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by James Robertson.
Original Post: Not getting it, part two
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Um, Jeremy, most people on earth have never had their hands on a keyboard, so how do you know that's correct? My mother-in-law, who only speaks and writes Farsi, for instance, can not use a keyboard. She can, however, use a pen very well.
That's not "geek centric" - it's true for anyone who's been exposed to keyboard (possible exception - people writing is syllabary based languages). Hand someone a keyboard, and within a few days, typing will be preferable to longhand.
Scoble then goes into meeting etiquette:
But, there are many situations when using a pen is more appropriate. In business meetings, for instance. Many people think it's rude to open a notebook and start typing. But it's perfectly acceptable to use a pen on a screen. Why? Because it's similar to writing on a pad of paper.
Also, there's no physical block between you and the people you are meeting with. Also, when I'm in meetings I like to brainstorm. Or take notes of associations. Or, draw pictures. Quick show me a mock up of your new prototype in ASCII text. But I can draw one out in seconds on my Tablet PC.
I'll grant the point about pictures - there are ways to work around that, but they are work-arounds. As to typing at a meeting? It's been a long time since I've been in a meeting where that mattered. And in meetings where it matters, I rather suspect that a Tablet would be viewed as a faux pas as well. When I'm taking notes in a meeting, I want my keyboard - trying to write stuff out longhand is slow, and I'm far, far more likely to miss something.