Interviews

[sixty]

Back then when we first toyed around with the idea of deskthority, we had been thinking about doing some interviews with some important keyboard business people. Then we realized its not that easy to find interesting people. Can you guys think of anyone cool?

I mailed the guy who designed the cherry G80-5000 back then, he never got back to me. But maybe if we keep trying we can actually get some interesting reads out of this. Next on my personal list is Ron Mingo!

Leave your suggestions!

[keyboardlover]

Great idea Sixty! I could ask Carl, the Leopold/Filco designer if he'd let me interview him. I might need some help coming up with interview questions!

[webwit]

Tony Van Zeeland

IBM guys. Why have we never seen a former IBM guy enter a keyboard discussion, and say stuff like, hey guys, this is the deal with the "plt. no" I think they buried them with the factories as the Egyptians used to do with the slaves building the pyramids.

[sixty]

Great idea Sixty! I could ask Carl, the Leopold/Filco designer if he'd let me interview him. I might need some help coming up with interview questions!

That would be great!

[Brian8bit]

I think getting the guys who released the enthusiast boards would be a better place to start. How the guys behind the 356 series started and how they involved the community in the design process.

Something I'd be really interested in is an in-depth interview from LowPoly about WHY he made the Guru Board. From what he was using before, to what sparked the desire to build the board, to how he went about the design process, the physical aspects of building the parts, the software, yada yada yada.

Then hunt down the guys who design stuff like the "brand" keyboards.

At most, I don't want interviews filled with marketing spiel. We can read the marketing nonsense on their various websites. I want to know the nitty gritty of why they made the keyboards the way they did and why they made the choices they did, etcetera.

[wanabe]

there is the supposed inventor of the M15 on GH who dropped a nice history lesson in this post...

http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=266472&postcount=7

Edit: actually i dont know that he "invented" the M15, but it sounds like the idea at least was his baby first.

[webwit]

More like colored patent history.. he did not invent ergonomic keyboards.

[ripster]

Robert Rolling. Director of Marketing at CST Trackballs.

Ask him if he has a had time stopping going downhill.

And does his wife clean his balls or does he do it himself?

[espritsc]

If there is ever a chance you get to interview someone with authority in a keyboard production company, I was wondering if you can ask them why there are not much support/choices for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts or just anyone in North America (and Europe?). There seem to be a lot of interest specially as of late but currently, there doesn't seem to be that much options to chose from. Some would even have to get keyboards shipped from Asian countries.

I'm sure some of you might have an answer but it's just something I've been wanting to know.

Thanks.

[EZjiji]

Maybe we can interview the man from EliteKeyboards and see what he has to tell us about the future of EK.

[Ascaii]

I'd really be interested if we could get an interview with a (leading) cherry engineer, im sure the community would have LOTS of questions to ask them^^.

[oyecomova]

How about you, sixty? I hear you collect keyboards, and have a lot of them! Do you have a count?

[sixty]

173 last saturday, mechanicals only

[hoggy]

The staff at Devlin seem friendly...

[espritsc]

You have 173 mechanical keyboards? :O You have to be interviewed!

[Mrinterface]

You have 173 mechanical keyboards? :O You have to be interviewed!

I agree with that : Sixty and Webwit are likely candidates for being interviewed. My keyboard count stops at about 25.... The interview could be done live over a chat link.

Now , who has experience writing interviews and creating an article for it?

[webwit]

My favorite color is blue.

[celery]

How about the people at Unicomp? Were they in the business in the old Model M days? Should be juicy. Also ask them about that mini...

[JelinaNU]

I always find myself wondering why there's such a dearth of new or unique form amongst mechanical keyboards. Granted, most mechanicals are intended for commercial/industrial use and the home and collector's markets are still a niche. That fact withstanding, there has to be a market for mechkey boards that aren't so...visually cookie cutter. The Archiss, Leopold, PLUM, Filco, and TypeNow all look nearly identical, less badging. Sure, Deck, Razer, and Das have made attempts at the so-called designer keyboards; they just haven't been entirely successful. I'm streaming off of the top, here, but I can't figure it out: why don't keyboard designers put more into the aesthetics/form portion of their development, especially considering the ravenous consumption of most Apple products, high-end watches, Monte Blanc pens, and the ubiquitous use of carbon fiber? The MSI Wind (U-Series), as an example, marks only a small deviation from the stereotypical all-function netbook and it's entirely sold out, including older, discontinued models. I could see the same happening with the proper keyboard.

[hoggy]

Maltron might be worth an approach...

[prava]

Seems nice, but we seem to be a niche into a niche....

[sixty]

Ok, so this is quite stupid. I have been contacted earlier today by a member of the German press, who is writing for a German computer magazine. He called me up and said that they would like to write an article about my (or possibly the general) keyboard collecting craze. He seems to be especially interested in why people would stockpile several vintage keyboards that are older than theirself.

Not sure what will come out of this, but basically it looks like he wants an interview with me, afterall. I am pretty shocked. Am I really that much of a nerd?

[Brian8bit]

Nice. How'd they end up tracking you down?

[sixty]

My personal domain (keyboardporn.com)

[Ascaii]

My personal domain (keyboardporn.com)

i like this.
You could always take some focus off youself and ask if they can include a showcase of deskthority / other important collectors on this site like webwit, kbl, 7bit, half-saint, etc.
Maybe they could make a questionnaire we could fill out? Get a bunch of different answers from us "freaks" that they can use for the article? I guess a quote collection of sorts to meat out the article.
Either way, let me / us know when the article will be released and in which magazine so I can go buy it^^.

[sixty]

Yeah, I'll keep you all updated about what comes out of this. Still not sure if I should be embaressed or honored

From a IM conversation with a friend:

(13:45:14) sixty: not sure if i should be honored or embaressed
(13:45:24) sixty: scared to give interview witihout knowing how the article will turn out
(13:45:34) sixty: afterall they can make me look like otaku doll collector who lives in the basement

...which I guess is not so far from the truth! Nah, I'm in this with all my passion, so may as well stand behind it

[7bit]

Tony Van Zeeland

IBM guys. Why have we never seen a former IBM guy enter a keyboard discussion, and say stuff like, hey guys, this is the deal with the "plt. no" I think they buried them with the factories as the Egyptians used to do with the slaves building the pyramids.

I think, those who survived are working at Unicomp now.

Retirement is so boring ...

[Swede]

Yeah, I'll keep you all updated about what comes out of this. Still not sure if I should be embaressed or honored

From a IM conversation with a friend:

(13:45:14) sixty: not sure if i should be honored or embaressed
(13:45:24) sixty: scared to give interview witihout knowing how the article will turn out
(13:45:34) sixty: afterall they can make me look like otaku doll collector who lives in the basement

...which I guess is not so far from the truth! Nah, I'm in this with all my passion, so may as well stand behind it

I'd say, DO IT!!
Just ask if you can read the article before print so you know that you won't be picured as a freak, unless you want that
But seeing that the mech keyboards are on a rise, people should know that these keyboards does this to you xD

[Findecanor]

If you mention Deskthority.net in the interview, there will be a large influx of people .. for good and bad. Just think of that.

[Magna224]

This sounds like a great idea. I hope it works out.