When you’re ready to throw your computer (or at least your mic) out the window in frustration, you may want to ask the advice of fellow Dragon NaturallySpeaking users to see if someone can help you workaround/shutoff/alter whatever “feature” is irritating you. If no one can help, then you can start throwing things. A couple…
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Screening?
An article from News-Medical.net announced a $2.5 million grant for Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. According to the article, the purpose of the grant is to fund research that will determine how likely people are to develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome before they actually…
It’s a Chair, No It’s a Ball, No It’s a Ball Chair…
An article in the Houston Chronicle discusses the ergonomic benefits of swapping a typical office chair for one of those fitness balls you see in the gym. The idea is that it makes sitting (which, when done day in and day out, can put a strain on your back) a more active pursuit since your…
Ergonomics Are Important in Your Home Office, Too
According to an article in the Ithaca Journal, almost 20 million people in the US do some work for their primary job at home. Less than 20% of people with home offices, however, have them set up the way they would like. (Maybe they’re like me, and their home offices are more like office/living rooms…
FingerWorks TouchStream Keyboard Review
Quick Summary: The TouchStream is sleek, compact, durable, foldable, and does everything FingerWorks says it does. Price: $300 Pros: The zero-force “keys” require no pressure (which may lessen the likelihood of computer-related RSI); the built in “mouse” is a great timesaver and again can help prevent RSI; the gestures put dozens, maybe hundreds, of shortcuts…
Voice Recognition Funny Errors
Susan Fulton maintains a great site for users of voice recognition software. She has one page entitled “Goofs to grin at” which is worth checking out if you’re looking for a chuckle. What you say and what VisVoice or Dragon NaturallySpeaking hears aren’t always the same. Visitors have sent in numerous “goofs.” For example, one…
Free RSI Quick Reference Brochures/Handouts
The RSI Program site, maintained by the folks who put together It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome…, offers brochures on Repetitive Strain Injury in various sizes that you can print off and handout to your employees. They cover proper posture/ergonomics for computer users, some stretches and exercises, and general RSI information. It would probably be a…
Yoga For Combating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, RSI, Tension, Etc.
All of the RSI-related sites and books I’ve read have recommended stretching, some recommending yoga specifically. The nice thing about yoga is that it incorporates deep breathing with the stretches (The book It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory and Therapy for Computer Professionals recommends deep, diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing to ensure the upper body stays…
Wrist Wand
I found an advertisement for Wrist Wand in the latest edition of ErgoSolutions. It is advertised as a device to stretch your upper body muscles effectively with just one exercise, needing only 20-30 seconds to be effective. This looks like something that may be good to use along with a break reminder program, and the…
Build a Better Office, and They Will Come
The About section of the Fog Creek Software site mentions one of the things they did when they were starting out was to ensure their programmers had a great place to work. Employers that are looking for productivity from workers should take this as an example. Ergonomics and comfort in the workplace may cost more…
“Cold Laser” Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment?
KSL news has an article on something called Cold Laser as a treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Apparently, the Cold Laser can penetrate the tissues of the hand and offer pain relief without drugs or surgery. There is some conflicting data, but the laser supposedly, “increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and reduces symptoms.” There’s no…
Dragon NaturallySpeaking MS Word Tip
I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking for most of the writing and editing I do in MS Word. When I’m trying to jump to a specific word in the text, for example cat, I’ll say, “select cat”. Somehow, it seems that at least half the time there’s another instance of the word “cat” on the screen, and…