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> I honestly doubt that my 60+ wpm has held me back in any significant way.

I type 120 at max speed and I think that if I were to suddenly start typing more slowly tomorrow due to a freak thumb accident it would be a significant impediment to my ability to get stuff done. Most of what I do is typing on the computer (either coding, writing, or flying around in Emacs and organizing my life with org-mode). I'm a great note-taker in meetings because of my speed and because I can concentrate on the content of what people are saying instead of on the typing, which is fast and accurate without conscious effort. Moreover, slow typing would be extra friction between my brain and the computer, and there needs to be as little latency between these things as possible to get my thoughts and ideas out there unfettered.

Honestly, I think you should invest the time in learning to type properly. Yes, it does make a difference. Learn the finger placements and practice every day. Learn when each hand is appropriate for shift and space and practice it, alternating appropriately. Even minor stuff like that makes you a better typer.

It's not just about typing speed, it's about comfort. Touch typing on Colemak (and presumably Dvorak) feels much better and is less tiring than pecking.

What you mention is indeed the biggest advantage of touch typing: your hands are in a known position relative to the keyboard, so you don't have to look or think to type. How do you keep your hands in a fixed position if you only use 2-3 fingers?

> How do you keep your hands in a fixed position if you only use 2-3 fingers?

They don't stay in a fixed position. They are constantly moving around the keyboard. I can still do this without having to think or look at the keyboard. I can understand why/how this would slow down my typing speed, but I can still maintain 60-70 wpm despite this.

> it's about comfort

My hands have never felt uncomfortable when they are moving about slightly. Why should they? I can walk for hours and feel totally relaxed - in fact, that actually feels better than standing still for 15 minutes.

> They don't stay in a fixed position.

Okay, then I don't understand the point of the quote, because it is a counterargument to your style of typing.

> My hands have never felt uncomfortable when they are moving about slightly.

I used to peck, and now I don't, and I used to think that pecking was comfortable, and now I don't. The difference is night and day.

> Okay, then I don't understand the point of the quote, because it is a counterargument to your style of typing.

The quote is saying that even if someone pecks, their typing speed isn't necessarily impaired. I'm not claiming to be as advanced as other pecking-typists, but I can still achieve bursts of 80 wpm.

> I used to think that pecking was comfortable, and now I don't. The difference is night and day

My hands feel about as comfortable while typing, as they do while I'm lying down or doing nothing. I don't see how they can possibly feel any more comfortable than that.

> fast typists... keep their hands fixed on one position, instead of moving them over the keyboard

Interesting, I'm a fairly fast typist (exact speed varies on test, but I'm in the 80-120 range) who uses mostly my pointer and middle fingers on each hand, and my hands move all over the keyboard as I'm typing, especially my right hand.

I can type at 120 WPM, and it's not all that useful. I'd gladly halve my typing speed if it meant avoiding the occasional bout of RSI.

This seems possible. Make more pauses and excercise. A good physiotherapist can do wonders.

> RSI

Read the Mind-Body Prescription, you might be surprised at what you learn. RSI is not something we should be afraid of in this day and age, with everything we know about the human organism.

Bullshit. That might work for some but in no way is it a cure or preventative measure for RSI for everyone. RSI is a real concern and often is caused by actual physical issues that need to be dealt with.

>Mind-Body Prescription

In this acclaimed volume, Dr. Sarno reveals how many painful conditions-including most neck and back pain, migraine, repetitive stress injuries, whiplash, and tendonitises-are rooted in repressed emotions (book description from amazon)

Excuse me while i chuckle heartily

Half-jokingly: it's repressed emotions that usually cause reactions like that :)

I haven't read Sarno's book but I've read the books by another prominent author in this genre, after battling stubborn health conditions for years without respite.

Addressing repressed emotions has been the thing that made the difference for me, without doubt.

Other things have been important too (diet, exercise, sleep, etc) - but none of that made a persistent difference without addressing the emotions, and none of those things were possible to adhere to consistently without also addressing emotional issues.

I know several people who have gone through a similar journey and all found that the emotional approach was the one that worked when others didn't.

And yep, we all know a lot about the placebo effect, thanks.

just goto a doctor and leave this newage stuff in the bin where it belongs. pain management is a different thing from pain alleviation.

Sarno was a conventional physician.

Nothing about his theories are "newage" or anti-scientific. Indeed, theories around pain must surely be less scientific if they rely on a dualistic notion of the mind and body being seperate entities.

Plenty of people visit mainstream doctors for pain conditions and are told that nothing can be done other than pain medication, which as we're now witnessing, can too often lead to addiction and death.

Whereas people who adopt the Sarno approach can and do achieve complete healing of the emotional and physical aspects of their illness.

If you actually have any expertise to add to the discussion please share it, otherwise, please step aside and allow grown adults to make their own judgements about what works for them.

you've gone into ad hominem territory and are claiming to be a grown adult, i'll let you go about your business but trying to claim it's not quackery will get you shot down in any forum. linking your medical and mental condition breaks down very quickly

There was no ad-hom. My point was that you're denying the judgements of grown adults about what is effective for them, and you haven't provided any insights with any expert backing but rather are just contemptuously arguing for adherence to what you consider to be mainstream orthodoxy.

Recall that this whole subthread began with your mockery of a method developed by a mainstream-qualified doctor that has helped thousands of people over many years.

The thing is, what you're arguing for is not even part of mainstream medical orthodoxy.

Mainstream medical literature linking chronic muscle-tension and pain to mental health is plentiful, along with the effectiveness of mainstream psychiatric treatments like CBT, and less-mainstream-accepted practices like mindfulness and meditation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4526658/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3237294/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4914381/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3200134/

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/meditat...

And here's a specific study on Sarno's technique:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2955480/

I'm the first to concede that none of these studies are a home run. Human physiology is vastly complex and the factors leading to chronic illness and pain will inevitably be hard to isolate and different from one person to another.

But the plentiful supply of both anecdotal and clinical evidence warrants far more open-minded consideration than you're allowing for with your contemptuous dismissals.

I truly wish I never learned to touch type. The RSI issues are simply not worth it. I don't need to type fast to create software. That includes writing emails and such. I've adapted now to a slower workflow where I spend a lot more time thinking and a lot less with my hands on the keyboard/mouse and productivity has mostly stayed the same.

If you can touchtype, you have the option to spend more time thinking. RSI is generally not a symptome of touchtyping per se. Instead, there are usually some underlining issues like not actually touchtyping properly (for example too much force involved, I know nothing about you so these are not directed towards you), bad keyboard, or just generally neglecting breaks. Regards, 20+ years of daily touchtyping with zero signs of RSI (I never skip breaks which makes my eyes happier too, money is just imaginary but the one thing I really can't afford is losing my health).