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General explanation of the keyboard and its principal technology. Production/marketing status in foreign countries and in Taiwan. (Economische Voorlichtingsdienst)

The standard typewriter keyboard serves as a model for keyboards of teletypewriters, desk calculators, consoles, computer keysets, cash registers, etc. This man-machine interface should be designed to allow high-frequency, error-free operation with the least possible strain on the operator. This paper discusses several feasible biomechanical improvements of the keyboard. Some experimental findings are described which support the following design concepts: (1) the keys should be arranged in a "hand-configured" grouping to simplify the motion patterns of the fingers; (2) the keyboard sections allotted to each hand should be physically separated to facilitate the positioning of the fingers; and (3) the keyboard sections allotted to each hand should be declined laterally to reduce postural muscular strain of the operator.

Describes a simple way to familiarize blind students with the layout of a typewriter keyboard: Brailled letters of the alphabet were Thermoformed and glued to ¾ "-square ceramic tiles that had a Velcro backing. The tiles could be in turn positioned along strips of Velcro to simulate the position of typewriter keys. Once students had gained familiarity with this layout, their knowledge was tested by having them detect which tiles were missing or incorrectly positioned.

These studies demonstrate the inferiority of alphabetically organized keyboards as compared with a randomly organized keyboard and the standard Sholes (qwerty) keyboard. Use of the alphabetic keyboard requires considerable mental processing; the novice is faced with a trade-off between mental processing and visual search, and this makes different keyboard layouts equivalent. Comparison of different keyboard layouts by computer simulation of expert typing shows surprisingly little effect of keyboard arrangement for a wide class of keyboards. Performance with some alphabetical layouts is quite slow, but with others, it is within 2% of the speed achieved when using the Sholes keyboard. Performance with the Dvorak keyboard is only improved by about 5% over performance on the Sholes keyboard. The conclusion is that it is not worthwhile to use alphabetic keyboards for novice typists, nor to change to the Dvorak layout for experts. Keyboards can probably be improved, but only through radical redesign of the present physical key configuration.

of Volume I -- 1. General Introduction -- 2. Tone- and Scale-Systems -- 3. Historical Survey -- a. Before the advent of the Hindus -- b. Hindu-Java -- c. The post-Hindu period -- 4. Central and East Java -- a. Introduction -- b. Vocal music -- c. Instruments -- d. Orchestras -- e. Structure, nature and use of the dif ferent compositions -- f. Notation -- Chapters. West Java -- a. Introduction (a comparison of Sundanese with Javanese and Balinese music, both instrumental and vocal; the impression made on the Western mind; something about vocal music) -- b. Instruments -- c. Orchestras -- d. Forms of composition, and their use.

A comparison was made of performance on two keyboards, a three-row alphabetic arrangement (ALPHA) and the standard typewriter array (QWERTY). Thirty subjects who ranged in typing skill from almost none to secretarial level operated the keyboards for ten half-hour sessions. Half of the subjects started on ALPHA and half on QWERTY, switching from one keyboard to the other after five sessions. Input material was a list of names and addresses taken from telephone directories. Keying rates and work output, as measured by the number of names and addresses correctly keyed, was found to be greater for skilled and semiskilled typists on the QWERTY keyboard. Performance on the two keyboards was essentially equal for unskilled typists.

A search of the psychological, technical, and promotional literature was conducted to compile information relevant to key, keyboard, and operator characteristics. The most recent and significant articles were discussed and evaluated. Where possible, general conclusions have been drawn to aid the keyboard designer.

This study investigates display station physical adjustments preferred by a sample of visual display terminal operators. Participants in the study were selected to assure representation of extremely short and extremely tall persons, as well as persons of midrange physical stature. Individual operators were led through a step-by-step sequence to determine their preferred initial settings of seat height, keyboard height and slope angle, and CRT height and tilt angle. Each operator then performed a brief text input task, after which final preferred adjustments were measured. Intermeasure correlation strongly suggest that "flat" (low slope angle) keyboards are inappropriate for short operators who select low seat heights. In addition, the keyboard angle adjustments preferred by most operators substantially exceed a current German ergonomic display station requirement.

W. Benjamin's concept of the authenticity of art ("The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Zeitschrift fur Sozialforschung, 1936, 5), involving as it does the presence of the original, seems inapplicable to traditional music, since this depends on performance or recreation of the composer's intent. However, T. Adorno has suggested that contemporary music is heading in a direction in which the score itself is the absolute realization of the artistic endeavor. Thus, electronic music may allow the merging of true spirit & sensual realization. This has occurred since the modern composer has near absolute control over both material & technique. In electronic music composition, the notation is bypassed, thus merging production & reproduction, & eliminating interpretation. A work is created that has only one realization. Electronic music is, through this merging, able to evade the question of live vs recorded performance, thus liberating itself from the trappings of ritual & cult, & therefore disallowing manipulation. Some possible social functions of electronic music are discussed in relation to politics. M. Migalski.

First presented as a lecture (entitled "Musik und neue Musik") on TV in May 1960. The meaning & validity of the concept "new music," referring to abrupt change undergone by music in the early twentieth century, are examined. While current composition of music essentially derives from this new approach, its reproduction & consumption are based on the traditional tonal approach, to which new music can be contrasted. The practice of new music rests on systematic rejection of even the remotest derivatives of the tonal tradition, & of the desire to ingratiate or appeal to the emotions, which has been recognized as implicitly ideological in significance. Electronic music in particular creates a sense of alienation in many hearers, by refusing to produce a music consonant with the existing world, & can be expected to become a major part of the development of new music. Ultimately, the category of new music is useless, because the "distinction between new music & music per se has become the distinction between good & bad music." W. H. Stoddard.