WingNews logo WingNews GitHub [2]

cjtenny's comments

cjtenny | 15 years ago | on: Mathematics for Computer Science

Second time this semester my textbook's been posted on HN. Go figure. Does this link make it up every couple of months? I thought there was something preventing duplicates.

(I am in the class, that is; I didn't write the textbook).

cjtenny | 15 years ago | on: Ask HN: Favorite pointer tricks in C?

I'm teaching the class as a part of ESP's Splash @ MIT, a two-day educational outreach program. Thousands of middle and high school students swarm our campus just for this weekend, and MIT students/community/other teach whatever they want. I'm teaching this as a one-hour class, with two sections (that is, two times), for a bit of entertainment and to make this world a minimally more bug-free place... or something along those lines.

cjtenny | 15 years ago | on: Ask HN: Does anybody else get bad carpal tunnel/RSI? Any tips?

I started getting it in the 8th grade, and this is what I've done to this point (sophomore year of college):

-In 10th grade, I switched to Dvorak, more-or-less on a whim. After two painful weeks of hating using a computer, I was semi-fluent in typing and could resume normal use. The key was forcing myself to use it for everything. Although this may be wishful thinking, I feel I have become able to type much more comfortably while using Dvorak, and my wrist pains lessened for a few years.

-I have tried to remove the mouse from most of my workflow; I do this primarily by using keyboard shortcuts and Emacs, although last week I started learning how to use vim because A) (proficiency with) two editors are (is) better than (proficiency with) one, and B) its commands seem shorter, which I think might help.

-When I do use a mouse, I now use an Evoluent vertical mouse; this has been one of the most important changes, and relieves much of my wrist pain. I've realized now how unnatural it is to have your hand flat while mousing.

-This summer, I used a Kinesis Advantage Pro contoured keyboard, and pending financial feasibility (e.g. I'm a college student and I owe $23,000 next month) I'll be buying one for my desk; that thing worked wonders.

-In the meantime, I use a Microsoft Natural 4000 ergonomic keyboard, which helps; I'm looking into cutting off the numpad so that the mouse isn't so far off to the right. It's been done before, there are resources online; it's not that hard.

-I've migrated much of my work to a standing desk; this makes it much easier to get proper posture (IKEA Fredrik desk). I have several barstools I can lean on or sit on at the proper height, if I need to rest, although I find I'm more productive standing.

-I stopped playing video games. (The pain persisted, but video games were the worst transgressor) (I didn't play much, but tetrinet / puyo puyo / etc can be pretty nasty to your hands and wrists)

Of course, all of these things probably have the sum usefulness of taking regular typing breaks and doing the proper stretches, which a doctor I met with years ago told me I should do; however, I've found myself to be quite bad at keeping up with that, both enforcing breaks and doing stretches for the duration. I like all of these options because once I set them up, I don't have to do anything (or at least, very little) to maintain (in my opinion) healthy habits for my wrists.

Maybe someday, though, typing breaks and stretching. Never push through the pain; it'll only make it worse next time. When it gets really bad, step back and stop. I never take Advil or any anti-inflammatory for the pain because I don't want to power through it and do damage when I should've listened to my body.

page 1