I don't pay much attention as my workspace has been not very ergo at all for the last few years. My chair is too high with armrests in the dang way, keyboard to low and rotated oddly to fit on the workspace, it is also too far left of course because of the stupid numberpad, screen is below my eyeline, feet not on floor as chair is to high, etc. Just disaster.
But my plateau is definitely mistake oriented. Like my fingers are confused, or just not paying attention (like I just typed "mpaying" and then left the 'g' off of "paying" -- just nonsensical, dumb things rather than fat-fingering.). Sometimes I have to hit backspace for 3 or 4 mistakes in a row! This I think is due to the poor ergonomics inspiring "why try?" laziness that hopefully will soon change. Who knew fingers got so lazy if you let them?
But I just took my first typing test linked at hi-games.net, and turned out 72 by paying a little attention (sitting up straight). That is way faster that it feels to me, but I think 70 wpm is my "notch" that I default to with correcting too many mistakes. I miss that wonderful rhythm feeling I used to have that ryanheise is describing, flicking out words, but it's been a while. Good advice to focus on the errors I bet; I know I will take it.
I don't think I can get up to the sustained 120s peak from typing on the Apple IIe's in school as a kid or ryanheise has, but I can see now why they people here thing it is fun to make an account, do before/after, and chart progress of the switch... it IS fun. With a new keyboard and setup, it seems like a good time to switch.
Anyway, just an anecdote... I think people's plateaus are different, because I type probably 50 wpm when really tired, or thinking hard about each phrase, and almost 75 when transcribing text as in the test. What I wonder is how thinking speed effects typing... or much more interesting, if slow typing is sometimes maybe holding back faster sentence formation that we realize! I know the brain happily "gears down" in many other circumstances that we allow it to -- even if that isn't a good thing and we don't notice. Though I do notice that I now occasionally have to stop my train of thought and focus on the mechanics of correcting my typing, before resuming (or forgetting what was next). That's no good at all.
Maybe Colemak helping to break that 65 wpm barrier will make you (and me) "smarter"! Or at least get down thoughts that may otherwise float away while waiting in our mental "buffers"... :)
EDIT: Speaking of mental buffers... I just remembered that 65wpm was required for an 'A' in my class those many years ago. (And probably not coincidentally, isn't that pretty much exactly the highest job requirement typing speed you've ever seen posted? So maybe many typing tutor programs or at least students stop there?)
Last edited by swarmofkillermonkeys (12-May-2008 11:37:04)