--- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/content/blog/2012/10/a-modern-space-cadet.html Tue Oct 02 20:02:09 2012 -0400
@@ -0,0 +1,1286 @@
+ {% extends "_post.html" %}
+
+ {% hyde
+ title: "A Modern Space Cadet"
+ snip: "Emulating a legendary keyboard."
+ created: 2012-10-02 10:30:00
+ flattr: true
+ %}
+
+{% block article %}
+
+I spend a lot of my time (easily over 8 hours a day) at a keyboard. As you
+might have guessed from my previous entries about [Vim][] and [Mutt][] I'm not
+averse to spending a few hours to improve an environment I'm going to be
+spending tens of thousands of hours in over the next few years, so it shouldn't
+be a shock that my keyboard is something I've heavily tweaked.
+
+This post is about what I've done to make my typing experience more pleasant and
+efficient.
+
+If you scoff at customization you won't enjoy this post. What if I have to use
+someone else's machine? I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to
+use someone else's machine ever since I got an iPhone five years ago. I *like*
+customizing my machine to save me time. Yes, there may be some excessive stuff
+here, but not only does it make me type faster, it's *fun*!
+
+[TOC]
+
+[Vim]: /blog/2010/09/coming-home-to-vim/
+[Mutt]: /blog/2012/10/the-homely-mutt/
+
+The Original
+------------
+
+There have been many, many keyboards produced in the world since the first ones
+emerged. One of the most famous, at least in programming circles, is the [Space
+Cadet Keyboard][space-cadet].
+
+Originally used on Lisp machines and some other systems, it's not a keyboard for
+the minimalist. There are four "bucky keys" (modifier keys): control, meta,
+super, and hyper (plus shift, of course). There are also special keys that let
+you type Greek letters and mathematical symbols.
+
+The Space Cadet is an example of a keyboard for someone not afraid to invest
+some time to work faster.
+
+It's also absolutely gorgeous. The color scheme and typography is beautiful.
+
+This is the keyboard I used (loosely) as inspiration when crafting my current
+setup.
+
+[space-cadet]: http://world.std.com/~jdostale/kbd/SpaceCadet.html
+
+Modern Hardware
+---------------
+
+I've tried a number of modern keyboards in the past few years. They're all
+high-quality and more expensive than the $20 plastic toys that come with
+desktops these days. But I spend 60 or more hours a week at a keyboard and
+maybe one hour a week in my car, so I'm getting pretty good use out of the
+dollars I've put into keyboards compared to the cost of my car.
+
+I'll go through the keyboards I've used in chronological order. I'm not going
+to go into too much detail about the basics of mechanical keyboards and
+switches. If you want to learn about that, [this post][ch] and [this
+guide][mech] are good places to start.
+
+[ch]: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2010/10/the-keyboard-cult.html
+[mech]: http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide
+
+### Apple Wireless Keyboard
+
+For a long time I used [Apple wireless keyboards][apple-wireless].
+
+
+
+They're light and compact, but still feel extremely solid thanks to their metal
+construction.
+
+They also stay really clean because there gaps between keys are tiny, instead of
+the funnel-shaped gaps of other keyboard that send dirt straight to the bottom.
+
+They're readily available at any Apple store, and of course they're wireless
+which is great.
+
+Finally, they also feel exactly like the keyboards on Apple's laptops, so your
+muscle memory is perfectly suited to either one if you switch between them
+often.
+
+Unfortunately typing on them is nowhere near as nice as the rest of the
+keyboards in this list. The Apple keyboard have (I think) only 2mm of travel,
+but you have to bottom-out the keys to register the keypresses.
+
+[apple-wireless]: http://www.apple.com/keyboard/
+
+### Das Silent Ultimate
+
+The first mechanical keyboard I got was the [Das Silent Ultimate][das-silent].
+
+
+
+(This photo is actually my Das Clicky since I don't have the Silent any more,
+but they're exactly the same externally.)
+
+Compared to the Apple keyboards the switches on the Das Silent (Cherry Brown
+switches) feel far softer. You're not smashing your fingers against metal on
+every keypress.
+
+Overall the Das Silent isn't too bad. It's built like a tank so I have no doubt
+it'd last forever. It also has the option of blank keys, which I prefer.
+
+I didn't stick with this keyboard for long. First, its glossy finish looks good
+when it's in the box and terrible forever after that. It's way too easy to get
+dirty.
+
+Something also just feels "off" about the key switches to me, especially after
+I've tried the other boards in this list. They feel, for lack of a better term,
+"mushy" to me.
+
+[das-silent]: http://www.daskeyboard.com/model-s-ultimate-silent/
+
+### Das Clicky Ultimate
+
+The next keyboard I tried was the [Das Clicky Ultimate][das-clicky].
+
+
+
+This is exactly the same as the Das Silent except for the switches, which are
+the "clicky" Cherry Blues. These feel *way* better to me than the browns. The
+mushiness I described for the Silent is completely gone.
+
+They are not kidding when they say it is loud. If you're typing a lot expect to
+have a constant background noise of clicks. But to me the sound is soothing,
+especially once you get into a rhythm of typing for extended periods. Your
+coworkers might disagree, so tread carefully.
+
+The Das Clicky still has that godawful glossy finish, unfortunately. After
+a while I decided to try out what I had heard people raving about: Topre
+switches.
+
+[das-clicky]: http://www.daskeyboard.com/model-s-ultimate/
+
+### Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2
+
+The [Happy Hacking Keyboard][hhkb] was my next keyboard. It's much more
+expensive than the Dases were, so it was a tough call, but I'm glad I got it.
+
+
+
+The HHKB uses Topre key switches, which to me feel like Cherry Browns done
+right. There's no "click" like the Blues, but instead of the mush of the
+Browns you get a satisfying "thunk" or "sshhhunk" on each press. It's a great
+balance: you have a nice satisfying sound that's less annoying for other people.
+
+The finish on this keyboard is perfect. It is the most unassuming, elegant,
+wonderful matte finish I've seen on any keyboard. The plastic is just textured
+enough to feel solid under your fingers (not slippery like Macbook keys) but not
+enough to feel like you're typing on sandpaper.
+
+If you're short on space, or want to carry your keyboard with you, the HHKB is
+for you. It's *tiny*, but still feels solid and not flimsy at all.
+
+I have two main complaints about the HHKB. First, there's two spaces on the
+bottom row where they could have put a modifier key but didn't. The space on
+the right has the logo, which is fair enough, but the one on the left is simply
+blank for no good reason.
+
+My other complaint is the idiotic default placement of the `fn` key and the
+arrow keys. I don't mind having to use `fn` to get to the arrows as
+a concession to a compact design, but why on earth would you place them so that
+you have to chord on a *single hand* to hit them?
+
+This problem would be completely solved if the `fn` key were moved from its
+current position (right of the right shift key) down to the empty lower-left
+corner. Then you could use your left hand to hold `fn` while your right worked
+the arrow keys, no single-hand contortion required.
+
+So after a while with the HHKB I got sick of the arrow key problem. I loved the
+Topre switches though, so the next choice was pretty obvious.
+
+[hhkb]: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhkbpro2&pid=pdkb400bn
+
+### Topre Realforce 103
+
+The Topre Realforce 103UB was my next keyboard, and is the one I'm
+still using to this day.
+
+
+
+I believe the model I bought is now discontinued, but it's been replaced by the
+[104UB][topre] which is exactly the same except for an extra key on the right
+side. If I could swap my current keyboard for one of those I would. In fact,
+if anyone wants to buy my used 103UB for a bit of a discount I'd be totally
+willing to sell it to get the 104UB.
+
+Anyway, this keyboard has a few disadvantages. First, unlike every other
+keyboard here (except the wireless Apple ones) *it is not a USB hub*. This
+isn't a huge deal (I have external USB hubs anyway), but it did come as a big
+surprise.
+
+Second, it's big. Really big. If you don't have *plenty* of room on your desk
+you might want to look at the [tenkeyless][topre-tenkeyless] varieties which
+ditch the number pad section to save space. I have room and I love having
+a number pad, so I got the behemoth-sized model.
+
+Also for some reason I can't fathom there's no way to get blank, black keycaps
+for this keyboard. You can get blank Topre keycaps in lime green, pink, yellow,
+and lots of other colors, but not a simple black!
+
+Now for the good parts. This thing is built like a tank. If you needed to
+defend your home from an intruder, it would make an acceptable blunt weapon with
+which to do so, and you'd probably be able to plug it right back in and start
+typing again.
+
+The finish is the same as on the HHKB (gorgeous), but I have to take a point off
+for the non-blank keycaps. I don't need to look at the keys while I type, so
+why marr the luxurious finish with lettering?
+
+The Realforce also uses Topre switches, but it has another trick up its sleeve
+that makes typing on it even nicer than the HHKB. The version I have is the
+"variable-weighted" one, which means that the keys under your weaker fingers
+take less force to press than the ones under your stronger fingers. This is
+fantastic for long sessions of typing. Instead of my pinkies getting tired my
+fingers seem to all tire out at the same rate now. Topre does make a "uniform"
+version that doesn't have this trick, but I really like variable weight keys
+myself.
+
+[topre]: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,rf104&pid=xf11t0
+[topre-tenkeyless]: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=topre_keyboards,rftenkeyless
+
+### Verdict
+
+Right now I'm using the Topre Realforce for my day to day work. I've fallen in
+love with how the Topre switches feel (I prefer them over all the others) and
+the Happy Hacking Keyboard is just too cramped. If I were short on space the
+HHKB would be great, but I have plenty of room on my desk, so why not make use
+of it?
+
+Here's a photo of all the keyboards (along with a 13" Macbook Air) so you can
+see the differences in size.
+
+
+
+Modern Software
+---------------
+
+Now that I've talked about the hardware it's time for the software. I use OS
+X exclusively, so everything I say here is OS X specific. I'm sure there are
+Windows and Linux equivalents somewhere though.
+
+I use three software programs that, together, give me just about unlimited
+flexibility in customizing how my keyboard works in OS X.
+
+### Keyboard Maestro
+
+[Keyboard Maestro][] is a utility for binding macros to keyboard shortcuts in OS
+X. It may not have the best user interface, but it can do a *lot*, and once you
+set up your shortcuts you never have to look at it again. It's $36.
+
+Right now I use it for application switching, with a few twists I'll cover later
+on.
+
+I switched to [Keymando][] for a while. It was great being able to configure it
+in a programming language with a plain text file I could easily work with in
+version control, but compared to Keyboard Maestro it's far slower and far
+buggier. I'm now back to only using Keyboard Maestro.
+
+[Keyboard Maestro]: http://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/
+[Keymando]: http://keymando.com/
+
+### PCKeyboardHack
+
+[PCKeyboardHack][] lets you map one key on your keyboard to another at a very
+low level. For example, you can change just the right Option key to send `F19`
+instead. I use this for one single key which you'll see in the next section.
+It's free and [open source][pc-git].
+
+[PCKeyboardHack]: http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/pckeyboardhack.html.en
+[pc-git]: https://github.com/tekezo/PCKeyboardHack
+
+### KeyRemap4MacBook
+
+[KeyRemap4MacBook][] is how I do the bulk of my keyboard customizations. Like
+all of the other applications its user interface is horrible, but it can do damn
+near *anything* you might want. You could probably replace Keyboard Maestro
+with it, at least for the kind of stuff I do. It's also free and [open
+source][kr-git].
+
+The bulk of what I describe in this post is going to use KeyRemap4MacBook. I'm
+not going to give you a tutorial in it here -- read its documentation if you
+want to learn how to use the things I'm going to show.
+
+[KeyRemap4MacBook]: http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/index.html.en
+[kr-git]: https://github.com/tekezo/KeyRemap4MacBook
+
+Control/Escape
+--------------
+
+These first few mappings aren't directly from the Space Cadet keyboard, but they
+were inspired by its spirit of making an efficient tool for text editing.
+
+The Capslock key on modern keyboard has become the punchline of many a joke, and
+for good reason: there's no reason to dedicate such an important key to
+a function like capslock.
+
+Many people rebind it to a more useful key like Control, Option, Escape, or
+Backspace. I rebound it to Control for a while and then realized that with
+KeyRemap4MacBook I could get even more mileage out of it.
+
+The important thing I finally realized is that it's possible to divide keys on
+the keyboard into three groups:
+
+* Keys you hold down to change how *other* keys behave, but that (usually) don't
+ do anything if you use them on their own (like Shift and Control).
+* Keys that you press and release but don't want to "repeat" as you hold them
+ (like Escape or Insert).
+* Keys that you sometimes press and release, but sometimes want to repeat (like
+ holding space to insert a bunch of spaces, or Backspace to kill a bunch of
+ characters).
+
+Can you see where this is heading? The last group is pretty normal, but the
+first two groups are special. Specifically: there are two different ways to use
+them and they're each only useful in one of those ways.
+
+This means that we can *combine* them onto a single key without losing any
+useful functionality!
+
+I'm clearly not the first one to think of this, because KR4MB includes built-in
+support for creating these kinds of mappings.
+
+First you'll want to map Capslock to Control at the OS X level by going into the
+Keyboard preference pane in System Preferences, clicking the Modifier Keys
+button in the lower right, selecting your keyboard in the dropdown list (this is
+surprisingly easy to miss), and changing the Capslock setting:
+
+
+
+Then you can open KeyRemap4MacBook and choose the following premade option:
+
+ Control_L to Control_L
+ (+ when you type Control_L only, send Escape)
+
+Now the Capslock key on the keyboard does the following:
+
+1. If held down and pressed with another key, it acts like Control.
+2. If pressed and released on its own, it acts like Escape.
+
+That's two extremely important keys (at least for Vim users) on a single key in
+one of the prime locations on the keyboard! No more awkward stretches!
+
+If you want to force yourself to learn to use it, disable the normal escape key.
+You'll learn fast.
+
+Hyper
+-----
+
+Modern OS X supports four "modifier" keys: Control, Option, Command, and Shift.
+The Space Cadet keyboard had five: Control, Meta, Super, Hyper, and Shift.
+
+Shift and Control map to each other, and OS X's Option key is pretty much the
+same as Meta (in fact I think Emacs users usually use Alt as Meta).
+I arbitrarily decided that Command was the OS X equivalent of Super. That left
+Hyper.
+
+Since OS X doesn't natively support a fifth modifier key, I came up with
+an idea to fake it.
+
+First, I realized that because I use Capslock for Control I had no use for the
+*real* left Control key. So the first step is to remap that to something else
+distinct from the Capslock-version of Control.
+
+For this you need PCKeyboardHack. I don't think there's a way to do it in
+KeyRemap4MacBook, because by the time KR4MB sees the keypress it can't tell if
+it came from the Capslock key or the real Control key (due to how they were
+changed in the previous section). PCKeyboardHack, however, *can*, so I remapped
+left Control to keycode `80`:
+
+
+
+Keycode `80` is the `F19` key. My keyboard doesn't have an `F19` key so it
+doesn't conflict with anything. Now we can simply remap `F19` in KR4MB just
+like any other key.
+
+To create a "pseudo-Hyper" modifier, I remapped this key to be the equivalent of
+holding down *all four other modifiers* by adding the following to my
+`private.xml` KR4MB configuration file:
+
+ :::xml
+ <item>
+ <name>Remap Left Control to Hyper</name>
+ <appendix>OS X doesn't have a Hyper. This maps Left Control to Control + Shift + Option + Command.</appendix>
+
+ <identifier>space_cadet.left_control_to_hyper</identifier>
+
+ <autogen>
+ --KeyToKey--
+ KeyCode::F19,
+
+ KeyCode::COMMAND_L,
+ ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::CONTROL_L
+ </autogen>
+ </item>
+
+As far as I can tell, no keyboard shortcuts in OS X or any apps use all four
+modifier keys (how would you normally press them all, anyway?). But many
+programs, like Keyboard Maestro, let you define your own shortcuts. So now I've
+got an entire key as a "namespace" all to myself for my own shortcuts!
+
+This is really nice. I don't have to worry about "shadowing" existing shortcuts
+anywhere and it's only a single modifier to press.
+
+Currently I use this "namespace" for application switching. Instead of using
+the normal `Command-Tab` switcher, I have shortcuts for each individual app
+I use frequently. For example, `Hyper-k` switches to Firefox, `Hyper-y`
+switches to Twitter, and so on. This is better than `Command-Tab`ing because
+I don't have to worry about how many times I need to press it. `Hyper-k`
+*always* goes to Firefox no matter what, so I can easily burn that into my
+muscle memory.
+
+There's one more little trick I use in Keyboard Maestro that you might find
+useful. It's specific to how I work, but you might like to do something
+similar.
+
+I pretty much always keep two iTerm 2 windows open. The first contains a tmux
+session with one window split into two panes. One pane holds
+[weechat][weechat-prog] for IRC, the other holds [Mutt][mutt-prog] for email.
+I keep this on my laptop screen at all times while I do other things on my
+external monitor.
+
+The second iTerm window is almost always fullscreened, and contains a tmux
+session with whatever I'm working on. The number of windows and panes varies
+wildly.
+
+What I wanted was a way to bind `Hyper-i` and `Hyper-m` to directly focus my IRC
+and mail panes, and `Hyper-j` to directly focus the second, "general-purpose"
+iTerm window.
+
+The solution came in two parts. First I configured tmux so that `prefix N`
+would select the nth pane in the current window by adding the following to
+`~/.tmux.conf`:
+
+ bind 1 select-pane -t 1
+ bind 2 select-pane -t 2
+ bind 3 select-pane -t 3
+ bind 4 select-pane -t 4
+ bind 5 select-pane -t 5
+ bind 6 select-pane -t 6
+ bind 7 select-pane -t 7
+ bind 8 select-pane -t 8
+ bind 9 select-pane -t 9
+
+My tmux prefix is `Control-f`, so now pressing `Control-f 1` will go to pane 1,
+and so on. Then I configured Keyboard Maestro like so:
+
+
+
+This binds `Control-Shift-Option-Command-i` (which is just `Hyper-i`) to do the
+following:
+
+1. Focus iTerm 2.
+2. Send a `Command-Option-1` keystroke, which will focus the first iTerm
+ 2 window (I simply make sure I always open my mail/irc window first).
+3. Send `Control-f` keystroke.
+3. Send `1` keystroke, which together with the previous one tells tmux to switch
+ to pane 1.
+
+The mail shortcut is similar, of course, and the general-purpose terminal one is
+even simpler.
+
+So now I've got a free modifier key that won't conflict with anything, and I've
+got some very easy-to-type shortcuts I can burn into my fingers for switching
+applications quickly. Awesome.
+
+[weechat-prog]: http://www.weechat.org/
+[mutt-prog]: http://www.mutt.org/
+
+Better Shifting
+---------------
+
+The Shift keys are another of those keys that are only useful with other keys,
+so it's only natural that they were also on the list of keys to optimize.
+First, though I took a detour to correct a bad habit of mine.
+
+### Shift Key Training Wheels
+
+I've been typing for most of my life, but I never really learned to do it
+correctly. I can touch type, of course, but sometimes I use the wrong fingers
+for certain keys.
+
+My most egregious offense was that I always used the left Shift key. Even when
+typing `X` I'd hold the left Shift key with my left pinky and hit the `x` with
+my left index finger, which pulls my hand off the home row and generally feels
+awkward.
+
+One day I decided I was tired of doing this the wrong way and decided to fix
+myself. The easiest way to break a bad habit is to make it harder or impossible
+to do, so I created a custom KeyRemap4MacBook setting that *disables* the
+keypress when you use the incorrect Shift key with a letter. Here it is in
+full:
+
+ :::xml
+ <item>
+ <name>Use the correct shift keys.</name>
+ <identifier>private.correct_shift_keys</identifier>
+
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::Q, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::W, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::E, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::R, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::T, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::A, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::S, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::D, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::F, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::G, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::Z, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::X, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::C, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::V, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::Y, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::U, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::I, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::O, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::P, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::H, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::J, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::K, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::L, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::SEMICOLON, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::N, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::M, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::COMMA, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::DOT, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::QUOTE, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::VK_NONE</autogen>
+ </item>
+
+It took me about four hours of normal computer use to unlearn over two decades
+of wrong typing. It's amazing how fast muscle memory can adjust when you simply
+*force* it to.
+
+Once I fixed myself I disabled this setting, because it also forces you to use
+the "correct" Shift key when doing keyboard shortcuts, and sometimes those are
+easer to do with the "wrong" Shift.
+
+If you only use one Shift key I'd really encourage you to try this. It spreads
+out the wear over both pinkies and feels much better. Your hands will thank
+you.
+
+### Shift Parentheses
+
+Now that I was using the right Shift keys, it was time to revisit mapping
+something else onto them. One pair of keys stood out as a perfect candidate: the
+left and right parentheses.
+
+Parentheses are common in most of the programming languages in use today (some
+more than others). If you counted I bet you'd find them more common than square
+or curly brackets in the majority of your code, and yet they're shoved away in
+the horrible homes of `Shift-9` and `Shift-0`.
+
+I decided to try out remapping my Shift keys to work like so:
+
+* When held while pressing other keys, act like Shift.
+* When pressed and released on their own, type an opening or closing parenthesis
+ (left and right shift respectively).
+
+This means I can type parentheses with a single, unchorded keypress. After
+using it for a while I absolutely love it. Here's the KeyRemap4MacBook setting
+for it:
+
+ :::xml
+ <item>
+ <name>Shifts to Parentheses</name>
+ <appendix>Shifts, when pressed alone, type parentheses. When used with other keys they're normal shifts.</appendix>
+
+ <identifier>private.shifts_to_parens</identifier>
+
+ <!-- This is the basic mapping. -->
+ <autogen>--KeyOverlaidModifier-- KeyCode::SHIFT_R, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::KEY_0, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyOverlaidModifier-- KeyCode::SHIFT_L, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::KEY_9, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R</autogen>
+
+ <!--
+ Remap the "rolls" of () and )( because it's too easy to hit one
+ before finishing the other, and there's no other reason to be
+ pressing both shift keys at once anyway
+ -->
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::SHIFT_L, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::KEY_0, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::KEY_9, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L</autogen>
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::SHIFT_R, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::KEY_9, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::KEY_0, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L</autogen>
+
+ <!--
+ Remap Rshift+Space to ') ', because when typing an end paren and
+ then a space I tend to hit space before I let go of rshift.
+ -->
+ <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::KEY_0, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::SPACE</autogen>
+ </item>
+
+As you can see there's actually a bit more to the mapping, because I was finding
+some minor usability glitches in the bare setting.
+
+Occasionally I'll accidentally type a parenthesis when meaning to do something
+else, but it happens so infrequently and the benefits are so great that I'd
+absolutely recommend this to anyone who programs a lot.
+
+Key Layers
+----------
+
+Now we're getting to things that are directly inspired by the Space Cadet
+keyboard. If you don't type a lot of mathematical characters you may not want
+to bother with these, but since I've been taking the [Introduction to
+Mathematical Thinking][coursera] class on Coursera these bindings have made it
+very pleasant to type out my homework.
+
+[coursera]: https://www.coursera.org/course/maththink
+
+### Greek
+
+The Space Cadet had a separate key for typing Greek letters, and I've decided to
+do the same. I don't know *exactly* how that modifier key worked, but here's
+how my version is going to work.
+
+* Press and release the "Greek" key to go into "Greek mode" for one character.
+* Type the appropriate latin letter to get the Greek character for that key
+ (capital letters and lowercase are distinct).
+
+For example, typing `Greek`, then `w` results in ω (omega), while `Greek`, then
+`W` results in Ω (capital omega).
+
+If you want to actually type out full Greek words, this isn't ideal because you
+have to press the `Greek` key between every letter. But for my purposes
+(variables in math) it's perfect.
+
+There are two parts to implementing this in KeyRemap4MacBook. First we need to
+pick a `Greek` key. I never use the `Command`, `Option`, and `Control` keys to
+the right of the spacebar, so I chose the right `Option` key for this.
+
+If you *do* use the modifiers on the right you might prefer to pick a different
+key for this, like `Insert` or `Print Screen`.
+
+Also, since I'm using the Realforce which is a PC Keyboard, that key is actually
+called the "PC Application" key. I'm sure you can figure out how to adjust the
+mapping if necessary.
+
+Here's the first part of the mapping, which binds the `Greek` key:
+
+ :::xml
+ <item>
+ <name>Greek Layer</name>
+ <appendix>Right PC Application key activates the Greek key layer.</appendix>
+
+ <identifier>space_cadet.greek_layer</identifier>
+
+ <autogen>
+ --KeyToKey--
+ KeyCode::PC_APPLICATION,
+ KeyCode::VK_STICKY_EXTRA4
+ </autogen>
+
+I use the virtual modifier key `EXTRA4`. This key is only intelligible inside
+of KR4MB, but that's not a problem since I do all of the rest of the Greek
+mapping inside there too.
+
+I wrote a little [Python script][cadetpy] to generate the rest of the mapping
+for me. Here's the whole Greek layer mapping in its entirety:
+<https://gist.github.com/3824106>
+
+What are all those `Option` modifiers doing in there? Well there's one more
+step to making this work. You need to switch your keyboard layout in OS X to
+the "Unicode Hex Input" layout under System Preferences → Language and Text
+→ Input Sources:
+
+
+
+As far as I can tell this is exactly like QWERTY except that it also allows you
+to type in Unicode characters directly by holding `Option` and typing in their
+Unicode code point's hex value. That's how the mapping inserts the Unicode
+characters for the Greek letters.
+
+If you want to do this with another keyboard layout I'm not sure how you could
+do it. If you find a way let me know and I'll post it here.
+
+However, there's a problem. The Unicode Hex Input keyboard layout disables OS
+X's `Option-Left` and `Option-Right` keyboard shortcuts for some reason I don't
+even want to try to guess. Luckily they can be restored with another mapping:
+
+ :::xml
+ <item>
+ <name>Restore [Shift-]Opt-(Left/Right)</name>
+ <appendix>The Unicode Hex Input keyboard layout disables these keys for some reason.</appendix>
+
+ <identifier>space_cadet.fix_opt_arrows</identifier>
+
+ <autogen>
+ --KeyToKey--
+ KeyCode::CURSOR_LEFT, VK_OPTION | VK_SHIFT,
+
+ KeyCode::B,
+ ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::CONTROL_L
+ </autogen>
+ <autogen>
+ --KeyToKey--
+ KeyCode::CURSOR_LEFT, VK_OPTION,
+
+ KeyCode::B,
+ ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::CONTROL_L
+ </autogen>
+ <autogen>
+ --KeyToKey--
+ KeyCode::CURSOR_RIGHT, VK_OPTION | VK_SHIFT,
+
+ KeyCode::F,
+ ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::CONTROL_L
+ </autogen>
+ <autogen>
+ --KeyToKey--
+ KeyCode::CURSOR_RIGHT, VK_OPTION,
+
+ KeyCode::F,
+ ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::CONTROL_L
+ </autogen>
+ </item>
+
+`Option-Delete` is also broken by Unicode Hex Input. I haven't figured out how
+to fix this, but I don't really care about it because I have the following in my
+`~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict` file which lets me use
+`Control-w` just like at the command line:
+
+ :::text
+ {
+ "^w"="deleteWordBackward:";
+ }
+
+Welcome to the fiddly, maddening world of keybinding customization!
+
+The Greek layer in my mapping pretty much matches the original Space Cadet
+mapping as far as I can tell. Here's a table of the keys and their Greek
+counterparts:
+
+<table>
+ <thead>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Key</th>
+ <th>Alone</th>
+ <th>Shifted</th>
+ <th>Notes</th>
+ </tr>
+ </thead>
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td>a</td>
+ <td>α</td>
+ <td>Α</td>
+ <td>Alpha</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>b</td>
+ <td>β</td>
+ <td>Β</td>
+ <td>Beta</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>c</td>
+ <td>χ</td>
+ <td>Χ</td>
+ <td>Chi</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>d</td>
+ <td>δ</td>
+ <td>Δ</td>
+ <td>Delta</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>e</td>
+ <td>ε</td>
+ <td>Ε</td>
+ <td>Epsilon</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>f</td>
+ <td>φ</td>
+ <td>Φ</td>
+ <td>Phi (p was taken and the ph sounds like an f)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>g</td>
+ <td>γ</td>
+ <td>Γ</td>
+ <td>Gamma</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>h</td>
+ <td>η</td>
+ <td>Η</td>
+ <td>Eta</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>i</td>
+ <td>ι</td>
+ <td>Ι</td>
+ <td>Iota</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>j</td>
+ <td>ϑ</td>
+ <td>Θ</td>
+ <td>Theta (with one of the lowercase variants)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>k</td>
+ <td>κ</td>
+ <td>Κ</td>
+ <td>Kappa</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>l</td>
+ <td>λ</td>
+ <td>Λ</td>
+ <td>Lambda (Lisp users rejoice!)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>m</td>
+ <td>μ</td>
+ <td>Μ</td>
+ <td>Mu</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>n</td>
+ <td>ν</td>
+ <td>Ν</td>
+ <td>Nu</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>o</td>
+ <td>ο</td>
+ <td>Ο</td>
+ <td>Omicron</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>p</td>
+ <td>π</td>
+ <td>Π</td>
+ <td>Pi</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>q</td>
+ <td>θ</td>
+ <td>Θ</td>
+ <td>Theta (with the other lowercase variant)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>r</td>
+ <td>ρ</td>
+ <td>Ρ</td>
+ <td>Rho</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>s</td>
+ <td>σ</td>
+ <td>Σ</td>
+ <td>Sigma (with one of the lowercase variants)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>t</td>
+ <td>τ</td>
+ <td>Τ</td>
+ <td>Tau</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>u</td>
+ <td>υ</td>
+ <td>Υ</td>
+ <td>Upsilon</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>v</td>
+ <td>ς</td>
+ <td>Σ</td>
+ <td>Sigma (with the other lowercase variant)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>w</td>
+ <td>ω</td>
+ <td>Ω</td>
+ <td>Omega (o was taken and the lowercase kind of looks like a w)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>x</td>
+ <td>ξ</td>
+ <td>Ξ</td>
+ <td>Xi</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>y</td>
+ <td>ψ</td>
+ <td>Ψ</td>
+ <td>Psi (p was taken and it looks a bit like a y)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>z</td>
+ <td>ζ</td>
+ <td>Ζ</td>
+ <td>Zeta</td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+</table>
+
+[cadetpy]: https://github.com/sjl/dotfiles/blob/master/keyremap4macbook/cadet.py
+
+### Math
+
+The Space Cadet also had a `Top` key for typing the symbols on the top of the
+keys, which were (I think) used in APL. I don't use APL, but when typing out
+mathematical text it would be nice to have some symbols easily available.
+
+I've added a Math layer that functions similarly to the Greek layer. I chose
+the right `Control` key to activate it. I won't go into detail about how it
+works because it's the same as the Greek layer. Here's the code for it if you
+want to use it yourself: <https://gist.github.com/3824109>
+
+I've currently only filled in the Math layer with keys I find useful, so there
+are a lot of empty keys at the moment. I plan to add new ones as I discover
+I want them.
+
+<table>
+ <thead>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Key</th>
+ <th>Alone</th>
+ <th>Shifted</th>
+ <th>Notes</th>
+ </tr>
+ </thead>
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td>a</td>
+ <td>∧</td>
+ <td>ℵ</td>
+ <td>And, Aleph</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>b</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>c</td>
+ <td>∘</td>
+ <td>ℂ</td>
+ <td>Composition, Complex numbers</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>d</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>e</td>
+ <td>∈</td>
+ <td>∉</td>
+ <td>Element of, Not element of</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>f</td>
+ <td>∫</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Integral (i was taken and it looks like an f)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>g</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>h</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>i</td>
+ <td>∩</td>
+ <td>∞</td>
+ <td>Intersection, Infinity</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>j</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>k</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>l</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>m</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>n</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>ℕ</td>
+ <td>Natural numbers</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>o</td>
+ <td>∨</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Or</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>p</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>q</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>r</td>
+ <td>√</td>
+ <td>ℝ</td>
+ <td>Root, Real numbers</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>s</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>t</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>u</td>
+ <td>∪</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Union</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>v</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>w</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>x</td>
+ <td>⊻</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Xor</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>y</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>z</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>ℤ</td>
+ <td>Integers</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>-</td>
+ <td>¬</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Not (looks like a minus)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>=</td>
+ <td>≠</td>
+ <td>±</td>
+ <td>Not equal, Plus or minus (<code>Shift-=</code> is normally +)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>/</td>
+ <td>÷</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Division</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>,</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>≤</td>
+ <td>Less than or equal to (<code>Shift-,</code> is normally <)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>.</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>≥</td>
+ <td>Greater than or equal to (<code>Shift-.</code> is normally >)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>1</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>2</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>3</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>4</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>5</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>6</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>7</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>8</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>×</td>
+ <td>Times or cross product (<code>Shift-8</code> is normally *)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>9</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>0</td>
+ <td>∅</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>Null set</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>`</td>
+ <td></td>
+ <td>≈</td>
+ <td>Approximately equal to (<code>Shift-`</code> is normally ~)</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>[</td>
+ <td>⊂</td>
+ <td>⊄</td>
+ <td>Proper subset of, Not proper subset of</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>]</td>
+ <td>⊃</td>
+ <td>⊅</td>
+ <td>Proper superset of, Not proper superset of</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>Left</td>
+ <td>←</td>
+ <td>↚</td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>Right</td>
+ <td>→</td>
+ <td>↛</td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>Up/Down</td>
+ <td>↔</td>
+ <td>↮</td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+</table>
+
+In addition, the last five rows also support the `Control` key for more
+variants:
+
+<table>
+ <thead>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Key</th>
+ <th>Ctrl</th>
+ <th>Ctrl-Shifted</th>
+ <th>Notes</th>
+ </tr>
+ </thead>
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td>[</td>
+ <td>⊆</td>
+ <td>⊈</td>
+ <td>Subset of, Not subset of</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>]</td>
+ <td>⊇</td>
+ <td>⊉</td>
+ <td>Superset of, Not superset of</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>Left</td>
+ <td>⇐</td>
+ <td>⇍</td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>Right</td>
+ <td>⇒</td>
+ <td>⇏</td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <td>Up/Down</td>
+ <td>⇔</td>
+ <td>⇎</td>
+ <td></td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+</table>
+
+Conclusion
+----------
+
+If you want my full KeyRemap4MacBook configuration you can always get [the
+latest version from my dotfiles][dotkr].
+
+I've done some crazy, fiddly things to my machine. Undoubtedly lots of people
+on Hacker News will scoff and brag about how they only use the defaults.
+I don't really care. Given that I spend 60 hours or more a week at the keyboard
+if these things only save me 0.01% of my time they'll pay for themselves in
+a year or two. Not to mention all the finger pain they'll prevent. Plus,
+tinkering around and seeing how far you can push things is fun (sometimes)!
+
+I'm pretty satisfied with my hardware and layout. My dream would be to get
+a custom keycap set with my key labels and the Space Cadet colors/typography
+that would fit on a white Realforce. It would be absolutely beautiful, but I'm
+sure it'd be far too expensive to make a single custom set. Oh well, maybe some
+day!
+
+[dotkr]: https://github.com/sjl/dotfiles/blob/master/keyremap4macbook/private.xml
+
+{% endblock article %}
