Cherry US finding it hard to keep up with demand for mechanical keyboard switches
Photo by Herman Yung
It wasn't that long ago that I purchased a wonderful mechanical keyboard for myself. I've used it almost every day and have not looked back. Now, every time I type on my laptop or on one of those sucky Apple keyboards, I can really feel the difference. The one above which I bought is the Matias Mini Tactile Pro Keyboard For Mac.
Sure, they are noisy, but the comfort and response is so much better than the recent flat-styled keys that every manufacturer seems to be adopting. WIRED recently wrote about the mechanical keyboard resurgence and notes that while one company, Cherry, manufacturers a majority of the keyboard switches, a lot of companies are beginning to use cheaper (and just as good) Chinese-made switches by other names. The fault is partially with Cherry as the company drastically underestimated demand and has been finding it hard to keep up with the orders. So naturally, companies that use Cherry switches are going elsewhere.
Clickity Clackity
It's here. And so far, it's wonderful. Typing on this thing is annoying loud but very comfortable. The sizing is perfect -- just a little bigger than the compact Bluetooth Apple keyboard I was using before but not as big as a full-sized keyboard. Still enough desk space to keep my mouse nearby.
And the sound? Ah, so reminiscent of me playing hours of Doom and Carmen Sandiego on an old beige PC. I like it. Modern, yet retro. Want one? Get it here.
The sound of the Matias Mini Tactile Pro Mechanical Keyboard for Mac
Been thinking about buying this Matias Mini Tactile Pro keyboard specific keyboard for my Mac. It's small, it's wireless, it has a USB hub, and it closely mimics the feel of the Apple Extended Keyboard which most Mac users regard as the best Apple keyboard ever made (honestly, I don't know if that's saying much).
Expensive, but I guess I'll give it a test drive. I've been writing a lot more lately anyway so this might prove to be a worthwhile investment.
I want a mechanical keyboard for my Mac
I know mechanical keyboards are expensive, but is that really the only reason why more companies don't make more of them? So far, at least for the Mac, it seems to only be a draw between the Das Keyboard Model S ($133) and the Unicomp Spacesaver M ($94).
The Das Keyboard Model S seems to be the better of the two but I'm sort of drawn to the old-school look of the Unicomp keyboards (I grew up using these IBM Model M or similar keyboards -- thanks dad!). And when I compare it in price to the only other real keyboard alternative I have for the Mac -- this not-bad-but-not-great Apple Magic Keyboard -- I guess paying a few dollars more for a mechanical keyboard that I actually want isn't so bad.
PS: But really, can somebody bring the cost of these things down?
The inner workings of a mechanical calculator
I wasted so much time last night watching videos of mechanical calculators (it started with this one dividing by zero). I've never seen a mechanical calculator in person and I guess with the abundance of digital technology around me I just never really put much thought into what a calculator was like before circuits were involved. Well, I can conclude that they are awesome and very noisy machines and of course, I want one now.
The video above shows how the calculator works on the inside, but if you just want to see the machine doing calculations, check out the video below. Complicated, but totally sensible and wonderful!
This one is just as cool!