X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Approved-By:  Bill McGarry <wtm@SHELDEV.SHEL.ISC-BR.COM>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.l-hcap
Date:         Wed, 19 Aug 1992 18:00:32 EDT
Reply-To:     Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
From:         Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
Subject:      Handicap Digest # 2889
X-To:         LHCAP <l-hcap@VM1.NODAK.EDU>

                             THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                                 Issue # 2889

                         Wednesday, August 19, 1992

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                  FAQ: Typing Injuries (1/3): General Info
              FAQ: Typing Injuries (2/3): Keyboard Alternatives
            FAQ: Typing Injuries (3/3): Software Monitoring Tools


                                ******


To subscribe to the Handicap Digest mailing list or have your
thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


UUCP:       uunet!bunker!wtm
INTERNET:   wtm@bunker.shel.isc-br.com
BITNET:     l-hcap@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-337-1607
	    (300/1200/2400 baud, 24 hours)
Compuserve: 73170,1064

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 337-1518



------



Subject: FAQ: Typing Injuries (1/3): General Info
From: dwallach@soda.berkeley.edu (Dan Wallach)

[Note from Bill McGarry: Thanks to Bill McQueen for forwarding
 this to me.]

Archive-name: typing-injury-faq/general
Version: $Revision: 4.4 $ $Date: 92/08/14 09:50:12 $

The Typing Injury FAQ -- sources of information for people with typing
injuries, repetitive stress injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.

By Dan Wallach <dwallach@nas.nasa.gov> or <dwallach@soda.berkeley.edu>

The opinions in here are my own, unless otherwise mentioned, and do not
represent the opinions of any organization or vendor.  I'm not a medical
doctor, so my advice should be taken with many grains of salt.

[Current distribution: sci.med, news.answers, and e-mail to
                       c+health@iubvm.ucs.indiana.edu and
                       sorehand@vm.ucsf.edu]

Table of Contents:
    ==1== Mailing lists, newsgroups, etc.
    ==2== The soda.berkeley.edu archive
    ==3== General info on injuries
    ==4== Typing posture, ergonomics, prevention
    ==5== Requests for more info

==1== Mailing lists, newsgroups, etc.

USENET News:
-----------
comp.human-factors occasionally has discussion about alternative input devices.
comp.risks has an occasional posting relevant to injuries via computers.
sci.med and misc.handicap also tend to have relevant traffic.

There's a Brand New newsgroup, sci.med.occupational, chartered specifically
to discuss these things.  This would be the recommended place to post.

Mailing lists:
-------------
The RSI Network: Available both on paper and via e-mail, this publication
    covers issues relevant to those with repetitive stress injuries.  For
    a sample issue and subscription information, send a stamped, self-
    addressed business envelope to Caroline Rose, 970 Paradise Way, Palo
    Alto CA 94306.

    E-mail to <crose@applelink.apple.com>

    $2 donation, requested.

c+health and sorehand are both IBM Listserv things.  For those familiar
    with Listserv, here's the quick info:

    c+health -- subscribe to listserv@iubvm.ucs.indiana.edu
                post to c+health@iubvm.ucs.indiana.edu

    sorehand -- subscribe to listserv@vm.ucsf.edu
                post to sorehand@vm.ucsf.edu

Quick tutorial on subscribing to a Listserv:
    % mail listserv@vm.ucsf.edu
    Subject: Total Listserv Mania!

    SUBSCRIBE SOREHAND J. Random Hacker
    INFO ?
    .
That's all there is to it.  You'll get bunches of mail back from the Listserv,
including a list of other possible commands you can mail.  Cool, huh?  What'll
those BITNET people think of, next?

==2== The soda.berkeley.edu archive

I've started an archive site for info related to typing injuries.  Just
anonymous ftp to soda.berkeley.edu:pub/typing-injury.  (128.32.131.179)
Currently, you'll find:

Informative files:

    typing-injury-faq/
        general           -- information about typing injuries
        keyboards         -- products to replace your keyboard
        software          -- software to watch your keyboard usage

    keyboard-commentary   -- my personal opinions on the keyboard replacements
    carpal.info           -- info on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
    carpal.surgery        -- JAMA article on CTS
    carpal.tidbits        -- TidBITS article on CTS       --NEW!--
    tendonitis.info       -- info on Tendonitis

    rsi-network/*         -- archive of the RSI Network newsletter
                             (NEW: issue6 just came out, August 1)

Programs:
    hsh.shar              -- a program for one-handed usage of normal keyboards
    typewatch.shar        -- tells you when to take a break

Pictures (in the gifs subdirectory):
    accukey1.gif          -- fuzzy picture
    accukey2.gif          -- fuzzy picture with somebody using it
    bat.gif               -- the InfoGrip Bat
    comfort.gif           -- the Health Care Comfort Keyboard
    datahand1.gif         -- fuzzy picture
    datahand2.gif         -- key layout schematic
    datahand3.gif         -- a much better picture of the datahand
    kinesis.gif           -- the Kinesis Ergonomic Keyboard
    maltron[1-4].gif      -- several pictures of Maltron products
    mikey1.gif            -- the MIKey
    mikey2.gif            -- Schematic Picture of the MIKey
    twiddler1.gif         -- "front" view
    twiddler2.gif         -- "side" view
    wave.gif              -- the Iocomm `Wave' keyboard

If you're unable to ftp to soda, send me e-mail and we'll see what we
can arrange.

==3== General info on injuries

First, and foremost of importance: if your wrists are hurting at all, then
you absolutely need to go see a doctor.  As soon as you possibly can.  The
difference of a day or two can mean the difference between a short recovery
and a long, drawn-out ordeal.  GO SEE A DOCTOR.  Now, your garden-variety
doctor may not necessarily be familiar with this sort of injury.  Generally,
any hospital with an occupational therapy clinic will offer specialists in
these kinds of problems.  DON'T WAIT, THOUGH.  GO SEE A DOCTOR.

Ahh, you say, but I'm not that bad.  Yes you are.  Any of the following are
signs that you should go see a doctor.  More than one means you absolutely
*must* get to a doctor, immediately.

- any tension, anywhere in your elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, fingers
- pain, whether low throbbing or intense stinging
- feeling cold
- tingling
- numbness

You could have any of a number of problems, although if you catch it soon
enough, you may be lucky enough to avoid some of the worse ones.

The two main types of injuries you've probably heard of are tendonitis and
carpal tunnel syndrome.  In a nutshell, tendonitis is when some of your
tendons are inflamed.  Normally, you use your tendons and muscles all
the time, and everything works.  Sure, you just moved your T.V. set, and
now your arm hurts a little, so you sit down, have a beer, and watch T.V.
Your arm calms down, and life is good.  However, when you're typing, you
never really give your fingers a chance to heal themselves, if they get
hurt.  If you ignore the pain and keep on typing, you piss your tendons off.
Voila!  Tendonitis.

Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when you continue ignoring the pain, and
your tendons get more and more inflamed.  Eventually, they squish the
bones in your wrist, which squishes the nerve that runs up and connects
to all your fingers.  That nerve runs through, you guessed it, the carpal
tunnel.  Well, as you might imagine, squishing nerves is generally a bad
thing.  And, unlike tendons, nerves don't heal very well.  The carpal tunnel
release surgery that you've probably heard about attempts to remove some
of the pressure on your nerve by re-arranging some things in your wrist.

Obviously, the above is a gross over-simplification of a complicated problem.
The files available on the soda archive go into greater detail.

==4== Typing posture, ergonomics, prevention

Of course, for every messed up typing posture, there's a different exciting
injury you can get.  What?  Proper posture matters?  You bet.

Push back from your desk and follow these instructions.  If your chair is
height-adjustable, raise yourself so your feet are flat on the floor.  Sit
up straight.  As straight as you can manage.  Hang your arms down, limp.
Now, just from the elbows, lift your hands up to make around a 90 degree
angle.  Your elbows should still be at your side.  Okay.  See where your
hands are, now?  That's where you want your keyboard to be.  You want your
hands to be right over the keyboard, dangling your fingers down onto the
keys.  Wrist pads are bad.  Very bad.  Your wrists shouldn't be resting on
anything.  Instead, you're arranging your body so your shoulders bear
the weight of your arms.

But, you say, your keyboard is 6 inches higher, up on your table.  Well, that's
a problem you need to fix.  Most modern modular furniture can have fancy
keyboard drawers or tables to put the keyboard at a better height.  Barring
that, putting the keyboard in your lap is often better than nothing.  If you're
using your lap, it often helps to take the keys, wallets, etc. out of your front
pockets, so you don't have weird-shaped objects pressing into your arms.

But, you say, your chair's arm rests are getting in the way.  This is another
problem you need to fix.  If you're lucky, all you need to do is get a
screwdriver and remove the arms.  If you're unlucky, you need to go find
a new chair, or invest in a hack-saw.  Now, some of the really expensive
chairs have height-adjustable elbow-rests.  It's a personal call, whether
they're good for you, or not.

Now that you've arranged yourself, look at your hands on the keyboard.
You want your torso centered on the middle keys, with your forearms coming
in at the same angles.  Normally, you might bend your wrists sideways
to line your fingers up with the home row.  This is actually a bad idea.
You might want to try typing at an angle, so your wrists come in at their
natural angle, and your fingers extend a little more.  If you're injured,
this may or may not be a very good idea.  Consult your doctor.

But, you say, you just can't get comfortable on your old keyboard.  Well,
you should look into getting a new one.  A number of manufacturers make
keyboards which are anything but flat.  Consult typing-injuries-faq/keyboards
for more information.

==5== Requests for more info

Clearly, the above information is incomplete.  The typing-injury archive
is incomplete.  There's always more information out there.  If you'd like
to submit something, please send me mail, and I'll gladly throw it in.

If you'd like to maintain a list of products or vendors, that would be
wonderful!  I'd love somebody to make a list of chair/desk vendors.  I'd
love somebody to make a list of doctors.  I'd love somebody to edit the
above two sections, looking for places where I've obviously goofed.




------



Subject: FAQ: Typing Injuries (2/3): Keyboard Alternatives
From: dwallach@soda.berkeley.edu (Dan Wallach)

Archive-name: typing-injury-faq/keyboards
Version: $Revision: 4.3 $ $Date: 92/08/13 10:26:33 $

The Alternative Keyboard FAQ
By Dan Wallach <dwallach@nas.nasa.gov> or <dwallach@soda.berkeley.edu>

The opinions in here are my own, unless otherwise mentioned, and do not
represent the opinions of any organization or vendor.

[Current distribution: sci.med, news.answers, and e-mail to
                       c+health@iubvm.ucs.indiana.edu and
                       sorehand@vm.ucsf.edu]

Information in this FAQ has been pieced together from phone conversations,
e-mail, and product literature.  While I hope it's useful, the information
in here is neither comprehensive nor error free.  If you find something
wrong or missing, please mail me, and I'll update my list.  Thanks.

All phone numbers, unless otherwise mentioned, are U.S.A. phone numbers.
All monetary figures, unless otherwise mentioned, are U.S.A. dollars.

Products covered in this FAQ:
    The Bat
    DataHand
    Comfort Keyboard System
    Kinesis Ergonomic Keyboard
    Maltron
    The Tony! Ergonomic KeySystem
    The MIKey
    The Wave
    The Minimal Motion Computer Access System
    Twiddler
    Half-QWERTY
    Microwriter
    Braille 'n Speak
    Octima
    AccuKey

GIF pictures of many of these products are available via anonymous ftp
from soda.berkeley.edu:pub/typing-injury.  (128.32.131.179)

If you can't ftp, send me mail, and I'll uuencode and mail them to you
(they're pretty big...)

==============

The Bat
    old phone number: 504-336-0033
    current phone number: 504-766-8082

    Infogrip, Inc.
    812 North Blvd.
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802, U.S.A.

    Ward Bond (main contact)
    David Vicknair (did the Unix software)  504-766-1029

    Shipping: Now.

    Supports: Mac, IBM PC (serial port -- keyboard port going
    through FCC approval).  No other workstations supported, but serial
    support for Unix with X Windows has been written.  PC and Mac are
    getting all the real attention from the company.

    Price:
        $495 (dual set -- each one is a complete keyboard by itself)
        $295 (single)

        (cheaper prices were seen at MacWorld Expo as a show-special.)


DataHand   602-860-8584
    Industrial Innovations, Inc.
    10789 North 90th Street
    Scottsdale, Arizona 85260-6727, U.S.A.

    Mark Roggenbuck (contact)

    Supports: IBM PC and Macintosh.

    Shipping: In beta.  "Big backlog" -- could take 3 months
        to get one.  Making them "as-needed."  Made by hand.

    Price: $1200/unit for the pair.  Minimum order: 2.

    Each of the four main fingers has five switches each: forward,
    back, left, right, and down.  The thumbs have a number of switches.
    The idea is that your hands never have to move to use the keyboard.
    The whole unit tilts in its base, as a mouse.


Comfort Keyboard System   414-253-4131
    FAX: 414-253-4177

    Health Care Keyboard Company
    N61 W15150 Wigwam Drive
    Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 53051 U.S.A.

    Theoretical New Address: N82 W15340 Appleton Ave

    Jeffrey Szmanda (President -- contact)

    Shipping: late August.  Purchase agreements will be shipping soon.

    Supports:
        PC
        Mac

    Planned future support:
        Decision Data
        IBM 122-key layout
        Unisys UTS-40
        Sun Sparc
        Silicon Graphics

        Others to be supported later.  The hardware design is relatively
        easy for the company to re-configure.

    Price: starts at $590.

    The idea is that one keyboard works with everything.  You purchase
    "compatibility modules", a new cord, and possibly new keycaps, and
    then you can move your one keyboard around among different machines.

    It's a three-piece folding keyboard.  The layout resembles the
    standard 101-key keyboard, except sliced into three wedges.  Each
    section is on a custom telescoping universal mount.  You can rearrange
    the three sections (have the keypad in the middle if you want).  Each
    section is otherwise normal-shaped (i.e.: you put all three sections
    flat, and you have what looks like a normal 101-key keyboard).


Kinesis Ergonomic Keyboard   206-455-9220 (old number: 206-241-4595)
    206-241-9252 (fax -- possibly an old number)

    Kinesis Corporation
    15245 Pacific Highway South,
    Seattle, Washington 98188, U.S.A.

    Shirley Lunde (VP Marketing -- contact)

    Shipping: first ones in August, but they're already sold.  Volume
        sales after that.

    Supports: PC.  Mac and Sun Sparc in the works.

    Price: $690.  Volume discounts available.

    The layout has a large blank space in the middle.  Each hand has its
    own set of keys, laid out to minimize finger travel.  Thumb buttons
    handle many major functions (enter, backspace, etc.).

    You should be able to remap the keyboard in firmware (very nice
    when software won't allow the reconfig).

    Foot pedals are also in the works (for example, replace shift with
    a foot pedal).


Maltron         (+44) 081 398 3265 (United Kingdom)
    PCD-Maltron Limited
    15 Orchard Lane, Each Moseley
    Surrey KT8 OBN, United Kingdon

    Pamela and Stephen Hobday (contacts)

    U.S. Distributor:
        Jim Barrett
        Applied Learning Corp.
        1376 Glen Hardie Road
        Wayne, PA  19087

        Phone: 215-688-6866  (NOTE: I had a typo here, last time)

    Supports: PC's, Amstrad 1512/1640, BBC B, BBC Master,
              should have Mac by the end of the year


    Price: 375 pounds
           $735 shipped in the U.S.A. (basically, converted price + shipping)

           The cost is less for BBC computers, and they have a number of
           accessories, including carrying cases, switch boxes to use both
           your normal keyboard and the Maltron, an articulated arm that
           clamps on to your table, and training 'courses' to help you learn
           to type on your Maltron.

           You can also rent a keyboard for 10 pounds/week + taxes.
           U.S. price: $120/month, and then $60 off purchase if you want it.

    Shipping: Now (in your choice of colors: black or grey)

    Maltron has four main products -- a two-handed keyboard, two one-handed
    keyboards, and a keyboard designed for handicapped people to control with
    a mouth-stick.


The Tony! Ergonomic KeySystem        415-969-8669
    Tony Hodges
    The Tony! Corporation
    2332 Thompson Court
    Mountain View, CA  94043, U.S.A.

    Supports: Mac, PC, IBM 3270, Sun, and DEC.

    Shipping: possibly by the end of the year.

    Price: $625 (you commit now, and then you're in line to buy the
    keyboard.  When it ships, if it's cheaper, you pay the cheaper price.
    If it's more expensive, you still pay $625)

    The Tony! should allow separate positioning of every key, to allow
    the keyboard to be personally customized.  A thumb-operated mouse
    will also be available.


The MIKey     301-933-1111
    Dr. Alan Grant
    3208 Woodhollow Drive
    Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815, U.S.A.

    Shipping: "Should be Available in One Year."

    Supports: PC, Mac (maybe)

    Price: $200 (estimated)

    The keyboard is at a fixed angle, and incorporates a built-in mouse
    operated by the thumbs.  Function keys are arranged in a circle at
    the keyboard's left.


The Wave        (was: 213-)  310-644-6100
    FAX: 310-644-6068

    Iocomm International Technology
    12700 Yukon Avenue
    Hawthorne, California 90250, U.S.A.

    Robin Hunter (contact -- in sales)

    Cost: $99.95 + $15 for a set of cables

    Works with: PC only.

    Shipping: now.

    Iocomm also manufactures "ordinary" 101-key keyboard (PC/AT) and
    84-key keyboard (PC/XT), so make sure you get the right one.

    The one-piece keyboard has a built-in wrist-rest.  It looks *exactly*
    like a normal 101-key PC keyboard, with two inches of built-in wrist
    rest.  The key switch feel is reported to be greatly improved.


The Minimal Motion Computer Access System       508-263-6437
    508-263-6537 (fax)

    Equal Access Computer Technology
    Dr. Michael Weinreigh
    39 Oneida Rd.
    Acton, MA  01720, U.S.A.

    Price: InfoGrip-compatible: "a few hundred dollars" + a one-handed Bat
          For their own system: $300 (DOS software) + "a few hundred dollars"

    Shipping: these are custom-made, so an occupational therapist would
          make moulds/do whatever to make it for you.  You can buy one now.

    Supports: PC only, although the InfoGrip-compatible version might
          work with a Mac.

    In a one-handed version, there is exactly one button per finger.  In a
    two-handed version, you get four buttons per finger, and the thumbs
    don't do anything.  You can also get one-handed versions with three
    thumb buttons -- compatible with the InfoGrip Bat.  Basically, get it
    any way you want.

    They also have a software tutorial to help you learn the chording.

    Works on a PC under DOS, not Windows.  Planning on Macintosh and
    PC/Windows support.  No work has been done on a Unix version, yet.


Twiddler        516-474-4405, or 800-638-2352
    Handykey
    141 Mt. Sinai Ave.
    Mt. Sinai, NY 11766

    Chris George (President)

    Shipping: now.

    Price: $199.

    Supports: PC only.  Mac and X Windows in the works.

    The Twiddler is both a keyboard and a mouse, and it fits in one hand.
    The cabling leaves your normal keyboard available, also.

    Most applications work, and Windows works fine.  DESQview has trouble.
    GEOWorks also has trouble -- mouse works, keyboard doesn't.


Half-QWERTY     (Canada) 416-749-3124
    The Matias Corporation
    178 Thistledown Boulevard
    Rexdale, Ontario, Canada
    M9V 1K1

    E-mail: ematias@dgp.toronto.edu

    Supports: Mac and IBM (but, not Windows)

    Price (U.S.):   $84.95 ($79.95 + $5 shipping)
         (Canada):  $90.55 ($79.95 + $5 shipping + $5.60 GST)
         (Ontario): $96.95 ($79.95 + $5 shipping + $5.60 GST + $6.40 PST)

    Shipping: Now.

    This thing is purely software.  No hardware at all.

    The software will mirror the keyboard when you hold down the space
    bar, allowing you type one-handed.


AccuKey         703-961-3576
    Vatell Corp.
    P.O. Box 66
    Christiansburg, VA 24073

    (This info provided by Wes Hunter <Wesley.Hunter@AtlantaGA.NCR.com>)

    Price: ??

    Shipping::  I believe that they are not shipping a product yet.
    Some arm twisting might get an evaluation unit.

    Specifications: 2" x 7" x 12"; 2 lbs.;  8 ternary keys;  characters
    input by chording;  emulates any conventional keyboard character set;
    plug compatible models for PC/AT, PC/XT, and all CRT terminals; no
    software mods needed


Octima  (Israel) 972-4-5322844
    FAX: (+972) 3 5322970

    Ergoplic Keyboards Ltd.
    P.O. Box 31
    Kiryat Ono 55100, Israel

    (info from Mandy Jaffe-Katz <RXHFUN@HAIFAUVM.BITNET>)
    A one-handed keyboard.


Microwriter AgendA (U.K.) (+44) 276 692 084
    FAX: (+44) 276 691 826

    Microwriter Systems plc
    M.S.A. House
    2 Albany Court
    Albany Park
    Frimley
    Surrey GU15 2XA, United Kingdom

    (Info from Carroll Morgan <Carroll.Morgan@prg.oxford.ac.uk>)

    The AgendA is a personal desktop assistant (PDA) style machine.  You
    can carry it along with you.  It has chording input.  You can also
    hook it up to your PC, or even program it.

    It costs just under 200 pounds, with 128K memory.


Braille 'n Speak     301-879-4944
    Blazie Engineering
    3660 Mill Green Rd.
    Street, Md 21154, U.S.A.

    (information provided by Doug Martin <martin@nosc.mil>)

    The Braille N Speak uses any of several Braille codes for entering
    information: Grade I, Grade II, or computer Braille.  Basically,
    letters a-j are combinations of dots 1, 2, 4, and 5.  Letters k-t are
    the same combinations as a-j with dot 3 added. Letters u, v, x, y, and
    z are like a-e with dots 3 and 6 added.  (w is unique because Louis
    Braille didn't have a w in the French alphabet.)

===========

Thanks go to Chris Bekins <AS.CCB@forsythe.stanford.edu> for providing
the basis for this information.

Thanks to the numerous contributors:

Doug Martin <martin@nosc.mil>
Carroll Morgan <Carroll.Morgan@prg.oxford.ac.uk>
Mandy Jaffe-Katz <RXHFUN@HAIFAUVM.BITNET>
Wes Hunter <Wesley.Hunter@AtlantaGA.NCR.com>
Paul Schwartz <pschwrtz@cs.washington.edu>
H.J. Woltring <WOLTRING@NICI.KUN.NL>
Dan Sorenson <viking@iastate.edu>
Chris VanHaren <vanharen@MIT.EDU>
Ravi Pandya <ravi@xanadu.com>
Leonard H. Tower Jr. <tower@ai.mit.edu>
Dan Jacobson <Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM>
Jim Cheetham  <jim@oasis.icl.co.uk>

and everybody else who I've probably managed to forget.

The opinions in here are my own, unless otherwise mentioned, and do not
represent the opinions of any organization or vendor.




------



Subject: FAQ: Typing Injuries (3/3): Software Monitoring Tools
From: richardd@hoskyns.co.uk (Richard Donkin)

Archive-name: typing-injury-faq/software
Version: 1.2, 17th July 1992

This FAQ is actually maintained by Richard Donkin <richardd@hoskyns.co.uk>.
I post it, along with the other FAQ stuff.  If you have questions, you want
to send mail to Richard, not me.  -- Dan


            Software Tools to help RSI by monitoring typing
            -----------------------------------------------

This file describes tools, primarily software, to help with RSI by
monitoring typing.

Please let me know if you know any other tools, or if you have info
or opinions on these, and I will add the info to this file.

  Richard Donkin                           Hoskyns Group plc
  Internet mail:                           190 City Road,  LONDON  EC1V 2QH
    Work:  richardd@hoskyns.co.uk          Tel: +44 71 251 2128
    CIX:   richardd@cix.compulink.co.uk    Fax: +44 71 251 2853


    Tool: At Your Service (commercial software)
    Available from:
        US: Bright Star, +1 (206) 451 3697
    Platforms: Mac, Windows
    Description:
        Provides calendar and other functions, also warns you when
        to take a break (configurable).  Has a few recommendations
        on posture, and exercises.  Not sure if it requires
        sound hardware.

    Tool: AudioPort (sound card and software)
    Available from:
        US: Media Vision, +1 (510) 226 2563
    Platforms: PC
    Description:
        A sound card to plug into your PC parallel port.
        Includes 'At Your Service'.

    Tool: Lifeguard (commercial software)
    Available from:
        Visionary Software
        P.O. Box 69447
        Portland, OR  97201
        Tel: (503) 246-6200
    Platforms: Mac, DOS (Windows version underway)
    Description:
        Aimed at preventing RSI.  Warns you to take a break
        with dialog box and sound.  Includes a list of exercises
        to do during breaks, and information on configuring your
        workstation in an ergonomic manner.  Price: $59.95.

    Tool: EyerCise (commercial software)
    Available from:
        RAN Enterprises
        One Woodland Park Dr.
        Haverhill, MA  01830
        Tel: 800-451-4487
    Platforms: DOS, Windows, OS/2 PM
    Description:
        Aimed at RSI and eye strain, this appears to warn you of when
        to take breaks.  A demo disk is available.  Quote from advert
        follows, courtesy of Julie A. Fores:

        "EyerCise is a Windows program that breaks up your day with periodic
        sets of stretches and visual training exercises.  The stretches work
        all parts of your body, relieving tension and helping to prevent
        Repetitive Strain Injury.  The visual training exercises will improve
        your peripheral vision and help to relieve eye strain.  Together these
        help you to become more relaxed and productive."

        "The package includes the book _Computers & Visual Stress_ by Edward C.
        Godnig, O.D. and John S. Hacunda, which describes the ergonomic setup
        for a computer workstation and provides procedures and exercises to
        promote healthy and efficient computer use.  An on-line Repetitive
        Strain Injury checklist will help you set up your workplace to prevent
        RSIs.  Cost is $69.95 including shipping and handling."

    Tool: Typewatch (freeware)
    Available from:
            Email to richardd@hoskyns.co.uk
            anonymous ftp soda.berkeley.edu:pub/typing-injury/typewatch.shar
    Platforms: UNIX (tested on SCO and SunOS)
    Description:
            Warns when to take a break, logs typing activity to a file.
            Crude but effective.

    Tool: hsh (public domain)
    Available from:
            anonymous ftp soda.berkeley.edu:pub/typing-injury/hsh.shar
    Platforms: UNIX (don't know which ones)
    Description:
            allows one-handed typing and other general keyboard remappings.
            Only works through tty's (so, you can use it with a terminal or
            an xterm, but not most X programs).




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                  End of Issue # 2889 of the Handicap Digest

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Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU