Voice recognition programs, such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking for the PC and Dragon Dictate 2.0 for the Mac, can be heaven-sent if you’re struggling with repetitive stress injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
This software is affordable (less than $100 for the PC version and less than $150 for the Mac version) enough for home use, and even people without hand/wrist issues enjoy using it.
Once you train the computer to recognize your voice patterns, you can speak into the headset at a brisk speed, and the program transcribes everything you say. I’ve used Dragon for everything from surfing the web to typing up fantasy novels. (Though, I did find it best for business/technical writing; even with ‘training,’ Dragon wasn’t the best at recognizing my crazy made-up fantasy places and character names.)
Nuance, the company that puts out the PC & Mac Dragon products, released new versions of both this past year, so if it’s been a while since you’ve tried voice recognition software, you may want to see what it can do these days. The technology is improving all the time, and, while it’s probably never going to be perfect, it can be a true relief for people who struggle with pain from typing and mousing.