Nuance - I Speak Dragon

dragonstories2011 Posted: 06-17-2011 10:00 PM

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   I hate QWERTY. Like a lefty using ergonomically shaped right-handed
scissors, the QWERTY layout was not made for me.
    Before 1985 I was a young hunt and pecker perfectly contented with clacking
away on mothers type bar typewriter. But in the eighth grade I was reintroduced
to QWERTY by Mr. Novak. A severe looking teachers that made my wrestling coaches
seem like well-intentioned guidance counselors. The man had a flat top on a
mostly bald head, that looked more like goat horns than a hairdo.
      I struggled mightily all year just to achieve an F in the class. Painfully
I watched as my fellow classmates quickly grasped typing with QWERTY, and
effortlessly typed assignments ahead of schedule. While my typing resembled a
child attempting to fit a square peg in a round hole.
    The upside of this QWERTY tormentor was how it transformed me on the
wrestling team. I was so happy to participate in activities that did not make me
feel slow or intellectually stunted, that I was able to practice without much
quit in me. This enthusiasm did not translate into victories in competition, as
I only won two matches in four years. However, the parents at the wrestling
meets did not get to see what the coaches saw in practice. I was a highly
motivated kid that would not stop until the coach instructed me to do so.
    The wrestling success peaked when coach Burke nominated me for a student of
the year award. I was not in coach's history class, and I am pretty sure he had
no idea that I was failing in typing, but in spite of my academic shortcomings I
was one of the two students selected that year for the award.
    Nothing lasts forever, and I was soon left wrestling IBM Selectric 2,
brother wordprocessors, and finally my PC. Unlike the 6 minute matches in
wrestling my QWERTY struggles would continue for another 23 years. Over the
years I failed to improve on my typing technique and the professional
ramifications were endless.
    Finally in 2008 my brother introduced me to Dragon Naturally Speaking 9, and
I was blown away the first time I saw it in action. Within a week I had picked
up a copy for my own computer. The moment I began dictating on my PC reminds me
of my first grade teacher Mr. Shell , and how he once removed a pair of
right-handed scissors from my left hand and gave me a pair of for lefties.
Nuance has opened a new world of possibility for me, and for that I am very
grateful.

Sincerely,
Ryan Z