8 votes

As more and more of our words are tapped out on keyboards, writing by hand has become an endangered species

18 comments

  1. [2]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. masochist
      Link Parent
      The tech industry is tripping over itself trying to offer alternatives in this space. PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash, Apple Pay Cash. There are currencies that address this problem. ... is not as good...

      there is, as yet, no practical alternative for a private payment.

      The tech industry is tripping over itself trying to offer alternatives in this space. PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash, Apple Pay Cash. There are currencies that address this problem.

      A promise to pay

      ... is not as good as actually making the payment. The IOU that a check represents--which can, of course, bounce, causing fees for both involved in most cases (#include <rants/banking/predatory>)--does not, at all, compare to having the money available in my account in seconds.

      When I go to the farmer's market, I don't pay with cash. I don't even need to bring a credit card for most vendors. Almost all of them take Apple Pay (via Square) or, at the very least, Venmo. If even a farmer's market's vendors--not the fake kind that has a brick and mortar store, the kind that sets up for a few hours every week--can do this, there's no reason to mandate paper checks. To paraphrase, we've all got phones.

      ... and I say this as someone who just this week spent 25$ on a Moleskine notebook just because I like the design. I've spent hundreds on fountain pens and accoutrements. I'm a stationery nerd (before you make the comment, the Moleskine is intended for use with a pencil. :P).

      8 votes
  2. [5]
    MimicSquid
    Link
    And good riddance. Farewell to thee handwriting, and to you Mrs. Bundy, who forced me to hand-cramping labors for many hours forming my letters! You said it would be important in the future, and I...

    And good riddance. Farewell to thee handwriting, and to you Mrs. Bundy, who forced me to hand-cramping labors for many hours forming my letters! You said it would be important in the future, and I haven't written by hand for more than it took to add a tip to a bill or sign my name in years!

    As to the author's claim that checks will still be a thing; yes, of course. Yet I handle hundreds of checks a year, and they are all printed from a computer and the software thereon that manages finances. No fondness or handwriting needed. Goodbye to you, torture of my youth. You were never missed to begin with, and this nostalgia for the form disgusts me.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I largely agree with you in being happy handwriting is dying as a standard... but I am absolutely not disgusted by the nostalgia for it, or the push by people attempting to keep it alive, and...

      I largely agree with you in being happy handwriting is dying as a standard... but I am absolutely not disgusted by the nostalgia for it, or the push by people attempting to keep it alive, and totally understand where those feelings/desires come from. I still find calligraphy and other aesthetically pleasing handwriting (e.g. graffiti tagging) to be impressive and wonderful to look at. E.g. /r/PenmanshipPorn is one of the few places on reddit I still visit occasionally.

      3 votes
      1. MimicSquid
        Link Parent
        I'm with you on nostalgia in general, and the value/understandability of it, but I'm biased on the topic of handwriting. :)

        I'm with you on nostalgia in general, and the value/understandability of it, but I'm biased on the topic of handwriting. :)

        1 vote
    2. [2]
      unknown user
      Link Parent
      Do you mean cursive or do you mean manual writing in general?

      Do you mean cursive or do you mean manual writing in general?

  3. [3]
    asoftbird
    Link
    I like handwriting, but not for long texts. I do design work and as such sketch and annotate a lot. For this l'm using a cheap plastic/wood cartridge fountain pen that l got in third grade to...

    I like handwriting, but not for long texts. I do design work and as such sketch and annotate a lot. For this l'm using a cheap plastic/wood cartridge fountain pen that l got in third grade to learn to write with. It's well over 25 years old at this point and still the best writing experience l've had so far. It's smooth, has just the right center of mass and weight and ink cartridges are still manufactured so that's nice too.
    You don't need a golden elitarian fountain pen of >$100 to write nicely.

    I also write in a diary, the advantage of the pen here is that it forces me to slow down and think ahead of what l'm going to say, because ink is final and paper is limited.

    For longer texts l prefer typing of course, handwriting is only for things that one other person will read at most(though l do write decently legible).

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      NeoTheFox
      Link Parent
      It's astonishing to me that the notion of handwriting being slower and limited makes it more interesting to you, especially in a diary. When I'm typing something the last thing I want is my...

      It's astonishing to me that the notion of handwriting being slower and limited makes it more interesting to you, especially in a diary. When I'm typing something the last thing I want is my thought train to be constantly halted by the speed of my handwriting. I can see the benefit on text size limits, Twitter famously got popular because they forced people to be brief among other things, but that can be enforced with almost any text editor by using word limits.

      3 votes
      1. asoftbird
        Link Parent
        l would say it only counts for my diary, which is a tool for me to quiet down and reflect on myself and how l'm doing. It turns the writing into some form of meditation, haste is not an option so...

        l would say it only counts for my diary, which is a tool for me to quiet down and reflect on myself and how l'm doing. It turns the writing into some form of meditation, haste is not an option so it forces me to take my time.

        5 votes
  4. [2]
    alyaza
    Link
    speaking as someone who still handwrites to some extent out of necessity: handwriting in basically all forms sucks. i can type 85 words per minute and get real-time spell checking and grammar...

    speaking as someone who still handwrites to some extent out of necessity: handwriting in basically all forms sucks. i can type 85 words per minute and get real-time spell checking and grammar checking--i'd be shocked if i could write half that speed consistently in a manner that is also actually legible even when i'm focused, and it comes with none of the benefits of writing on a computer. if i write something on here for example, i can backspace out all the bad things with no problem or consign them to some other part of the document--if i fuck up handwriting, i have to scratch it all out and start over, or erase it and hope it actually erases instead of leaving shadow marks that make it nearly impossible to read. basically the only benefit handwriting has over digital writing is that physical copies are better for archives and you're less likely to lose them, but if you back up your data even semi-regularly, this shouldn't really be a problem. if my hard drive explodes tomorrow, basically everything i've ever written is backed up in a mega.nz account and somewhere on one of my google accounts.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. alyaza
        Link Parent
        that only matters with taking university notes, which is not what i'm really talking about.

        Handwriting has been proven to engage your brain differently than typing out notes. You are more likely to recall notes written by hand, and you are more likely to make connections between the information, connecting the dots logically, while writing by hand.

        that only matters with taking university notes, which is not what i'm really talking about.

        2 votes
  5. NeoTheFox
    Link
    I am really glad to see that I'm not alone in expecting handwriting to die down. I really don't like it, and I've never been good at it, I feel like it takes too much from your cognitive...

    I am really glad to see that I'm not alone in expecting handwriting to die down. I really don't like it, and I've never been good at it, I feel like it takes too much from your cognitive resources. When I've been a kid and I had to write a ton of text by hand daily it always felt like I could either write or think about something, but not both things at the same time. If I had to write, say, an extended answer to a test question, and I had no time to draft it due to limited time given my answer would always sound like someone with deslexia or outright a retarded individual had written it - my thought process would always go ahead of what my had would be writing, and sometimes I could turn two words into one or cut a sentence in the middle to start another. It was a very painful experience, and I've struggled with my literature classes because of it. But it all changed when my new school allowed typed essays, suddenly I managed to get straight A after straight A, and my work stopped looking like something found under a bed in a mental asylum. Touch-typing just feels like an automatic thing, your keyboard feels like an extension of your body, and you get to just express yourself much better, since you don't have to concentrate on getting the glyphs right. When I type I stop being aware of the keyboard and that is something I could never do with a pen - a pen always felt like I have this alien object in my hand, that causes pain and would punish your every wrong move. Nostalgia aside I am happy to see that archaic way of expression go, happily It's been in the past for me from the high school on.

    3 votes
  6. [3]
    unknown user
    Link
    Such an inelegant article. I like the act of writing. There's something dignifying about it; something real, as opposed to the ephemeral digital matter of typing on a computer keyboard. I like...

    Such an inelegant article.

    I like the act of writing. There's something dignifying about it; something real, as opposed to the ephemeral digital matter of typing on a computer keyboard. I like real things; I like books, I like CDs, I like vinyl records, I like tools, I like working on physical things; I like the physicality of it all.

    The first smartphone I wanted to buy had a physical keyboard, which was, for me at the time, a major selling point. I'd still trade my iPhone for something that has a comfortable, working native physical keyboard. The two things I do on a smartphone is listen to music (frequently) and take notes (sometimes, when I'm out).

    The lack of physicality is why I hate virtual keyboards. They give absolutely no physical feedback, which is very important for me. I can't guide my big fingers across the keyboard and press the right key from muscle memory, like I do on any physical keyboard anywhere. It's unpleasant.

    Doesn't help that whenever I have to write a time-limited essay, I always run close to time limit – not because I have to think of things to say, but because I have too many things to write down. I'd happily type them if I could, but then people could think I cheated by lifting one off of somewhere. If only they'd known.

    I wish I could carry a notepad with me everywhere. I tried to, but it turned out to be unwieldy to write on when I walk; I had to stop and pay attention, much like I have to now with a virtual keyboard. It's subpar.

    I still have a stack of stickies and a good pen on my desk, aside my right hand so I could reach out and write down what I'd just come up with. All other methods of taking notes mid-activity have proven to be subpar: either I have to switch models within my working environment (the laptop), or the method itself is irregular in some way. With the paper, there's no such issue; it feels a part of the process.

    What I wish would happen is some sort of e-paper I could write on, physically, either with a pen proper or with a stylus, and which I could scroll around and switch documents in. That would be closer to ideal in terms of physical note-taking as I do it. What the ideal would be is beyond me; something I have to pay minimal effort to switch to, that much I'm sure of. I'd probably read books off of that, seeing how one instance of an e-paper screen would take less effort (and produce less pollution) than an order of paper books: as much as I appreaciate the physicality, I know the effect paper production has on forests all over the world is immense, and I'd like to be able not to add to that because I have certain kinds of preferences.

    Mobile note-taking is simple: a physical keyboard, preferably one that only takes one hand to type and only needs, at most, a key combo or a mode shift to produce any one common symbol (alphanumerics plus syntax). "Simple" hasn't meant "easy" for many years now, so I reckon unless I get into electronics production myself, nothing like this is going to get made. As good a reason to learn electronics as any.

    (There was a story about a guy who'd wired together a pair of glasses with a projector and a one-handed keyboard. He'd take all kinds of notes with the keyboard, then one-key-switch his way into searching through the myriads of them. I'd like to try that. I'm thinking more cyberpunk-ish: lenses that display data, plus a tattoo keyboard on the left arm. If I can wire the two wireless devices together to work in conjunction, rather than through a Bluetooth-enabled intermediary, that would be perfect.)

    Writing has been the go-to interface for language transportation for a long time. It needn't be the final frontier; neither does typing. Ideally, we would be able to communicate using only our brains – a technologically-enabled telepathy, if you will. We can already vaguely read brain activity to a level where paralyzed patients can use simple controls to communicate with the outside world, and we can read subvocal speech. It's not quite a straight line from here to transferring mental sentences to screen, but it seems like a clear possibility.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      masochist
      Link Parent
      Have you considered using a tablet app with a stylus? It's a compromise. It's absolutely not a cheap solution. My writing isn't as neat, and doesn't come out as nice to read, on my iPad when I'm...

      What I wish would happen is some sort of e-paper I could write on, physically, either with a pen proper or with a stylus, and which I could scroll around and switch documents in. That would be closer to ideal in terms of physical note-taking as I do it. What the ideal would be is beyond me; something I have to pay minimal effort to switch to, that much I'm sure of.

      Have you considered using a tablet app with a stylus? It's a compromise. It's absolutely not a cheap solution. My writing isn't as neat, and doesn't come out as nice to read, on my iPad when I'm using the Apple Pencil (absolutely the best stylus I've ever used, and I had a drawer of them before I got the Pencil and tossed the others), but it seems to meet your requirements. And that's the thing about technology. There's one prediction I am comfortable making about the tech industry, and that prediction is that things will improve.

      I'd probably read books off of that, seeing how one instance of an e-paper screen would take less effort (and produce less pollution) than an order of paper books: as much as I appreaciate the physicality, I know the effect paper production has on forests all over the world is immense, and I'd like to be able not to add to that because I have certain kinds of preferences.

      I'd spend ... an irresponsible amount of money for a writeable e-ink screen that allows me to have a writing experience on par with the iPad and second generation Apple Pencil. A very irresponsible amount of money. That's the holy grail in my mind: a screen that has the reading experience of e-ink (I can read at length on a tablet, but I far prefer an e-ink display) that I can write on like a paper notebook. We don't have the technology, largely because putting any kind of pressure beyond ambient atmospheric pressure on an e-ink screen tends to permanently damage the thing, but see above: technology always improves. We'll get there some day.

      1 vote
      1. unknown user
        Link Parent
        I have. It's equally subpar, being entirely virtual. My issue is not that I can't write: it's that I can't feel the writing. I don't get the feedback of the pen tip's friction against the unsmooth...

        Have you considered using a tablet app with a stylus?

        I have. It's equally subpar, being entirely virtual.

        My issue is not that I can't write: it's that I can't feel the writing. I don't get the feedback of the pen tip's friction against the unsmooth sheet of paper, I don't feel the weight of the pen (which is probably not an issue with a stylus big enough to serve as one), I don't see the ink end up on the other end... It's a process full of subtle things one doesn't notice until they're taken away; it just doesn't feel right, though people can't usually point their finger at what's wrong. "It's just... off, you know?"

        I'm sure things will improve. I'm not hoping for it: I'm waiting for it. I also wonder how I can contribute to the process. I'm not a technician or a businessman, but I can write specifications well.

        Maybe one day we won't need a physical item to hold onto: just a bunch of sensors with kinetic feedback, embedded into hands so as to simulate a variety of different processes, and an image projected via lenses or glasses. Augmented reality just needs the kinesthetic component to feel that much more real.

        3 votes
    1. [2]
      asteroid
      Link Parent
      So you don't want me around either, because I'm older than you?

      So you don't want me around either, because I'm older than you?

      1. masochist
        Link Parent
        That's not at all what I said. First, you have no idea how old I am, So that's a baseless assumption. Second, I didn't say anything about "not wanting someone around". My point was that Wroe...

        That's not at all what I said.

        First, you have no idea how old I am, So that's a baseless assumption. Second, I didn't say anything about "not wanting someone around".

        My point was that Wroe belongs to an older generation who is struggling to accept new technology. Instead of working to understand how these things work, instead of trying to adapt to a changing world, instead Wroe wrote an overwrought article about how the death of writing is a terrible thing and we are much impoverished for it. Beyond this, it's clear from her credentials and experience that her position based upon her age is buttressed by personal and professional interests.

        The second part of the comment is a Simpsons reference, a joke, which has now been thoroughly slain.

        4 votes