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Re: Twiddler study now public; advice on learning

I was able to download the paper.  it is on an ftp server, 
you may want to check your browser's ftp settings for anonymous
logins and passive mode 

--francois

On Mon, Jan 12, 2004 at 07:24:08AM -0600, mda wrote:
> attempted to read the paper . . . but got an error message that "login
> attempt was denied".  is everyone else having this problem??
> --mark
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "ThadV Starner" <>
> To: "Steve Barr" <>
> Cc: <>
> Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 11:22 PM
> Subject: Twiddler study now public; advice on learning
> 
> 
> The technical report is now public.  See
> 
> http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/research/techreports.html
> Technical Report 03-37 (at the bottom)
> 
> it should answer many of the questions.
> 
> Steve-  There are a few tricks to typing on the
> Twiddler that Handykey doesn't talk about in the
> manual.  Let's see if I can walk you through it.
> 
> 1)  Select which hand you are going to use and put
> the strap on the appropriate side
> 2)  Undo the velcro
> 3)  Hold the Twiddler so that your fingers are
> bent tightly and are on the buttons closest your
> palm.  The finger joints in your palm should be
> slightly in front of the front face of the Twiddler.
> Put your thumb on the opposite side of the Twiddler.
> You should be able to hold the device without the
> strap and reach all the buttons (if awkwardly).
> Make sure that you are holding the Twiddler such
> that your little finger can hit all 3 buttons on
> the bottom row.  The little finger is the biggest
> problem in fine tuning your Twiddler grip.  The next
> step will help.
> 4) Hold the Twiddler with the finger buttons
> facing away from you.  Velcro the strap such that it
> is
> below your knuckles (below your fingers).  Ideally,
> when you press the velcro against the bottom of the
> Twiddler there is a slightly angle towards your body
> (i.e. the edge of the strap is not quite parallel
> to the front of the Twiddler).  This helps twisting.
> 5)  Take some glue and glue the top of the strap
> in the slot close to the top of the Twiddler.  Without
> glue, the strap can slip in the slot, causing the
> Twiddler to rotate on your hand.
> 6)  Keep your thumb against the side of the Twiddler
> as much as possible when you type (i.e. if the strap
> broke, you would still maintain a hold
> on the Twiddler).   A lot of people put their thumb
> on the same side as their palm, which is what the
> Handykey manual shows.  This technique, in my
> opinion, causes the Twiddler to rotate too much.
> 7)  Download our Java Twiddler tutor (Twidor) and
> practice in 20minute sessions.  You'll get
> quick much faster than you expect.
> http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/ccg/projects/twidor/download.html
> 
> Just like learning a musical instrument (guitar,
> clarinet, etc.) or the QWERTY keyboard for the first
> time, your fingers will get tired and strained easily
> as a novice.  However, I found that after the first
> week of using the Twiddler as my primary keyboard,
> this when away.
> 
> Informally, I've found guitar players pick up the
> Twiddler faster than someone who doesn't.  One
> tantilizing thing we are seeing in the data is that
> the people who learn the Twiddler the fastest
> press the keys in a chord simultaneously instead
> of sequentially.  We're still doing analysis.
> 
> BTW, the Twidor will be getting more advanced in
> the future as we continue the research.
> Currently, it is just what we used
> in the study, without the timed sessions.
> 
> USB Twiddlers work directly on Macintosh laptops.
> I use an iBook for demos.
> 
>                             Thad Starner
> 
> --- Steve Barr <> wrote:
> > ThadV Starner wrote:
> >  > Results?:  Better than expected. average 26.6wpm
> > in <
> >  > 7 hours of practice, learning curves faster than
> >  > anything else we've found in the literature so
> > far (including
> >  > desktop keyboards), touch typing mostly in the
> > first session
> >  > (using our tutor), and expert rates in the
> > 60-70wpm range.
> >
> > Any tips on how to attach the Twiddler to the hand
> > to get this speed?  I know I'd be faster with it if
> > it didn't twist in my hand each time I try and press
> > a chord.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Steve
> > --
> > http://www.stevebarr.com
> > "Your lips should remain unmoved."
> > All 100% my own opinions.
> >
> 
> 
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