I was getting frustrated about not being able to read the keys on my Kohjinsha SH8 laptop. I had it imported from Japan and naturally it came with a Japanese keyboard. The writing/marking on the keys was really difficult to read, especially at night, even with the lights on. I was just getting too much eye strain. I had to find a solution.
I went on a hunt through the webby-tubes and found several sites that had what I was looking for. I ended up settling for a set of three templates from Glowing Keyboards. For a US$22 you get three sets of a full keyboard that you just peel off and stick over your keys. The sticker sizes are large enough to cover a standard desktop or laptop keyboard. They even managed to fit over most of the keys on my Kohjinsha. I had to cut some of them to fit the more unusually designed key shapes, but the end result was fantastic. But first a picture to show you the difference between the original keys and a few with the stickers already on. Sorry about the quality but my camera is pretty poor:
Now these keys don’t actually glow on their own accord. They just reflect the ambient light in the room. That’s all you need though as even in pitch dark the stickers get sufficient light from the light produced by the screen. Here’s the finished result. Err, well, almost finished. I see that the Page down sticker isn’t on yet in this photo and I couldn’t decide what sticker to put on the remaining Japanese only key, but you get the idea:
Now, there are a few other companies out there that supply very similar stickers. One is My Glow Keys, but they wouldn’t respond to my email, so they got the ditch quick pronto. As a contrast Glowing-keyboards.com responded immediately tomy enquires. I was asking about delivery to New Zealand as most US site never quote delivery costs to other countries. Likewise, none of them have ever heard of the Post Office and seem to think that Fed-Ex is the ONLY way to shift physical goods.
Another set was from Latkey. Now, I LOVE, absolutely LOVE these keyboard stickers. Especially because they DO have stickers that actually glow in the dark. There are two reasons as to why I chose not to buy. One is that they were more expensive, but most importantly, they only give you a template of the qwertry and number keys and nothing else. If that’s all you require then these would be a great buy:
Compare this to the full set from Glowing Keys:
Lastly, there’s one more reason that I love my new Glowing-Keyboard stickers is that I went from an awkward Japensese keyboard layout to a United States keyboard layout. So much nicer to use. No more struggling to find those damned @ and underscore keys.
So far the stickers have stood up to the test of time and I’m very pleased with my purchase. Highly recommended.
Ana too has used one of the two remaining sticker templates on her laptop. Her keyboard was great and I had no problems reading the keys as they were, but I’m really glad she decided to put those stickers on. It really does make a great difference.
I was just doing a little surfing the net while watching one of my absolutely favorite TV series (Desperate Housewives) and found this “Zen Habits” blog. (http://zenhabits.net/2008/04/the-simple-life/)
Anyway, I just loved to read this:
The Simple Life
- Quiet mornings.
- Sing-a-long songs with my toddlers in the car.
- Sunset and a beer with my wife.
- Runner’s high on a long run.
- Cuddling up and watching a DVD with the wife and kids.
- Walking outside with my son after it rains.
- My “life” talks with my eldest daughter in the car.
- Writing a post for 50,000 people, in my pajamas.
- Feeling sick and lying in bed all day without having to call my boss.
- Showing my 2-year-old the clear starry sky.
- Cheering my kids on in their soccer games.
- Time alone with a good book.
- Freshly brewed coffee.
- My hot veggie soup on a cold day.
- Writing before the sun rises.
- Fresh, cold berries.
- A long conversation with a friend.
- Succumbing to a mid-afternoon nap.
- Playing kickball in the yard with my kids.
- The feeling of satisfaction after a workout.
- Waking up to a clean, uncluttered living room.
- Laughing at my 4-year-old son’s wacky sense of humor.
- Screaming my head off when my son scores a goal.
- Collapsing after finishing a marathon, exhausted but in love with life.
- Spending time with my mom and sisters on a Saturday afternoon, baking sweets.
- Letting a warm chocolate chip cookie melt in my mouth with my eyes closed.
- A long hot shower.
- Walking with the sand between my toes as the sun goes down.
- Listening to the sound of waves lapping a white sand beach.
- A hug when I need it.
- Dew on the grass in the morning.
If anybody would like to add simple habits that make our lives happier and this world a better place to live, please, dont be shy. We would love to read your comments!!!
