That's a fun game to play when you're really bored.
It also feels nice when, after a couple of rounds, it asks you to fill a captcha because it thinks your speed is so high you must be cheating :)
For me my speed varies by what I'm actually doing:
typing code, writing emails/comments have different speeds.
Actually, now that I think of it, it's difficult to measure the speed of typing code since a lot of programming involves editing existing code as opposed to just banging out line after line of new code.
Just got 108 (due to the stress of competition) but when I had to type the CAPTCHA I scored 133 because I wasn't worried about opponents. Edit: certified 155! woot. I need a new hobby.
Somewhere between 10 and 100 WPM, depending on whether I am programming, writing a blog entry, typing loosely flowing thoughts, or copying the words on the screen in front of me.
Oddly enough, I never really type the proper way. I do some sort of hunt and peck using primarily my middle and index fingers for typing, with only the occasional thumb, ring, or pinky finger. If I grew up typing how you're supposed to type I might be a little faster, but usually the brain is the bottleneck for me.
I type ~100 wpm with essentially two fingers. I do use my thumb for the spacebar and my middle fingers for ~4 specific edge keys, but otherwise it's all index all the time.
I have a hairbrained theory that this has helped me avoid carpal tunnel because it forces my hands to move around a lot more, rather than hover in one specific position. I have no data whatsoever to back this up.
I thought I used my thumbs on the space key until one day I noticed groves eroded on my laptop spacebar and paid particular attention to my typing. Turns out that I usually hit space with my right pointer and the fingernail (at that angle) gradually cut marks into the plastic.
The last official test I did, a couple years ago, stated just over 100wpm..however just last year I had a data entry job which required some SERIOUS typing speed. New employees would get introuble if they couldn't keep up with the others (who, most of which, had been there since before I was even BORN!). I can feel I've definitely gone up since that summer
If I'm transcribing something from paper or converting my thoughts into text, I do between 130-140 WPM. When programming I probably do something more like 5 WPM. My main keyboard is a full-sized Apple keyboard which I prefer over my Das Keyboard and my Kinesis Split keyboard due to the short travel on the keys. I use Dvorak.
I only type using three fingers on each hand. My three left hand fingers rest on A, W and E (in QWERTY) when idle. My three right hand fingers rest on M, L and : when idle. My right pinky holds down shift when necessary, so I can type nearly full speed in all caps. I actually do not use either of my thumbs to hit the spacebar; my right index finger does as it's right next to the spacebar when idle.
I realise this is really weird and it's probably why my thumb starts to involuntarily twitch (in addition to hurting in general) when I use laptop keyboards too much. :(
the first thing they teach you in speedreading is that sounding words aloud is actually holding you back, you can actually parse the words faster than you can pronounce them. plus you can parse groups of words...
I have a very unique typing style I've developed based on my experiences with thumb typing on my iPhone and the fact that my old job required me to dial phone numbers all day. I've never seen it before but I can get(and maintian) typing speeds in excess of 100WPM with no training so I must be doing something right. This will be a bit difficult to explain but try to visualize. I adapt where my fingers are based on what word I'm typing. So when I type something like "something" I'll use my left hand's middle finger to type "s" then my right hand will type "om" with my ring and index finger respectively, then my left hand types "eth" with my ring, middle and index finger then my right hand types "in" with my middle and index fingers, then my left index finger types "g". That was a terrible run-on sentence and I apologize for that but that's basically how I type. As a disclaimer for this method, I have devolped the ability to use both hands independently so your milage may vary.
The typeracer test linked to elsewhere says I type around 70 wpm. I never learned the 'proper' way to type, though. I do some weird homebrew typing method that primarily involves my pointer and index finer on my right hand and my pointer finger on my left hand, as well as my ring finger on my right hand for the occasional comma or backspace. It's almost like hunt and peck except I don't have to look at the keyboard, not sure how else to describe it. Seems to work well for me though, been typing a lot every day for years and no signs of carpal-tunnel yet!
While this is sort-of related, I've been trying to increase my reading speed for awhile now after noticing that since spending most of my time on the computer, I rarely if ever read books anymore.
This is a pretty large shift, considering a few years ago, I did little else but read books constantly, and at relative speed; finishing several books a week.
I picked up on the speed-reading method[1] where I first read about on NP[2]. Basically, you read quicker in chunks and don't use subvocalization[3], which we all do involuntarily.
I've found better success by reading in progressively-sped-up chunks; I comprehend the information better this way and find I spend too much time thinking if I'm subvocalizing or not with the second method.
Of course, the best thing would be to spend less time reading from and using the computer, and more time actually reading IRL.
It depends on whether I'm typing a stream of consciousness or transcribing some information. Typing from stream of consciousness, I can top 100 wpm without much trouble. When transcribing some information, I dip to around 70 wpm.
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 69.0 ms ] threadBut, FWIW, when I was taking "keyboarding" in college back in the early 90's, I was somewhere in the 80-90wpm range.
That's a fun game to play when you're really bored. It also feels nice when, after a couple of rounds, it asks you to fill a captcha because it thinks your speed is so high you must be cheating :)
For me my speed varies by what I'm actually doing: typing code, writing emails/comments have different speeds.
Actually, now that I think of it, it's difficult to measure the speed of typing code since a lot of programming involves editing existing code as opposed to just banging out line after line of new code.
Like a few on here, I never learned the proper way to type although I use all 10 digits. My typing were from countless hours coding or chatting.
Oddly enough, I never really type the proper way. I do some sort of hunt and peck using primarily my middle and index fingers for typing, with only the occasional thumb, ring, or pinky finger. If I grew up typing how you're supposed to type I might be a little faster, but usually the brain is the bottleneck for me.
I have a hairbrained theory that this has helped me avoid carpal tunnel because it forces my hands to move around a lot more, rather than hover in one specific position. I have no data whatsoever to back this up.
Never learned to touch type the "right" way...
Not sure I'd want to...
I only type using three fingers on each hand. My three left hand fingers rest on A, W and E (in QWERTY) when idle. My three right hand fingers rest on M, L and : when idle. My right pinky holds down shift when necessary, so I can type nearly full speed in all caps. I actually do not use either of my thumbs to hit the spacebar; my right index finger does as it's right next to the spacebar when idle.
I realise this is really weird and it's probably why my thumb starts to involuntarily twitch (in addition to hurting in general) when I use laptop keyboards too much. :(
This is a pretty large shift, considering a few years ago, I did little else but read books constantly, and at relative speed; finishing several books a week.
I picked up on the speed-reading method[1] where I first read about on NP[2]. Basically, you read quicker in chunks and don't use subvocalization[3], which we all do involuntarily.
I've found better success by reading in progressively-sped-up chunks; I comprehend the information better this way and find I spend too much time thinking if I'm subvocalizing or not with the second method.
Of course, the best thing would be to spend less time reading from and using the computer, and more time actually reading IRL.
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_reading
[2]: http://www.nuclearphynance.com/Show%20Post.aspx?PostIDKey=13...
[3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subvocalization