Mechanical Keyboards

Where do I find mechanical keyboards? I want a mechanical keyboard. I know nothing about mechanical keyboards.

I did some research on mechanical keyboards. Here's what I discovered:

A switch in a mechanical keyboard is thing that gets pressed when you press a key and triggers the keypress.

Surprisingly important: Cherry MX is a popular mechanical key manufacturer. They make a variety of keys with various characteristics. These keys are arbitrarily named after colours. These colours have nothing to do with the colour of the keyboards. Knowing this will make it much easier to shop for a mechanical keyboard.

Red switch - no tactile feedback, less pressure, non-clicky
Brown switch - tactile feedback, less pressure, non-clicky
Blue switch - tactile feedback, more pressure, clicky
Black switch - no tactile feedback, even more pressure, non-clicky

Noise Differences Between Switch Types

Mechanical keys are loud.

Different switches result in varying levels of noise.

All of the keys are noisy when you press them down all the way. But if you don't press them all the way, they don't make as much noise and the keypress still registers.

Red and black are probably the quietest as they simply slide down and back up.
Brown has a very slight amount more noise.
Blue is extra noisy, and this is on purpose.

Video comparison between brown, blue, red here.

Video comparison between red, black, blue, brown here.

How to Reduce the Noise (O-Ring Mod)

You can modify the keys to reduce their volume. This is done by attaching small rubber rings under each key.

Whenever you bottom-out a key, it no longer clashes plastic against plastic. The sound is greatly reduced. Video here.

Good comparison between blue, brown, black with the o-ring mod here.

Find expensive rings here. Video here.

Find cheap rings here. (these ones ship from Hong Kong and will take a while) Video here.

Compact Keyboards (TKL)

I wanted a compact keyboard (no numpad) but had some difficulty finding them until I found out what they're called: TKL keyboards.

TKL = Tenkeyless = no numpad = smaller

This isn't as small as some laptop keyboards. There is still a dedicated section for the arrow keys, home, end, pageup, pagedown, delete, and insert.

Prioritizing red and brown switches (quieter and lighter pressure), these are the main TKL keyboards I found:

backlit - Ducky One (all switches)
backlit - Cool Mast QuickFire TK (all switchs)
backlit - Corsair K65 (red switch)
Ducky One (all)
Cool Mast QuickFire Rapid (all)
Corsair K65 (red switch)
Filco Majestouch 2 (red) (Filco)
Filco Majestouch 2 (brown) (Filco)
Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Stealth (non-Cherry switches)

Motivation

Eighteen months ago, I decided to commit to something I had always wanted to do but always had reasons not to do. A lot of people hear about it and they speak of envy, saying they wish they could go and do the same. I can't say I've heard any of them put up a good argument for why they can't, or any argument for that matter. Simply that it seems out of reach. Even for the ones whose eyes light up with admiration, they usually think it's beyond them despite their visible passion. I think that's a mistake.

There's another side to it: Where I meet people who've gone and done the same thing or something similar. When it comes up and is mentioned in passing, it usually warrants a bit of a grunt. Both of us are no doubt very passionate about the topic at hand, and value what we've gained from it, but it's just life. It's not such a big deal.

Growing up outside of a small hamlet in the countryside, I never ventured very far. A twenty minute drive to a nearby town was the most exciting thing I could think of doing as a kid. They had Legos, after all, and there was a small chance that I might my hands on a pack of them. Anything beyond that was beyond thought for the longest time. Never mind that I lived within a two or three hour drive of three major cities. Less than six hours from New York City, Boston, Washington DC, and more; all a daytrip away.

I hadn't ever been to Montreal, two hours away from where I grew up and a straight shot down the highway I lived beside.

And so it may have come as a shock to a number of people when I casually mentioned that I was going to drop everything and travel the world. I'm sure there were some — probably those who thought they knew me the most — who believed I was full of shit. Those who thought my haphazard plan to just "Uhh get a backpack and then start going... somewhere." was ridiculous. But I don't bullshit. Well, that is unless I'm clearly bullshitting. There is that.

But I'd been wanting to do something along those lines for a very long time. I'd wanted to go out into the world, I'd wanted to see everything with my own eyes if only to verify that "Yup — yup that place really does exist.", and having now done that, it's fucking surreal sometimes. Places that you'd grown up seeing in movies, in pictures. To have something that has been completely abstract for your entire life, and then suddenly it becomes a reality. It's a totally awesome mindfuck along the same line of euphoria that nostalgia can give.

And there's bewilderment. I knew that I didn't really know anything about anything. I could watch documentaries and read articles until the day I died and never truly know the world. Having the opportunity in Canada to get to speak to and make friends with people from around the world who have come here seeking a different life is an extreme privilege to have, but I'd still die in ignorance if that's all I ever knew. There's no substitute for experience, and I was a smart enough kid to grow up understanding that.

The rest of it; I can't say. Can't really put to words what I felt, what I wanted, what I was seeking, what I expected, or what I hoped for. The rest was a mystery to be discovered. A mystery that will have different answers for different people.

Now what actually spurred all of this into action was a trifecta (Not really; I just want an excuse to use that word. But I'm sure I'll be able to pull exactly three things out of my ass if I try. Here goes...):

First, there had been an overwhelming discontent with my life for... most of my life. At the time, I was doing fairly well but was able to see a turning point a few months down the road where it would likely spiral back downward. I didn't want that to happen and so I turned to traveling as an excuse to keep things going well. In hindsight, that one worked.

Second, my career and financial responsibilities were in good order. I had gone through school, worked a few years in my field afterwards so that my resume was reasonable, and had a positive balance of wealth. That kind of stuff.

Third, any commitments I had made were fulfilled. I had made a point throughout my life not to make any commitments that I wasn't sure I wanted. I suppose that I valued my freedom even if I seldom ever exercised it. Now as much as this means commitments to people, it also means commitments to things. Any concept that your financial investments are purely financial isn't wholly honest. Not in our society, not in our culture, perhaps not even in our species as a whole. It feels a little cliche, but the line "The things you own end up owning you." is completely true.

I didn't own anything of value that I couldn't carry or quickly liquify and thankfully I didn't have any children. That may have been the only thing that could have truly held me back. I started mentioning to my friends that I'd be going. Then I told my boss. Then my landlord. I slowly started getting rid of everything I owned.

I had both the long and short term motivation to disappear. I had everything in line.

A few months later, my job was actually over. My apartment was actually gone. My things were all gone. I found myself with a backpack and no home. It wasn't all a wash, though. I had my bank account.

If putting yourself in that situation doesn't motivate you to get your ass moving, I'm not sure what would. Fugitive status? Thankfully I didn't have to commit any crimes to motivate myself further. I spent my first homeless night on a friend's couch. The next morning, I found my way to the western edge of the city. Part of me wanted to do it, part of me knew I had to. The other part of me, the really big part really didn't want to do it. But that's what you've gotta do, right? Put yourself in those uncomfortable positions? They're the only way to grow.

Oct. 25, 2014
This journey had a few purposes before I started. First, I was very unhappy where I was. Living in the same spot in the same place for a year. I also wanted to learn more about other people and experience other cultures and so on. As I put it, just 'learn'.

What is Meetup?

Sounds like a dating app, right?

The first thing to understand about Meetup is that it's public, and it's free to use. Anyone can use it. It doesn't cost you any money.

Imagine that there is a public space in every town and city where people can post events that they'd like other people to come to. Anyone can post anything that they want, nobody is discouraged. Bob can post that he's going to a comedy show, and anyone is welcome to come along with him. A group of skiers can post that they're going skiing on Saturday morning, and anyone is welcome to join. Maybe a small business wants to raise awareness for themselves, so they post an open house. Anyone can come, and there's going to be free food!

That's Meetup. And if there's enough community involvement, it flourishes.

Maybe five other people went along with Bob to the comedy show and they all had a great time, so Bob posts another event a week later.  Maybe it's ten people the next week. They all met up at an agreed upon time and location and went to the show. What about after the show? Maybe some of them were having a great time together, so they went out for drinks afterwards. It wasn't on the agenda, but it doesn't matter. In reality, the event that Bob posted was just an excuse to meet some new people.

That's Meetup. A way to meet new people and make new friends. There's nothing saying that you can't meet up with some of those people again, outside of events. There's also nothing that says you have to go back, maybe you've made some new friends and that's all you wanted. Mission accomplished, maybe you're done with Meetup for now.

(If you're wondering whether it's safe [it is], jump to the bottom of this post.)

Meetup is also an even and level playing field. Generally nobody knows anyone else (unless they've seen them at another Meetup event), so it's easy to mingle. Everyone there is looking to meet new people, so it's hardly ever awkward approaching someone you don't know. New to the city? New to the country? It doesn't really matter, and chances are that a lot of the people who went to that event are in the same boat.

There are also no real age barriers on Meetup. Think you're too old for it? Nope. There are groups for older audiences. Quite a few middle aged groups. Some cater to younger audiences. Most are for all ages. Still not happy? Well, you can always host your own even with something more suited to your interests, whatever that may be.

Awesome! So Meetup is a tool for socializing! — Yes! But that's not all... What about that small business that hosted an open house? Sure, they're meeting people and socializing, but they have other motives. Those skiers? If they get some people to join — maybe someone with a car — they'll have room to bring Derek along. Carpooling can be a major benefit to Meetups where you want to go somewhere out of town and don't have a ride.

Before I go any further, and now that you've gotten the gist of what Meetup is, it isn't free if you're the one doing the hosting. Even so, it only costs organizers ten to fifteen dollars per month.

Meetup gets used by small groups of people who just want to get together and have a good time, but it also gets used for a plethora of other reasons. Businesses might host a social mixer in-house with the motive of headhunting for potential new employees. Some might host paid group lessons. Others might do it out of the goodness of their hearts.

That last one probably sounds like utter bullshit. That's not how the world works. A pretty understandable reaction, and maybe one that I'll get into in a future post. Truth be told, though, there are plenty of meetup groups being hosted by organizations with no discernible benefit to the organization aside from a little word of mouth (don't get me wrong; a very valuable thing). Some people want to host an event where they teach people something new or share information, and there are businesses who offer up their office space as the venue. Sometimes they'll even cater it (think pizzas and maybe some beers). Definitely a concept worth investigation in another post.

So that's a rundown on what Meetup accomplishes. I'll now briefly explain the how behind it.

Meetup.com is a website. Within this website, people create groups (eg. "Mothers Who Knit" — a knitting group), and within groups, people post events (eg. "Let's get together Sunday morning and knit while we talk about babies and other stupid shit" — 8am at Cozy Coffee).

Anyone can register on Meetup.com, and it's free. Once you're registered, you can view events happening near you (or a location of your choice). You can RSVP to these events. From there on out, all you have to do is show up. That's it.

If you want to host events, you can either join an existing group and get permission to post events within it, or create your own group and start posting events.

That's it. Meetup is a great tool for meeting new people, learning new things (some events are pretty neat), or helping get settled in somewhere you're new to.

Meetup is used around the globe, and I think it originated in New York City. It will be more active in some areas, and less active in others. It depends how much your local community has adopted it! My current city (Vancouver, Canada) has probably hundreds of groups and thousands of active users.

Website:

http://www.meetup.com/

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meetup_%28website%29

RE: But what if it's a murderer organizing the event?! No. You're about as likely to get killed by a serial killer as you are to win the lottery (hint: you're not going to win the lottery). Let's say you show up and it seems sketchy. How's about you just turn around and walk the other way? Problem averted. Dems life skills.

If you really are worried about this, you can always creep the group and the people going to it. Has the group been around for a while? Does it have more than three members? That alone will pretty much guarantee you that it's legitimate. If they keep killing the guests, they'd end up with some bad reviews (I dunno - by the mourning family or maybe the police who were alerted when Bob never came back?) and people wouldn't keep going.

It's an irrational fear. Forget about it.