) time"
I have a resident pair of blackbirds who own my garden at the moment*,
but during the very cold weather earlier in the year, there was another
blackbird who came into their territory for the scraps. He would fly
down, snatch up the morsel and fly away at top speed before the rightful
owners could begin to chase him. He knew he would be in trouble if he
delayed. He only wanted the food, not the territory, so there was no
point in fighting with the resident blackbirds. He was using my
favourite shorthand technique – acting as quickly as possible*,
concentrating only on what you need to capture, and not fussing with or
thinking about anything else at all. The blackbird then went away to a
quiet corner to deal with what he had grabbed, in a peaceful safe
environment, away from all the hassle, but with his prize safely in his
possession. His successes in these raids brought him back to the "dinner
table" again and again*.
* Omission phrases "at (the)
moment" "as quickly as poss(ible)" "again (and) again"
Manna falls from on high to feed the faithful
Before the next dictation attempt, you might like to think of this bold
blackbird, with his single-minded, fixed, focused*, determined and
unwavering intention, carried out* swiftly with bravado, audacity and
courage in the face of distractions, swooping in on his target and with
the final happy and satisfying result of "Mission Accomplished". These
are two very sweet words indeed and provide the encouragement and energy
to do it all again the next time*. (657 words)
* "fixed, focused" Always insert
the first vowel, as they are similar in outline and meaning
* "carried out" Halving to
represent the T of "out"
* Omission phrase "ne(k)s(t) time"
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Stone Age (17 May
2013)
I remember once seeing a cartoon drawing of a Stone Age
office man
sitting behind his stone desk, talking to a colleague about his new
female employee who was busy with hammer and chisel, carving a business
letter* onto a large upright slab of stone:
"Smashing new secretary,
just look at her biceps!" The picture duly showed the girl working away,
a svelte figure clothed in a skimpy Stone Age dress, but with bulging
arm muscles. All three characters were smiling widely in satisfaction
with the situation.
I longed* to tell them how it could all be done so much more* quickly with
different materials. All my sentences would begin with the word "but."
But you could* make a pen from a feather, or a brush from a splayed twig.
But you could* make ink out of soot. But you could* make a writing surface
from hides, bark, clay or wax. I think maybe they would reply that they
already have sufficient technology and skill to get the job done, in the
time frame that they are used to, and that I am indulging in flights of
fancy that have no place in their world.
* Omission phrases "biz(ness)
letter" "so much m(ore)"
* "longed" Stroke Ing cannot be
halved
* "but you could" The "could" is
not joined, as that would look too much like "you can"
Reproduction wax tablet
Our capital letters are based on the Roman
alphabet, which was designed
to be carved in stone, and this is the origin of the serifs, which are
the narrow pointed marks at the ends, clear evidence of the use of a
chisel in creating the corners of each separate line. Stone inscriptions
and carefully produced illuminated manuscripts do not always reflect the
handwriting* style of the day which would have been a much more* cursive
version, using reed pens, quills or brushes on papyrus, parchment,
vellum or paper. Throughout history people have also used fragments of
broken pottery which provided a small but smooth surface for short
notes. The letters changed over time in order to* represent the different
languages for which they were used. Even today there is a big difference
between the shape of our formal letters, as used in printing, signs or
monuments, and the more flowing handwritten* forms.
* Omission phrases "much m(ore)"
"in ord(er to)"
* "handwritten" Always insert the diphthong in "handwriting" to differentiate it.
Both of these outlines need a slight angle between the Nd and the Rt
strokes to keep them legible
Anyone for stone-ography?
Tonbridge Castle gate inscription
Computer and database users look back in amusement* at the typewriter
and the card index system. Typists look back to the clerk with his quill
pen and rows of handwritten accounts books. The Victorian clerk may have
mused upon how modern his methods were, compared with the ancient
process of pressing marks into wet clay and baking the tablets. As a
shorthand writer*, you may recognise this as how you now feel about
longhand. Maybe you look on, with a combination of kindly sympathy and
gritted teeth, as people write laboriously, gripping their biro or
pencil in finger-cramping unergonomic contortions, struggling to
maintain neat and readable writing yet wanting to get it done quickly.
The joined-up longhand that we so eagerly awaited permission* to use at
school has now been surpassed in speed and convenience by our new
shorthand skill, and we are in the wonderful position of having a
choice, depending on the purpose of the writing.
* "amusement" and "amazement" Always insert the vowel after the M in these
outlines and their derivatives
* Omission phrase "short(hand) writer"
* "permission" and "promotion" Helpful
to insert the vowel after the M, to differentiate
Ebay bargain - unused Stone Age notepad in pristine condition
Returning to our three friends living in the Stone Age with their
ancient and hideously slow method of writing, one does have to admit
that it gets the job done, eventually. Having learned and written that
way all their lives and being surrounded by it all the time, they
probably cannot imagine or visualise any other way* of carrying out this
task. They may have some inkling that time is slipping through their
fingers, that more could be done if only the inscriptions were easier to
produce. They have probably resigned themselves to their methods and may
think that, having learned it so thoroughly, there is no point* in
changing to some other* system. They cannot imagine that the time and
energy spent mastering another way of writing could be redeemed by any
saving that would be made. They use their system through blunt necessity
and they do not have a choice of ways to write. But maybe this is a
little harsh on them, and it
could be that they are really just the same
as us, willing to jump enthusiastically on any new invention that might
get them ahead of their competitors.
* Omission phrase "any oth(er) way"
* "that there is no point" Insert the vowel
in "no" in phrases, as often "any" could also make sense
* "some other" Doubling to represent
"other"
What a relief, just a postcard this time
We don’t have to invent paper, concoct ink, or create fountain pens or
nibs, or even put together some sort of shorthand system that will be
accurate, free of ambiguities that produce errors, and not reliant on
memory or guesswork. All this has been
done for us over many years, and
is in our toolbox of useful equipment, waiting to be picked up and used.
I think I shall reserve the Stone Age for just the occasional flying
visit, and I will take my pen and pad with me in case I get the chance
to win them over with a demonstration*. I just hope that I don’t find a
half-ton letter from them crashing through my letterbox! (817 words)
* "demonstration" Omits the R
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Virtual Keyboard
(24 May 2013)
I have just spent an hour playing with the new ASETNIOP virtual keyboard
method that uses only ten keys for input. The eight home keys are used
for these* letters, each one being the most commonly used letter normally
pressed by that finger in the QWERTY layout. All the other characters
are obtained by pressing two keys at once – chords – with the thumbs
using the space bar, and one extra key for shift. Chords are nothing new
in normal typing, it is the same as using shift for capitals, or
combinations of shift, Control and Alt keys for other variations. You
can try out the ASETNIOP system on the author’s website, using your
tablet or traditional keyboard. There is a very clear and easy tutorial
for learning and practising. The system also includes autocorrect, word
prediction and stenographic shortcuts where several keys are pressed
simultaneously to obtain common letter combinations, syllables or whole
words, such as pressing E T H at the same time for "the".
* "for these" Insert
the vowel in "these" and "those" in phrases when they are out of position
Author's touch screen typing demo on
http://asetniop.com
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nygdYinzpmk
In each chord, one of the fingers is the same one you would use in the
QWERTY layout (the layouts are customisable). Rather than leaving the
home keys, you just press that same finger for the desired letter plus
its chord pair. This meant that I was able to immediately and
conveniently "hijack" what my fingers already knew, which is a big
advantage over any system that requires the learner to abandon their
existing skill and start from scratch. A useful feature is that you can
also press that key on its own, and then the other seven keys of the
on-screen display change to show the combinations that are paired with
it, not a good habit to form, so useful only as a reminder. This is
possible* because the character appears only after the keys are released,
not when they are first pressed.
* Omission phrase "this is poss(ible)"
This program is still in development* and aims to make typing easier on
the smaller devices, where the keyboard image clutters up the screen, is
too small to type on comfortably, and requires the user to look at their
fingers, even if they are a touch typist on physical keyboards. The ASETNIOP system eliminates those problems and you only need to
concentrate on which fingers are being used, rather than where. The ten
keys can be made semi-transparent* or invisible on the tablet screen as
skill increases. The author envisions doing away with the necessity for
a keyboard at all, resulting in merely tapping* the finger combinations
on any hard surface. The author demonstrates* typing at speeds of over 70
words per minute, and no doubt this could be improved upon with full use of the
stenographic combinations and word prediction. Traditionally* typing
speed is counted as five keystrokes for a word.
* "development" Optional contraction
* "transparent" Omits the first N
* "demonstrates" Omits the R
* Insert the vowel in "tapping" so it does not look like "typing"
* "traditional" Insert the final vowel, as
"traditional" would also make sense here
I spend a lot of time thinking back to my shorthand learning days,
remembering the methods I used to overcome various difficulties. Even
once you know a subject well, it is helpful to retain those methods that
worked for you, both for continued improvement and also to eradicate
unhelpful habits, such as incorrect or unreliable outlines that have
crept in and threaten to become entrenched. The ASETNIOP article made me
think back to college days, when I learned shorthand and typing on the
same course. I had learned the keyboard in advance, during the summer
break before the term started in September. My parents promised to buy a
typewriter if I committed to learning to type properly*
and I duly became the happy owner of a small flat duck-egg blue manual
portable named the "Gabriele"*.
* "properly" Always insert the
first vowel, and the diphone in "appropriately", as these are similar in
outline and meaning
* "Gabriele" This was the French
pronunciation, hence the silent "e" at the end
During those many summer days spent working through a typing instruction
book, I discovered, entirely by chance, a very important element in
learning a manual skill. After a longish session, I took a ten-minute
break in the kitchen, making a snack and looking at the restful* greenery
in the garden. When I returned to my typewriter I found that I could
hardly stop my fingers going to the exact places that I had been
practising immediately before the break. They had a mind of their own
and seemed to have acquired a magnetic attraction to their respective
keys, always pulling them in the right direction. Getting them to go to
the wrong keys would be like getting a train off the tracks to take
another course, or getting a cartwheel out of the rut in order to* turn
to the side.
* "restful" Omits the lightly
sounded R
* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"
I pounced with glee on this discovery and decided, if you will pardon
the cliché, to milk it for all it was worth. I narrowed the timing down
to 20 minutes training and 10 minutes rest. Twenty minutes was about the
time I could manage before fatigue set in and the fingers began to give
up obeying me. Shorter than 10 minutes rest was insufficient, and longer
was unnecessary. This method worked best on intensive repetition of
letter combinations or short words, rather than plain sentences or
passages that used the whole keyboard at random. The 10 minutes does not
need to be wasted, and a relaxing perusal of the shorthand book would be
quite in order*, to squeeze every minute out of the available study time.
The important thing was to give the hands a rest.
* "in order" These two words do not
belong with the following "to", therefore that shorter phrase "in order
to" is not appropriate here, and additionally the longhand comma is
essential here to provide that pause
I used this technique consistently from then on and gained an elementary
mastery of the keyboard by the time I started college that September. It
made the typewriting classes a lot easier, as the early lessons were
more like revision, and when we got to learning page layout, I could
concentrate properly* and not have to struggle finding the keys. Later on
at work I made a concerted effort to learn to touch type the number row
properly* as well, as I had let this slip and grew tired of always having
to slow down and look at my fingers for them. I would recommend learning
the number row as being very worthwhile*, for the comparatively small
amount of extra effort required. Unlike letters, errors with numbers are
not obvious at all and total accuracy must be the aim, with all thoughts
of speed pushed aside. Your computer is not going to helpfully underline
mistakes with numbers.
* "properly" Always insert the
first vowel, and the diphone in "appropriately" as these are similar in
outline and meaning
* "worthwhile" Optional version
omitting the Ith stroke
When the time came to change from manual to electric typewriter, I found
out very quickly that correct strokes and errors alike happened
instantaneously with no time to change one’s mind. A key press resulted
in the instant clack of the typebar. No hesitations were possible, and
you could not really rest your fingers too hard on the home keys either,
although a little bit of empty key travel was possible. A light
hovering over rather than resting on, was the only way to survive, with
the weight of the hand occasionally taken by the base of the palm
resting on the edge of the machine. Every error had to be corrected
through multiple carbon copies with a gritty typing eraser, or possibly
the page retyped, a great incentive to maintain accurate typing.
Having tried the ASETNIOP tutorial several times I was amazed* how easy
it was, after initial temptations for fingers to move off the home keys.
I was also sharply reminded of several things that I should have
remembered better from my college days. The most important is to go
slowly and concentrate on accuracy. Every time the fingers hit the wrong
keys, they are learning that movement as surely as they might have been
learning the correct one. This is no different from learning any other
manual skill that requires instant action, just like shorthand in fact*.
I will definitely be going back to play with ASETNIOP again and again*,
as I would like to know whether it is possible*, after 40 years of
QWERTY, to switch between the two at will*. I look forward* to reporting
back on my progress in the future. Unsurprisingly* ASETNIOP and QWERTY
are not in the shorthand dictionary, these are brand new outlines for
them and maybe I can say "You Saw Them Here First". (1336 words)
* "amazed" and "amused" Always
insert the second vowel
* Omission phrases "in (f)act"
"again (and) again" "it is poss(ible)" "I look fo(r)ward"
* "unsurprisingly" Short forms retain their position when preceded by
the prefix "un-"
* "at will" The plain L stroke for
"will" in phrases is only used for the verb, compare "I will" above. The
noun is written is full.
http://asetniop.com
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Pigeon Power (31 May 2013)
Halfway through the savoury triangles
Dear Readers, This is just a quick note from us pigeons in the park. We
would like to express our appreciation of the tasty treats that you have
been leaving for us. Only a few days ago, someone left a very big pile
of our favourite flavoured crisps for us to work our way through. We
were happy to share this with the other birds, namely ducks, coots and
moorhens, but one of the big Canada geese unfortunately*
became a bit
possessive about it for a short while. But we are very good at pecking*
it up when they are not looking, or when they get bored. We are on
orders from the Council to eat up any remains really quickly, so that
rats are not encouraged. When we are finished, there is not a speck
left, so everyone is happy with the result.
* "unfortunately" Optional contraction
* "pecking" Insert the vowel so it is not misread as "picking"
Such pleasant work
Fortunately we have the best sharp beaks for breaking these offerings
into tiny pieces. There is a definite art to reducing the size of the
larger bits, and we mostly use the Teamwork Fling and Toss Method, which
is very efficient, as long as we all consume the results as soon as
possible*. As I am sure many of you are aware, speed is highly desirable
in our line of activity and increases with practice. I think some of us
have actually achieved 120 pecks a minute, which I think you will agree
is quite an achievement, and if you can reach this speed yourself, then
you have our hearty congratulations.
* Omission phrase "as soon as poss(ible)"
A fleeting visit from Glam Duck
We do of course realise that many of you come primarily to feed the
ducks, as they are much more*
colourful than us and quite endearing as they waddle about and look up longingly
at visitors with bags. We occasionally have an ornamental duck fly in (although
they generally don’t stay very long) and this is very advantageous for all of us
because it encourages people to be more generous. But we are happy to be the
supporting cast, hanging around to provide our excellent free service of
clearing everything up and leaving the park clean and tidy, with nothing left
for the rodents, who are not welcome on our patch. Just like you, we countryside
park pigeons don’t really like large crowds of greedy messy eaters. We prefer a
smaller gathering, so that good manners and decorum are maintained, with not too
much flapping and competition. This arrangement suits everyone and we can all
get along quite well without anyone being pestered by too many of one particular
type of bird. We are not short of natural food and enjoy looking for titbits and
seeds at random. It keeps our brains in practice for fast reactions. We believe
in the old adage "Use it or lose it."
* Omission phrase "much m(ore)"
Speckles, our chief crowd-puller
When there are no ducks about or when they are asleep, we do have one or
two* tricks up our sleeve (or should I say under our wings) to get park
visitors to admire us a bit more. We have a few relatives who look quite
smart in different shades of white and speckled brown, and for some
reason they seem to attract a little more attention than the rest of us
grey ones, so we invite* them to walk up and down to show off their
elegant appearance. We have especially noticed someone taking photos of
these smartly-dressed pigeons and the rest of us always take the
opportunity of trying to get in the photo as well. Who knows, our faces
may end up on a website somewhere and be seen by our pigeon friends
around the world, as they look in at people’s computers* from the window
ledge outside, or secretly watch tablet PC users as they sit in the park
during their lunch break.
* Omission phrase "one (or) two"
* "invite" and "invade" Insert the second
vowel as these two are similar in outline and opposite in meaning
* "computers" In the plural, the U
diphthong can no longer be joined, therefore doubling cannot be used in this
instance
Pidgie himself
Don’t get me wrong, we are very happy to be grey pigeons and if you look
closely at our colours, you may notice that our plumage is equally
beautiful and handsome, with iridescent blues and greens that change and
shimmer as we move about, and our wings covered in decorative bars and
stripes. Like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. Just like a crowd
of humans*, from a distance everyone is the same, but close up we are all
individual and interesting.
* "humans" Special outline, see
https://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/distinguishing-outlines-2-rule.htm
"human humane"
We pigeons are well known for being highly intelligent, quick to learn
and very loyal to each other and to our flock. We even feed each
other’s youngsters when necessary. Using our homing pigeon cousins to
carry miniaturised messages on their legs was commonly known as the
Pigeon Post. Some of us have even earned medals during wars,
successfully carrying very important messages, despite being shot at,
and saving very many lives as a result*. A total of 32 pigeons have
received the* Dickin Medal for services rendered in wartime.
* Omission phrases "as (a) result"
"have (re)ceived the"
A visit from Motley
We are able to recognise ourselves in a mirror whereas some of our less
able bird friends believe it to be another bird. Some pigeons have
successfully learned to recognise number groups, and tell apart various
paintings by different famous painters. Our excellent colour vision,
including seeing ultra-violet light, meant that we could help sea
rescues by being trained to spot orange lifejackets in the distance on
rough seas, long before the humans’* eyes could see them, and so many
more lives were saved that way. Here in the park, we train ourselves to
react quickly when we see or hear a commotion that means eating is going
on. We hope you will* continue to appreciate our services in recycling
the stale crumbs, and the cakes and cookies* that fell on the floor. We
don’t mind eating off the dusty ground, so this is the ideal solution
for all concerned. Best wishes to you all. Yours sincerely*, Pidgie (960
words)
* "humans" See note on previous paragraph
* Omission phrase "we (h)ope you
will" "Yours (sin)cerely"
* "cakes and cookies" Insert vowels in order to differentiate
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