I haven't had a chance to write a proper review of the Stenokey yet, so just a short post for today: If you haven't looked at Ted's textbook recently, go check it out. It's still a work in progress, but he's been on fire lately, and has added several excellent new chapters. He's also thinking of trying to find another name for it, so if you have any suggestions that are catchier than "Plover Theory" (which I quite like, to be honest), drop him a line.
↧
Plover Theory Book Update
↧
Amazing Crayon Box Steno Machine!
Holy floog, this is so freaking cool! Check out this fantastic DIY steno machine by Escaped Echidna!!Detailed plans and specs here. As I said to her on the Discord when she posted it, it reminds me of the old Altoids tin mini-amp projects that I used to admire back in the day. Just ingenious.
↧
↧
Stenokey Post, Part 1!
At long last, part one of a series on the amazing Stenokey.
First, the setup from Stenokey inventor Mike:
![]()
Stenokey Project
Stenokey is an open source do it yourself stenographic keyboard project. It is aimed at makers with some electronics experience (soldering) and who own a 3D printer or who have a friend with a 3D printer, though you may be able to complete this project if you know how to use a soldering iron and can find an inexpensive 3D printing service. (My local public library will print objects for the cost of filament, which is extremely inexpensive, though I think that they might balk at printing the entire Stenokey part-set all at once.)
Stenokey connects to any desktop or laptop PC that has a USB port. It is meant to work with the Open Steno Project's Plover software, which runs on Linux, Mac and Windows. It supports NKRO keyboard emulation, as well as the serial Gemini PR, TX Bolt and ProCAT protocols. In theory, the Stenokey should be compatible with commercial steno software that supports those serial protocols.
Stenokey uses the Matias Quiet Linear Switches, which won't stick or stall when keys are pressed off center. Stenokey's smarts come from the Arduino compatible Teensy 2.0. This microcontroller is capable of emulating both an NKRO keyboard and a serial port over USB.
![]()
The Stenokey circuit board is based on the simple design principle of putting everything on the same circuit board. The advantages are improved reliability, the elimination of unecessary cables and connectors, simplified assembly, reduced assembly time, reduced part count and lower material cost. Hopefully the low material cost puts this project in the realm of possibility for more people.
![]()
Except for the plastic parts the cost of materials comes out to less than USD$50. Of course if you account for shipping and product minimum orders, you'll spend more.
Distribution
All of the Stenokey design files are available on Github. The circuit boards can be purchased from SeeedStudio. Except for the firmware and electrical schematic, the project is licensed with the CreativeCommons-ShareAlike license. The firmware and schematic are licensed by Emanuele Caruso under the GNU GPL version 3 license. All of the tools used to create the Stenokey project are open source or are freely available so that the design can easily be modified within the constraints of those licenses.
To summarize both the CreativeCommons and GNU licenses, you can of course create copies of this project for your own use. You can republish or create derivative works from this project and even sell them as products, however if you do, you must give credit to the original author(s) and share your own work. Be sure to read the actual licenses for all of the details.
History
![]()
The Stenokey project gained its name when I ran across Jason Cemra's Stenotoppers on Mirabai's Plover blog. I had recently purchased a small 3D printer, so I decided to try printing one of Jason's key caps. It printed amazingly well. Printing that key was the start of the project as one thing lead to another.
I was already familiar with Joshua Lifton's Stenosaurus project from the Plover blog, so I drew up some steno keys based on Joshua's key outlines, (while borrowing some of Jason's 3D design techniques). Those keys also printed well enough. I had drawn the keys in OpenSCAD, so I was quickly able to generate several different variations of keys with various widths and offsets.
![]()
Next I bought some of the Matias Quiet Linear key switches. (Those key switches were graciously made available by Matias through Joshua's efforts.) I was able to get my key tops to fit the Matias key switches without much effort (and a fingernail file). I quickly found out that unlike the "other" key switches, the Matias key switches don't stick or stall when you press on a key off center.
I was also familiar with Emanuele Caruso's Stenoboard project. All of his designs for the Stenoboard project are available on line, including the electrical schematics and the firmware. Starting from Joshua Lifton's keyboard layout, I referenced Emanuele's schematics to create the Stenokey circuit board. With the different keyboard layout and schematic, it was also necessary to modify Emanuele's firmware, (which was simple enough to do since he writes excellent code).
In the middle of this I contacted Mirabai, because without her none of this happens. She was highly supportive throughout the project. She agreed to check out the design and eventually I sent her my prototype to test.
![]()
Around the time that I contacted Mirabai, I decided that my prototype design was rather naked; too naked to send to someone else. So I designed some more plastic parts to cover the prototype's bare bottom and top. Those covers weren't very professional, so I designed a clamshell case that neatly encloses all of the electronics.
Designing an open source project like this, ordering parts and building a few prototypes are only half of the work. I spent more time cleaning up the files and directories, writing documents and getting everything set up for distribution on Github and SeeedStudio. Hopefully the project will be well received.
The Stenokey project can be accessed via this URL:
https://github.com/mike-ady/Stenokey
Circuit boards can be purchased (minimum order 5) from Seeed Studio via this URL:
https://www.seeedstudio.com/Stenokey-g-1050040
In the next post, I'll tell you what I think of the Stenokey, after using it for several weeks and passing it around among a number of both pro and amateur stenographers! Plus: Plans for getting Stenokey kits into the Plover Store!
First, the setup from Stenokey inventor Mike:
Stenokey Project
Stenokey is an open source do it yourself stenographic keyboard project. It is aimed at makers with some electronics experience (soldering) and who own a 3D printer or who have a friend with a 3D printer, though you may be able to complete this project if you know how to use a soldering iron and can find an inexpensive 3D printing service. (My local public library will print objects for the cost of filament, which is extremely inexpensive, though I think that they might balk at printing the entire Stenokey part-set all at once.)
Stenokey connects to any desktop or laptop PC that has a USB port. It is meant to work with the Open Steno Project's Plover software, which runs on Linux, Mac and Windows. It supports NKRO keyboard emulation, as well as the serial Gemini PR, TX Bolt and ProCAT protocols. In theory, the Stenokey should be compatible with commercial steno software that supports those serial protocols.
Stenokey uses the Matias Quiet Linear Switches, which won't stick or stall when keys are pressed off center. Stenokey's smarts come from the Arduino compatible Teensy 2.0. This microcontroller is capable of emulating both an NKRO keyboard and a serial port over USB.
The Stenokey circuit board is based on the simple design principle of putting everything on the same circuit board. The advantages are improved reliability, the elimination of unecessary cables and connectors, simplified assembly, reduced assembly time, reduced part count and lower material cost. Hopefully the low material cost puts this project in the realm of possibility for more people.
Except for the plastic parts the cost of materials comes out to less than USD$50. Of course if you account for shipping and product minimum orders, you'll spend more.
Distribution
All of the Stenokey design files are available on Github. The circuit boards can be purchased from SeeedStudio. Except for the firmware and electrical schematic, the project is licensed with the CreativeCommons-ShareAlike license. The firmware and schematic are licensed by Emanuele Caruso under the GNU GPL version 3 license. All of the tools used to create the Stenokey project are open source or are freely available so that the design can easily be modified within the constraints of those licenses.
To summarize both the CreativeCommons and GNU licenses, you can of course create copies of this project for your own use. You can republish or create derivative works from this project and even sell them as products, however if you do, you must give credit to the original author(s) and share your own work. Be sure to read the actual licenses for all of the details.
History
The Stenokey project gained its name when I ran across Jason Cemra's Stenotoppers on Mirabai's Plover blog. I had recently purchased a small 3D printer, so I decided to try printing one of Jason's key caps. It printed amazingly well. Printing that key was the start of the project as one thing lead to another. I was already familiar with Joshua Lifton's Stenosaurus project from the Plover blog, so I drew up some steno keys based on Joshua's key outlines, (while borrowing some of Jason's 3D design techniques). Those keys also printed well enough. I had drawn the keys in OpenSCAD, so I was quickly able to generate several different variations of keys with various widths and offsets.
Next I bought some of the Matias Quiet Linear key switches. (Those key switches were graciously made available by Matias through Joshua's efforts.) I was able to get my key tops to fit the Matias key switches without much effort (and a fingernail file). I quickly found out that unlike the "other" key switches, the Matias key switches don't stick or stall when you press on a key off center. I was also familiar with Emanuele Caruso's Stenoboard project. All of his designs for the Stenoboard project are available on line, including the electrical schematics and the firmware. Starting from Joshua Lifton's keyboard layout, I referenced Emanuele's schematics to create the Stenokey circuit board. With the different keyboard layout and schematic, it was also necessary to modify Emanuele's firmware, (which was simple enough to do since he writes excellent code).
In the middle of this I contacted Mirabai, because without her none of this happens. She was highly supportive throughout the project. She agreed to check out the design and eventually I sent her my prototype to test.
Around the time that I contacted Mirabai, I decided that my prototype design was rather naked; too naked to send to someone else. So I designed some more plastic parts to cover the prototype's bare bottom and top. Those covers weren't very professional, so I designed a clamshell case that neatly encloses all of the electronics. Designing an open source project like this, ordering parts and building a few prototypes are only half of the work. I spent more time cleaning up the files and directories, writing documents and getting everything set up for distribution on Github and SeeedStudio. Hopefully the project will be well received.
The Stenokey project can be accessed via this URL:
https://github.com/mike-ady/Stenokey
Circuit boards can be purchased (minimum order 5) from Seeed Studio via this URL:
https://www.seeedstudio.com/Stenokey-g-1050040
In the next post, I'll tell you what I think of the Stenokey, after using it for several weeks and passing it around among a number of both pro and amateur stenographers! Plus: Plans for getting Stenokey kits into the Plover Store!
↧
Typey Type for Stenographers
Fantastic new online learning tool by longtime community member Di: Typey Type for Stenographers. ![]()
Typey type is a typing app designed specifically to help stenography students learn steno faster. You can learn briefs and improve your stenographic speed and accuracy using tailored education options, including tight feedback loops so you learn to fix misstrokes immediately. You can effortlessly track progress in your brief vocabulary and rapidly increase in steno skill.It's got a huge amount of practice material, from handpicked steno-specific lists to simple public domain texts. The interface is very sleek and intuitive, and I love all the metrics that help you track your progress. This is such a beautiful piece of work. If you've been feeling overwhelmed at the daunting task of teaching yourself steno, please give it a look. I think it'll be a tremendously useful tool for both beginners and intermediate speedbuilders alike.
↧
IOU: Two Reviews
They're making steno machines faster than I can blog about them! Scott, inventor of the original SOFT/HRUF (which I bought years ago and recently lent to a friend) and the new SOFT/HRUF Splitography, pictured above, has generously sent me a review machine to play around on. I've already promised you all my StenoKey review (plans to get StenoKey kits in the Plover Store are in the works, by the way), but now there's this gorgeous piece of work to talk about as well! I promise I will get to both, and soon! Hold me to that!
↧
↧
Scott's Splitography Setup Video
This is a great video explanation on how to set up your new SOFT/HRUF Splitography, which I am quite enamored of these days. Nice work, Scott.
↧
Quick Comparison: Splitography vs Stenokey
I seem to have had a bit of a block about writing these two reviews, so I'm just gonna give you some bulletpoints.
Stenokey Pros:
* Cheapest steno-layout option assuming you can get free/cheap 3D printing; its inventor/designer has released all the specs and takes no profit from any of it
* Extremely compact and lightweight
* Multiple protocols (though you need a pointy object to press the tiny sunken switch that changes them)
* If parts could be bought in bulk and sold as individual kits through the Plover store (working on it!), it would be even more accessible
Stenokey Cons:
* Requires self-assembly, including soldering; not a project for total beginners
* As of right now, parts need to be sourced in lots of four or more
* Matias switches are stiffer than Gateron clears
* 3D printed keycaps are a little rough and scratchy
* The stem of one of the 3D printed keys broke off after fairly light handling; it seems to be more fragile than my other machines
* It's a bit on the clicky/noisy side
----------
Splitography Pros:
* Beautiful unique design
* Lovely heavy smooth injection molded keycaps; probably its strongest feature, I'd say
* Sold at a very reasonable price ready to use out of the box
* Works as both a regular qwerty keyboard and a steno machine, which you can switch by just pressing certain keys in a particular pattern
* The weight of the keycaps make the stiff Matias switches a little bit easier to press
* A stiff cable connects the two halves, which allows the user to tent the machine at their preferred angle by resting the machine on any appropriately angled object
* The money goes to support Scott, an early and consistent innovator in the field of open steno, who provides friendly and abundant tech support and documentation
Splitography Cons:
* The sharp solder spikes underneath the circuitboard are open and easily reached by curious toddler fingers, which means I need to keep the Splitography out of reach of my steno machine-obsessed kid
* I've had some trouble finding a good case to keep it safe in my bag; it's a somewhat awkward shape
-----------
Overall, if you're not experienced at assembling electronics and you've got enough money to buy a Splitography, it's what I would recommend. (Assuming that for economic or aesthetic reasons you've ruled out the Stenomod, which remains my ultimate go-to recommendation, for reasons ranging from the beautiful compact hinged design to the feather-light Gateron keyswitches.) The Stenokey is ingenious, but not quite durable enough to be a daily driver, in my opinion. If you want a DIY project and don't want to spend more than the bare minimum of cash, though, I can definitely recommend the Stenokey as a solid and usable option.
Stenokey Pros:
* Cheapest steno-layout option assuming you can get free/cheap 3D printing; its inventor/designer has released all the specs and takes no profit from any of it
* Extremely compact and lightweight
* Multiple protocols (though you need a pointy object to press the tiny sunken switch that changes them)
* If parts could be bought in bulk and sold as individual kits through the Plover store (working on it!), it would be even more accessible
Stenokey Cons:
* Requires self-assembly, including soldering; not a project for total beginners
* As of right now, parts need to be sourced in lots of four or more
* Matias switches are stiffer than Gateron clears
* 3D printed keycaps are a little rough and scratchy
* The stem of one of the 3D printed keys broke off after fairly light handling; it seems to be more fragile than my other machines
* It's a bit on the clicky/noisy side
----------
Splitography Pros:
* Beautiful unique design
* Lovely heavy smooth injection molded keycaps; probably its strongest feature, I'd say
* Sold at a very reasonable price ready to use out of the box
* Works as both a regular qwerty keyboard and a steno machine, which you can switch by just pressing certain keys in a particular pattern
* The weight of the keycaps make the stiff Matias switches a little bit easier to press
* A stiff cable connects the two halves, which allows the user to tent the machine at their preferred angle by resting the machine on any appropriately angled object
* The money goes to support Scott, an early and consistent innovator in the field of open steno, who provides friendly and abundant tech support and documentation
Splitography Cons:
* The sharp solder spikes underneath the circuitboard are open and easily reached by curious toddler fingers, which means I need to keep the Splitography out of reach of my steno machine-obsessed kid
* I've had some trouble finding a good case to keep it safe in my bag; it's a somewhat awkward shape
-----------
Overall, if you're not experienced at assembling electronics and you've got enough money to buy a Splitography, it's what I would recommend. (Assuming that for economic or aesthetic reasons you've ruled out the Stenomod, which remains my ultimate go-to recommendation, for reasons ranging from the beautiful compact hinged design to the feather-light Gateron keyswitches.) The Stenokey is ingenious, but not quite durable enough to be a daily driver, in my opinion. If you want a DIY project and don't want to spend more than the bare minimum of cash, though, I can definitely recommend the Stenokey as a solid and usable option.
↧
Wanted: Novice Level Steno Hero Songs
Steno Hero, as many of you know, is great fun for stretching your steno skills with some very fast, very challenging music.
But wouldn't it be nice to have some songs that beginning stenographers could play as well?
So Ted has drawn up some guidelines for writing novice level Steno Hero songs, which use simple vocabulary -- mostly small phonetic words and common briefs -- sung at a manageable tempo for people who are first starting out.
He writes:
But wouldn't it be nice to have some songs that beginning stenographers could play as well?
So Ted has drawn up some guidelines for writing novice level Steno Hero songs, which use simple vocabulary -- mostly small phonetic words and common briefs -- sung at a manageable tempo for people who are first starting out.
He writes:
Here are the top 100 English words:If you can put words like this together into a few simple rhymes, post 'em here or to the Discord or put them on your blog and link us to them. If a tune comes in your head and you're able to record a demo, all the better. We'd love to hear what you come up with. We have some funds that we might be able to put towards commissioning and recording more polished material, but we're hoping to get some good stuff from the community to start out with.
the, be, to, of, and, a, in, that, have, I, it, for, not, on, with, he, as, you, do, at, this, but, his, by, from, they, we, say, her, she, or, an, will, my, one, all, would, there, their, what, so, up, out, if, about, who, get, which, go, me, when, make, can, like, time, no, just, him, know, take, people, into, year, your, good, some, could, them, see, other, than, then, now, look, only, come, its, over, think, also, back, after, use, two, how, our, work, first, well, way, even, new, want, because, any, these, give, day, most, us
Some other good core words for steno, easily briefable:
always, awful, okay, eazy, water, drop, all right, welcome, love, together, request, familiar, follow, question, ask, continue, nothing, nowhere, nobody, understand, minute, important, today, tomorrow, other, every, everyone, everybody, everything, forever, of course
Meta vocabulary:
keys, chords, board, stroke, steno, hero, Plover
Simple words, in the format CVC, like mom, pop, tough, John, map, etc. should be fine as well.
↧
Guest Post: Mechanical Keyboards UK Meetup!
New Plover user Miles writes in his blog:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Photos from Miles and the_pokemon_kid
Many thanks to Miles for this fantastic post! I wish I could have been there, and I hope that more Plover users will be able to spread the word at similar mechanical keyboard meetups around the world!
I am new to the world of stenography. As a designer, I do not often have to type large volumes of text, so might not be a typical user of stenography. However I was so impressed by someofMirabai's talks online that I decided to build myself a mechanical keyboard in order to learn steno as a hobby. Both learning steno and tinkering with keyboards turn out to be a lot of fun!
A large part of the appeal of mechanical keyboards has been the inventiveness of the devices and the spirit of the community, so when an opportunity arose to meet some of the community and bond over discussions of keycaps and switch stems, I jumped at it. The latest meetup of the MKUK subreddit was held on Saturday 24th February. I expected to enjoy looking at and tapping on many beautiful keyboards, but not display anything of my own. However while discussing the event on the Plover Discord Group, I came up with the idea of setting up a little Plover demo for people to try out at the meetup. As an enthusiastic beginner at stenography, I thought this would be a great way to spread the word about the open steno project and a good icebreaker at an event full of people I'd never met.
The venue was a basement meeting room in a Waterloo hotel, full of keyboards and enthusiasts. The event was buzzing and well attended, and I arrived in good time to get the laptop and keyboard set up and have a good browse around the room. There were also some generous giveaways throughout the session.
Although the idea was for my demo to be self explanatory, there was not quite enough information for a complete novice to try typing with any success, so I spent much of my time at the event standing by my laptop, talking people through the concepts of stenography and showing them how to stroke their first few words. Most had not tried stenography before, although I did meet one lapsed Plover user. The reception was even more enthusiastic than I had hoped, with a lot of interest, especially when I mention the potential typing speeds of 200+ wpm.
I answered many questions about my setup, Plover, and stenography in general, from
How would I type paraphernalia?
for which Plover's "Lookup" function came in very handy, to
is it very bound to the English language?
to which I answered "Yes, but steno theories and keyboards exist for many languages!" (see the Plover Discord Group's multilingual channel for more on this). One of the most interesting questions I got asked was
How did the first (pre-computer) steno machines work?
To answer I fired up the Plover "Paper Tape" and explained that early machines recorded strokes on paper tape that would be later hand translated. Having these features to hand made Plover a joy to demonstrate, and I enjoyed chatting to everyone who took an interest.
I've detailed my setup below for anyone who is interested, along with some thoughts on improving it next time. I had a great time at the meetup, and would love to have a go at demonstrating Plover again in the future, especially if I manage to build up some fluency in stenography. Thanks to all the welcoming folk of r/MechanicalKeyboardsUK and to Mirabai for inviting me to write this post!
Demonstration Setup
Macbook Pro, running:
- Plover 4.0
- Learn Plover Excercises at Steno Jig, open in a Safari window, chosen because it offers hints in the form of a keyboard layout, which is very helpful for complete beginners
- Open Steno Project website open in a second Safari window
- An overlaid persistent window with the Learn Plover! cheat sheet, using the Helium browser.
Let's Split keyboard:
- Standard layout with a layer added in QMK for stenography using the TX Bolt keycodes. Using these keycodes instead of letters allows me to still use the qwerty laptop keyboard without switching Plover output on and off.
- Kailh speed silver switches, light linear switches with a high actuation point.
- Blank white PBT keycaps (Cherry profile I think).
- Some handy letter stickers donated by my partner.
Improvements
There are a few things I would do differently if I were to set up a Plover demo again. Hopefully this will be useful to anyone else who wants to demonstrate Plover in a similar context.
- A step-by-step guide to making your first word, printed on paper with large text and diagrams. This would help anyone trying out the demo when it is unattended. I think the first chapter of Zack Brown's Learn Plover! would be ideal for this purpose if it could be boiled down to a single sheet of paper.
- Provide handouts or cards for people to take away with details of Plover and the Open Steno Project.
Display names/links for:
- The Open Steno Project website
- The Plover Discord Group
- The Plover subreddit
- Find time to make a demonstration to a larger group. This was not really suitable for this event, but would be a good way to boost interest.
This post was written (mostly) using Plover at around 8wpm :)
Photos from Miles and the_pokemon_kidMany thanks to Miles for this fantastic post! I wish I could have been there, and I hope that more Plover users will be able to spread the word at similar mechanical keyboard meetups around the world!
↧
↧
Stenograph USB plugin
Diamante and Luminex owners, rejoice! You can now use your writers over USB with Plover. Just install the Plover Stenograph USB plugin, by our fantastic lead dev Ted. It might not work on Stenograph machines that are older than Diamante and Luminex, but still opens up a huge swath of pro steno users who might be curious about Plover. There's also a dictionary import/export plugin for major CAT software, including Eclipse, CaseCATalyst, and DigitalCAT. That one is still in testing, so if you install the plugin via the Plover 4 plugin manager and run into any problems, hop on the Discord and send a note to @marnanel, the developer. Slowly but surely we're building the bridge between the open source and proprietary worlds! It's very exciting. Even if court reporters still want to use their court reporting software for their daily court or deposition work, they can now use Plover for captioning or even just for using their steno machines with their computers for text input, novel writing, chatting with friends, or all the other hundred things that Open Steno fans have been using steno for over the last seven years, but which has been largely inaccessible to professional steno users. Anyone from the pro steno world who's induced by this post to dip a toe into the Plover world, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think!
↧
New Weekly Released!
Our stalwart devs have released a new weekly version of Plover!
Mostly incremental changes to get ready for our next big release, but if any of these issues affect you, feel free to give this new version a try! And, as always, if you encounter anything unexpected, let our devs know on Github and/or in the #devs channel of the Plover Discord.
Mostly incremental changes to get ready for our next big release, but if any of these issues affect you, feel free to give this new version a try! And, as always, if you encounter anything unexpected, let our devs know on Github and/or in the #devs channel of the Plover Discord.
Changes
- disable serial flow control settings when not applicable (this was known to cause weird issues when changed from default)
- the paper tape now has improved support for non-Latin keys
- the log files encoding is now always set to UTF-8 (so Unicode in translations is properly handled)
- configuration changes by plugins are now fully validated before being applied
- improve support for installing plugins from source
- when running from a distribution, Plover can be started with
--no-user-pluginsto disable user plugins: the distribution default embedded plugins will still be available, so the plugins manager can be used to update/remove a problematic plugin - [Linux] fix crash when using a Microsoft keyboard
- [Linux] fix crash when the window manager does not support the NETWM protocol (with commands like
{PLOVER:ADD_TRANSLATION})
↧
Dotterel: Steno for Android!
Dotterel, a new steno keyboard for Android, was released a few days ago. (GIF above courtesy of lead dev Ted.) We've had StenoIME available for several years, but it hasn't been in development for quite some time, and has always had a number of issues that made it difficult to use. Dotterel, by community member Nimble, has greatly improved on the idea, and I find it to be a lovely swipe-style steno keyboard interface. On my rather small phone, it works best in landscape mode, though on a tablet portrait would probably be just fine. You can swipe, tap, or use a physical keyboard using a USB-on-the-go adapter, and it has quite a bit of clever context sensing that allows for accurate error correction and jumping between text fields without messing up your translation. Feel free to download it and play around with it, and if you have any suggestions on ways it can be improved, contribute to the issues thread on Nimble's Github.
↧
More Laptops with NKRO!
The number of NKRO-enabled laptops has been exploding recently! I've got an Alienware 13, and it honestly works pretty well with Plover, but it's a bit on the heavy side. Lead dev Ted has compiled a list of 11 laptops sporting NKRO keyboards, which offers much more choice than we've had up to this point. I'm not currently on the market for a new machine, but when I am I'll definitely be consulting this list, and I'm really happy to see this trend in new high-end and gaming-focused machines. I hope it keeps going!
↧
↧
Passive Haptic Learning for Computer Stenography
Check out this fantastic video by longtime open steno community member Tim! He's been working on research designed to lower the steno learning curve by introducing haptic stimuli into the learning process. The premise seems extremely sound to me, and he's gotten very promising results so far, so I'm really excited to see where this will go.
↧
Typey-Type Update
Typey-Type has been updated with more public domain lessons and the ability to review error strokes after lessons. Thanks to Di for her continuous improvement of this excellent resource.
↧
Limited Time Offer: StenoGherkins At Cost!
The amazingly generous Paul, new Open Steno community member, recently made an incredible offer: If you buy the parts for a Gherkin keyboard, he'll assemble it for you, no charge! He enjoys assembling keyboards and wants to help people get low-cost, ultraportable machines, even if they don't have any electronics experience. Of course, this offer is always dependent on his own amount of free time and energy. He can't guarantee it'll be valid forever, so I encourage anyone in need of a StenoGherkin to get while the getting's good!
![]()
As he said on the Plover Discord:
If I am putting it together for you I will include the standoffs and screws, I have plenty and won't ask you to buy 50 standoffs and 100 screws when you only need a dozen or so but if you're doing this yourself, you want m2 hardware and standoffs at least 10mm long, 10 is the perfect length in my opinion but you will have to trim down the pins the pro micro is soldered to, like this https://bit.ly/2IiVmvr. Not a problem just a caveat.
Keycaps you're on your own for, I can throw in some for a couple bucks just so you have something to use right away but ultimately you will have to source your own and decide what you like (the ones I can include will be DSA profile and could be any color or have any markings on them, whatever I have laying around from grab bags)
G-20 profile caps are very popular for mx style switches and steno, probably the most popular. if you want them, just google 'ortholinear G-20 keycaps' or 'planck G-20 keycaps' these will yield results with only the 1unit caps (almost, the planck sets will usually have a single 2unit cap as well for the space bar on certain planck layouts) which are all you'll need. For this layout, you NEED 25 but you'll probably want 30 so you have a cap for every switch, even if you don't put one on all of them(edited)
Gherkin build materials list:
PCB kit, $20
Pro micro, $8
Diodes, $2.50
Gateron clears, $7.50 for the 30 needed (you can pick any MX style switches you like. MX style is very important to make sure they work with the board. The lightest weight linears possible are what you're looking for. These are only 35 grams of force and would be perfect for most people). I'll update the link if an even better option presents itself.
As he said on the Plover Discord:
If I am putting it together for you I will include the standoffs and screws, I have plenty and won't ask you to buy 50 standoffs and 100 screws when you only need a dozen or so but if you're doing this yourself, you want m2 hardware and standoffs at least 10mm long, 10 is the perfect length in my opinion but you will have to trim down the pins the pro micro is soldered to, like this https://bit.ly/2IiVmvr. Not a problem just a caveat.
Keycaps you're on your own for, I can throw in some for a couple bucks just so you have something to use right away but ultimately you will have to source your own and decide what you like (the ones I can include will be DSA profile and could be any color or have any markings on them, whatever I have laying around from grab bags)
G-20 profile caps are very popular for mx style switches and steno, probably the most popular. if you want them, just google 'ortholinear G-20 keycaps' or 'planck G-20 keycaps' these will yield results with only the 1unit caps (almost, the planck sets will usually have a single 2unit cap as well for the space bar on certain planck layouts) which are all you'll need. For this layout, you NEED 25 but you'll probably want 30 so you have a cap for every switch, even if you don't put one on all of them(edited)
Gherkin build materials list:
PCB kit, $20
Pro micro, $8
Diodes, $2.50
Gateron clears, $7.50 for the 30 needed (you can pick any MX style switches you like. MX style is very important to make sure they work with the board. The lightest weight linears possible are what you're looking for. These are only 35 grams of force and would be perfect for most people). I'll update the link if an even better option presents itself.
↧
Use Plover + VLC for Timecoded Transcription
I've done my time in the transcription mines, starting in-house at a handful of firms and using proprietary software, then going freelance and mostly using a combination of Vim plus either Winamp or VLC. On the steno side, I first used DigitalCAT, then Eclipse, then Plover, and moved from play/pausing audio with a footpedal to using only steno commands. I still take on transcription from time to time, though I haven't accepted any jobs requiring timecodes in years and years, mostly because it's felt like too much trouble to figure out a good workflow for them. Happily, Ted rides to the rescue with a step-by-step post on how to add timecodes to your text file using Plover's VLC plugin. If you're a transcriptionist or considering dipping a toe into the biz, check it out!
↧
↧
Another Typey Type Update: Steno Revision
Di has updated Typey Type, her steno learning tool, with a nice new feature:
![]()
Typey type for stenographers now lets you choose words at the end of a lesson to revise. You can deliberately practice misstroked words as much as you like:
↧
Meet the Ultra-Portable, Ultra-Adorable, Ultra-Affordable TinyMod!
The amazing Charley of StenoMod fame has released a new machine: The TinyMod!!! I bought one a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it. Go check it out! ![]()
It uses the same switches, keycaps, and processor as the classic and the hinge, but has only 25 keys instead of 34. The whole row of number keys is gone, replaced by one number key between O and E for the thumb to press. It's 7 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches by about one inch tall. Since there are fewer parts and it's easier to make, I'll be charging less. $160 USD plus shipping. For the immediate future I'll be stocking all three, "classic", "hinge", and " TinyMod". The classic and hinge will still be going for $200 USD.
↧
Waleed's Theory Modifications
Check out the fascinating blog post Waleed wrote about modifications he's made to the default dictionary that ships with Plover from a high level steno theory perspective. Some great stuff here!
↧