Greetings from North Carolina!

[Lleiwynn]

Hey, geekhack!

I feel like an idiot admitting it, but I wanted to get it out of the way: I'm typing this on a membrane keyboard. There, I said it. Whew.

I was introduced to mechs maybe a year ago when I came across some Razer or Corsair model at a Best Buy. I poked at it for a bit (pretty sure it had Cherry MX Blues), liked the clickiness and overall feel, and filed that info away for future use. Back in October, a buddy of mine got a WASD CODE and posted about it on Facebook. I looked into it, liked the customization options, and filed that away, too. Then, about two weeks ago, I thought, "hey, let's look into that whole mechanical keyboard thing." Oh boy.

I've been reading everything I can on /r/mk, Googling everything I can think of, and eventually figured out most searches and links end up here. Now that I've (mostly) decided on which mech I *want* to buy and have joined a group buy for the 1976 keyset, I wanted to go ahead and create an account here. I will continue to learn and research a ton, I'm sure, but I'm about to pull the trigger on a white backlit Pok3r with Clears to use at the office. I'm a technical writer, so I do a pretty fair amount of typing (not as much as a dev, though) and, after the seed of mechanical keyboards has taken root, I absolutely hate this Dell POS they gave me when I started this new job. Pretty tired of my Logitech G15 at home, too. Time for a portable upgrade.

This community seems awesome. Can't wait to be a part!

[bcredbottle]

Welcome! Pok3r w/ clears is a great choice, and a fantastic first board. Clears are my favorite switch

What's it like being a technical writer? What did you study?

[xtrafrood]

Hi welcome  Man, too bad pok3r went with ABS caps for that LED board

[Lleiwynn]

What's it like being a technical writer? What did you study?

It's an interesting job. I work for a manufacturing software (MES) company that maintains several manufacturing automation products for different sectors. I've also worked for financial institutions, banks and the like. Corporate tech writing jobs are less about actually writing anything and more about managing the document set as it exists and updating it as upgrades are released. So there's a lot of editing software (Flare, XMetaL), content management (Visual Studio), and XML stuff going on. I actually like it.

I studied English in undergrad and Technical and Professional Communication in grad school. So I wound up with an English MA with a concentration in tech writing after figuring out an English BA wasn't going to get me far.

[Lleiwynn]

Man, too bad pok3r went with ABS caps for that LED board

Yeah, I was waffling on backlit/non-backlit for that very reason. I've read that the legends on Vortex's PBT wear off really quickly though, and I'll definitely be changing the keycaps after I get used to the Pok3r's layout. I joined the 1976 group buy a couple days ago, so I should have time to learn the Pok3r before that actually ships. Now I have to actually purchase a board....

[xtrafrood]

Man, too bad pok3r went with ABS caps for that LED board

Yeah, I was waffling on backlit/non-backlit for that very reason. I've read that the legends on Vortex's PBT wear off really quickly though, and I'll definitely be changing the keycaps after I get used to the Pok3r's layout. I joined the 1976 group buy a couple days ago, so I should have time to learn the Pok3r before that actually ships. Now I have to actually purchase a board....

The PBT caps that the pok3r (non-LED) ships with wear off but Vortex double shots or POM filled legends last.

[Lleiwynn]

Man, too bad pok3r went with ABS caps for that LED board

Yeah, I was waffling on backlit/non-backlit for that very reason. I've read that the legends on Vortex's PBT wear off really quickly though, and I'll definitely be changing the keycaps after I get used to the Pok3r's layout. I joined the 1976 group buy a couple days ago, so I should have time to learn the Pok3r before that actually ships. Now I have to actually purchase a board....

The PBT caps that the pok3r (non-LED) ships with wear off but Vortex double shots or POM filled legends last.

Gotcha. I've read that their double-shot and POM keys are longer-lasting than the stock PBTs, so thanks for the affirmation. Good to know for future key-buying endeavors.

And I just actually ordered a white backlit POk3r. Only took two weeks to decide and talk myself into spending the money.

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

Many people use membrane keyboards without realising that there are keyboard so much better.  At least you have opened your eyes and seen the possibilities.

Pok3r is a very popular keyboard, plus a standard layout so finding replacement keycaps is straightforward.  The 1976 set is SA, which are very thick, so you won't get any light shining through the keycaps, although you should get some underglow.

[Lleiwynn]

Thanks! Happy to be here!

The 1976 set is SA, which are very thick, so you won't get any light shining through the keycaps, although you should get some underglow.

Yeah, I took that into account when deciding whether or not to join the group buy. Of course the colorway is awesome, so I figured I can live without the shinethrough in favor of an awesome keyset. The underglow should look great.

[billnye]

Hello from a fellow Charlotte geekhacker!

[heedpantsnow]

Hi, thanks for sharing about what it's like to be a technical writer, sounds interesting!

Pok3r is an excellent choice. I have owned quite a few of the original Pokers; they were an awesome and ground breaking design. The 60% design had been kicked around a lot back then, and they were able to bring something to market that was very usable but also used standard keycaps. Then came aftermarket cases, plates, etc. Great board.

My wife is from Charlotte; we will be up there this summer visiting. Excited about UNC's big win last night!

[Lleiwynn]

Hello from a fellow Charlotte geekhacker!

My wife is from Charlotte; we will be up there this summer visiting. Excited about UNC's big win last night!

Nice seeing some Charlotte affiliation around here, haha. Thanks for the warm welcome!

thanks for sharing about what it's like to be a technical writer, sounds interesting!

No problem. I've only been doing it professionally for about three years now, but I've had five jobs during that time. So I've had the opportunity to sample a few different corporate cultures. I can tell you working for a bank sucks. I've never felt more like a number in a spreadsheet than when I was with [huge national bank].

[__red__]

There are more of us in Charlotte.

If you want to try your hand on "God's Own Keyboard"[tm] let me know - I have a significant stash of IBM model M and F in my possession.

In fact, at work there are 2xMs and 2xFs in my row of cubes.  Sounds like an office typing pool from the early 20th century :-)

[-musubi]

welcome! don't be ashamed of membranes, we've all been there at some point  take your time to try out different switches though

[xtrafrood]

welcome! don't be ashamed of membranes, we've all been there at some point  take your time to try out different switches though

Some of us are still there haha 

[-musubi]

welcome! don't be ashamed of membranes, we've all been there at some point  take your time to try out different switches though

Some of us are still there haha 

Hahah I still have my trusty Logitech k800, one of my favorite keyboards still (membrane). Do you have any keyboards you're thinking of getting?

[xtrafrood]

welcome! don't be ashamed of membranes, we've all been there at some point  take your time to try out different switches though

Some of us are still there haha 

Hahah I still have my trusty Logitech k800, one of my favorite keyboards still (membrane). Do you have any keyboards you're thinking of getting?

Hehe, topre, 100% topre.