Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

[tp4tissue]

So, I think we haz it. 

The cursory definition of OCD is an irrational obsession.


I would consider this hobby quite irrational, because it really doesn't improve our lives much at all, and yet we continue.

We don't type faster

We don't type more accurately

And what little there "really was" to be gained from going mechanical, for the most part peaks after the very first purchase.

[rowdy]

I am a programmer (more or less) and most programmers I know have OCD to a certain extent.  It manifests itself in that the code has to be laid out exactly right, window controls on the forms have to be lined up perfectly, indentation must be spot on.  Common sense dictates that code is clean and a user interface is aesthetic, but where you have the overwhelming urge to correct an extra space at the end of a line, or a button that is one pixel out from another - that is bordering on OCD.

But real OCD is a handicap that affects your life.  I read recently of a game reviewer that had to check every setting on a game he was playing every time before he started playing, otherwise he would experience deep unease while playing, and usually stopped playing to check all the settings again, even though none of them would have changed - that is OCD.

But to simply want something new (like the latest mechanical keyboard, or a new novelty key cap) might just be a by-product of today's consumerism.

My Cherry MX blue-based mechanical keyboards give me tactile feedback for each keypress, which I became accustomed to while I was learning to type and learning to program back in the day.  I have been fortunate enough to acquire a keyboard like one of the ones I learned to program on, and the joy I feel typing on it does not match that when I use the Ducky Shines.  But they have their allure too.

I feel that I am a little bit more productive at work because I now enjoy typing on a nice backlit mechanical keyboard, rather than just using an average rubber dome keyboard.  So I start to look for excuses to do more typing, and if that means doing a little bit more work then everyone benefits.

[Findecanor]

Peaks, yeah, sort of. My first mechanical purchase (in recent years) was a Dolch with Cherry Blues, and it is still the keyboard that I use the most. But that is just because I was really lucky. I have bought other keyboards with the intent of trying out the switches, and only one of them has been an improvement for me: the Cherry Clear.

However, I appreciate the light Cherry switches primarily because of being able to avoid RSI that I got from using crappy rubber domes. In that perspective, mechanicals have been a great win.

A collecting hobby, while being somewhat of an addiction, is not like OCD in my opinion. I had real OCD when I was a kid, which manifested itself in excessive handwashing, inability to cross zebra crossings or walk properly in a crowded street.
But, yes, the obsession on detail has stayed with me, and has been somewhat useful in my work as a computer programmer, I guess.

[AKIMbO]

I'm a minimalist: it's in my blood.  So while I sometimes think it would be great to have a collection of nice, fun typing keyboards, my genetic code is telling me to stick to one - and I can't disobey it.

And that one I haven't found yet.

^Yeah...that's my excuse too.

[Burz]

I'm a minimalist: it's in my blood.  So while I sometimes think it would be great to have a collection of nice, fun typing keyboards, my genetic code is telling me to stick to one - and I can't disobey it.

And that one I haven't found yet.

Same here, only I realized I could start enjoying the benefits for cheap while I hold out for "the one". My hatred of RDs must have been much greater than yours (honestly, I would still contemplate an RD-smashing party...)

[modulor]

There is more to OCD than just an irrational obsession - it's a clinical anxiety disorder.  You can share some of the traits that are commonly associated with it (they being obsessive, compulsive or both) and not actually have any medically-characterized affliction.  A multitude of factors must be in place, of which tend to be more in the extreme scope of obsessions and scenarios.  Check out the Y-BOC Scale for more info.  A desire to collect things or to keep your workstation clean is far and away from actual OCD.

There are improvements and benefits to be had in the realm of mechanical keyboards.  Quality, design, personalization, longevity, ergonomics and comfort to name a few.  Some do type faster, some more accurately...that is subjective.  Ultimately, it's a hobby some have taken on like any other that has variety.  People collect all kinds of things, some of which are valuable and/or useful, some of which are not.  Again, subjective and entirely dependent on one's personal preference.  I can agree with rowdy on the comment of "today's consumerism"...it's definitely present here.

I'm a minimalist: it's in my blood.  So while I sometimes think it would be great to have a collection of nice, fun typing keyboards, my genetic code is telling me to stick to one - and I can't disobey it.

And that one I haven't found yet.

^Building off this^ I like minimalist concepts and aesthetic, and I'm behind the "stick to one" idea for most things.  However, in an effort to find the best of the best, logically you have to try out as many possibilities as you can and do research.  I go through bouts of 'peaked interest' in all of my hobbies where I spend a lot of time with research and tactile activities.  I may be meticulous and detail-oriented, but not to the degree of an anxiety disorder.  I think most fit into this category.  I understand why I do what I do - genuine interest. The experience is all part of the fun of having hobbies. 

[tp4tissue]

You guys are playing into the explanation that OCD is an "evolved" trait that has been selected because it aids in the type of workloads in our modern specialized society.

However, it doesn't change the fact that there is this "air of unease" when things are actually just fine the way they are.

If we were truly going forward with this keyboard thing then fine, but that's not the case. The entire text entry domain has been tapped and well exceeded our human capacity for generations.

WHATEVER the differing reasons we may have for this hobby, it yields in the opposite direction of maximizing utility of resources. This is where I see it as a disorder. 

[tp4tissue]

It sometimes takes a lot of courage.  For example, if I close my car door every morning.  And even though I've never left it unlocked or the windows down - there is a strong sense of urgency to walk back and make sure this is the case.

I've had to tell myself 'It's all in your mind.'

Yea, that sounds like OCD to me...

[rowdy]

^^ That could just be paranoia in today's violent and unpredictable world.

How about having to make sure that your left foot steps out of the room first each time, and returning to your chair to start again if your right foot happens to land outside the door first?

Or having to have things lined up perfectly on your desk, or the irresistible urge to surreptitiously rearrange items on someone else's desk despite the fact that they are not your things, it is not your desk, and the person probably does not want you rearranging their desk.  That might just be a well-cultivated sense or order, but if it is accompanied by feelings of anxiety if things are not lined up perfectly, then that would be some sort of OCD.

[tp4tissue]

^^ That could just be paranoia in today's violent and unpredictable world.

How about having to make sure that your left foot steps out of the room first each time, and returning to your chair to start again if your right foot happens to land outside the door first?

Or having to have things lined up perfectly on your desk, or the irresistible urge to surreptitiously rearrange items on someone else's desk despite the fact that they are not your things, it is not your desk, and the person probably does not want you rearranging their desk.  That might just be a well-cultivated sense or order, but if it is accompanied by feelings of anxiety if things are not lined up perfectly, then that would be some sort of OCD.

Ehi... i suppose it's more about where we draw the line for "disorder"

[rowdy]

Exactly.

If it has an adverse effect on your life, then it is a disorder.

Buying keyboards and key caps just seems to be an obsession.

[demik]

sounds more of obsessive compulsive personality disorder than OCD.

[Input Nirvana]

There are more than a few peeps around here with OCD to some extent. But being a 'keyboardie" doesn't mean you have some degree of OCD. It's often a matter of perspective. If you care a lot about something and spend more than the 'average' amount of time or energy on that something...at what point is it interest, time waster, or OCD?

With my business, I'm an expert, equal to the best of the best. I had an interview a week ago, the interviewer asked me "What do you know?".... I looked right at him, paused, and said "I effectively know everything you know". I'm doing some work for them right now, and they are offering me a position of management instead of the crappy job I really want. Am I OCD? Or is it  just a lot of experience and a knack for the industry? As far as keyboards....especially if you work on one all day, you have 2 issues. 1: Comfort, ease of use, practicality, ergo-RSI prevention. And 2: Interest in something you use with your hands for hours a day. Those 2 items justify a fair amount of time/effort in my book. As for hobbies, does collecting coins or other misc. items improve ones life?

I know too much about Kinesis keyboards...it was fueled by discomfort, not typing well, blah blah blah. Yes, I've spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME on this.... I blame GH. It has helped me now I am a touch typist with Colemak...but I can only use a Kinesis....screw other keyboards! But I've been of help to some others with RSI, and that makes me feel good. Imagine your hands hurting everyday from typing at your profession

Being a keyboardie is a hobby, there are far worse things to be involved with. Is there an actual downside? Anything that excites or interests you, coworkers, etc....probably isn't such a bad thing.

And for you weirdoes with diagnosed OCD...go get some help, you give us 'normal' keyboardies a bad rap!

[tp4tissue]

There are more than a few peeps around here with OCD to some extent. But being a 'keyboardie" doesn't mean you have some degree of OCD. It's often a matter of perspective. If you care a lot about something and spend more than the 'average' amount of time or energy on that something...at what point is it interest, time waster, or OCD?

With my business, I'm an expert, equal to the best of the best. I had an interview a week ago, the interviewer asked me "What do you know?".... I looked right at him, paused, and said "I effectively know everything you know". I'm doing some work for them right now, and they are offering me a position of management instead of the crappy job I really want. Am I OCD? Or is it  just a lot of experience and a knack for the industry? As far as keyboards....especially if you work on one all day, you have 2 issues. 1: Comfort, ease of use, practicality, ergo-RSI prevention. And 2: Interest in something you use with your hands for hours a day. Those 2 items justify a fair amount of time/effort in my book. As for hobbies, does collecting coins or other misc. items improve ones life?

I know too much about Kinesis keyboards...it was fueled by discomfort, not typing well, blah blah blah. Yes, I've spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME on this.... I blame GH. It has helped me now I am a touch typist with Colemak...but I can only use a Kinesis....screw other keyboards! But I've been of help to some others with RSI, and that makes me feel good. Imagine your hands hurting everyday from typing at your profession

Being a keyboardie is a hobby, there are far worse things to be involved with. Is there an actual downside? Anything that excites or interests you, coworkers, etc....probably isn't such a bad thing.

And for you weirdoes with diagnosed OCD...go get some help, you give us 'normal' keyboardies a bad rap!

How long have we been calling each other keyboardie??

[Input Nirvana]

Dunno, don't take it seriously...I was just shooting it out there. I'm entitled

[tp4tissue]

Dunno, don't take it seriously...I was just shooting it out there. I'm entitled

Now that I'm thinking about the subject, I believe Geekhack will have the last laugh on names.

Geek hack rolls off the tongue better than "deskthority", primarily because the th and or sound are highly distinct in american english and difficult to articulate.

People on geek hack, are "Geek-Hackers" ,  you can't be a deskthoritor, that just sounds ridiculous.

[metalliqaz]

A keyboard is the tool of my trade.
It's my weapon of choice.
Nothing OCD about wanting a Ferrari under my fingertips. 

[phetto]

I have ADHD :- D :- D

[tp4tissue]

I have ADHD :- D :- D

wiki says

Someone exhibiting OCD signs does not necessarily have OCD. Behaviors that present as (or seem to be) obsessive or compulsive can also be found in a number of other conditions as well, including obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), an autism spectrum disorder, disorders where perseveration is a possible feature (ADHD, PTSD, bodily disorders or habit problems),[3] or sub-clinically.

But, then the "reverse" can be true. 

as in people with adhd/ptsd actually haev OCD

[fohat.digs]

Keyboards seem to be a perfectly understandable "thing" to wrap a hobby around. I use mine for hours, every day, and it is interacting with me, and specifically my fingers, more than any other physical object in the world, including the wife and my car's steering wheel.

There are people who surely have ten times the numbers of shoes that most of us have keyboards, and while they may be considered frivolous or wasteful, they are not looked upon as "weird" (in most cases, at least).

Collecting some things, such as coins or artwork, has some component of investment involved in addition to aesthetics, and other collections (eg my records and CDs) are for personal enjoyment, primarily, but almost everyone has some sort of collection of something.

I like to work with my hands, and so it is important to have a collection of good tools. Why do I have at least 2 dozen screwdrivers, my wife asks? Because using exactly the right tool makes any job go easier.

So why do I have a dozen keyboards in boxes in the basement, but this same one has been on my desk for nearly a year? Well, maybe I do have a bit of a problem .....

[phetto]

I have ADHD :- D :- D

wiki says

Someone exhibiting OCD signs does not necessarily have OCD. Behaviors that present as (or seem to be) obsessive or compulsive can also be found in a number of other conditions as well, including obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), an autism spectrum disorder, disorders where perseveration is a possible feature (ADHD, PTSD, bodily disorders or habit problems),[3] or sub-clinically.

But, then the "reverse" can be true. 

as in people with adhd/ptsd actually haev OCD

Acctually I think that my ADHD makes me a stronger individual. Its not just a curse, its also a blessing.

[sth]

Dunno, don't take it seriously...I was just shooting it out there. I'm entitled

Now that I'm thinking about the subject, I believe Geekhack will have the last laugh on names.

Geek hack rolls off the tongue better than "deskthority", primarily because the th and or sound are highly distinct in american english and difficult to articulate.

People on geek hack, are "Geek-Hackers" ,  you can't be a deskthoritor, that just sounds ridiculous.

a knowledgeable member of deskthority would be a deskthority on deskthority. and a deskthority on keyboards.

this thread is stupid, you guys. we have a shared material interest in a hobby and some of us (that's the inclusive us ) have poor impulse control. please stop self-diagnosing and go back to spending money on geekcap geekcrack.

[tp4tissue]

Dunno, don't take it seriously...I was just shooting it out there. I'm entitled

Now that I'm thinking about the subject, I believe Geekhack will have the last laugh on names.

Geek hack rolls off the tongue better than "deskthority", primarily because the th and or sound are highly distinct in american english and difficult to articulate.

People on geek hack, are "Geek-Hackers" ,  you can't be a deskthoritor, that just sounds ridiculous.

a knowledgeable member of deskthority would be a deskthority on deskthority. and a deskthority on keyboards.

this thread is stupid, you guys. we have a shared material interest in a hobby and some of us (that's the inclusive us ) have poor impulse control. please stop self-diagnosing and go back to spending money on geekcap geekcrack.

I'm merely pointing out that deskthority is really hard to say, and doesn't roll, like geek hack