Kiibohd 13 - Bay Area Monthly Keyboard Meetup - 2015/04/25

[HaaTa]

Ok, first off. Really sorry everyone, I wanted to post this much sooner but I've been super busy with this Infinity ErgoDox thing and it took a while to confirm the location.

Also, second apology, moving the date of the meetup to the 25th (wasn't able to get the space we wanted on the 18th).

Without further a do, the next meetup is on
April 25th 2015 @ 1 PM
@
GitHub HQ

88 Colin P. Kelly Jr Street
San Francisco, CA
NORTH AMERICA

Thanks a lot nuclearsandwich for hosting us again
We also have a special Deskthority guest who will be showing up all the way from the EU

Caltrain is pretty convenient as well as BART. I'd recommend not driving in SF unless you give yourself extra time to park...

Also, I'm going to setup a mailing list over the next week or so. I've found regulars don't always see the forum threads.
Will be posting a link to the signup in this thread (you might get added if I already have your email for whatever reason).

Please RSVP if you plan to attend. There will be food and various beverages courtesy of GitHub.

GeekHack Thread (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70621)

[Muirium]

This is the one I'm going to, as I'm in California right now. See you guys there!

[SL89]

This seems cool, nobody ever comes to Boston.

[XMIT]

I do sometimes. I'll be in Boston first weekend of May. Shoot me a PM. Maybe I can fit one nice keyboard in a carry on bag. (Not a beam spring.)

[SL89]

Ah, that might work, im not sure if thats the week that I'm in NH or not yet.

[Muirium]

Okay, this is getting close now. I'll be heading on up to town tomorrow! (It takes a while. California's inconveniently large…)

Anyone coming care to bring a DataHand, a HiPro or and a µTRON? Those are boards I've really got to see!

[HaaTa]

Try to ping obra about a DataHand and uTron. If no one has a HiPro, I can try to bring mine (it's my work driver).

[webwit]

Oooh those are two of my favorites.
The DataHand is the best keyboard reset ever. The µTRON is ergonomic/TRON philosophy keyboard porn.

[Muirium]

Exactly! And I wanna see!!

(Wonders how to ping obra.)

[HaaTa]

Hmm, I'll just send him an email

[webwit]

Where is your µTRON?!?

[HaaTa]

It's at home in it's original box

Haven't used it as a daily driver in a while. Murium might get a chance to see it when he visits my place before the meetup. obra has the wrist rests though, I don't :/

[webwit]

You should have gotten those. They look like they come straight from an operation room. Good thing I don't use wrist rests, because these need to be kept sterile, stored safely in one of my boxes.

[Muirium]

The left one's cleaner…

[webwit]

That's just the light and cheap camera white balance.

But in case of dirt, they do have zippers so you can remove the pillowcases from the memory foam for washing and re-sterilisation.

[Muirium]

Yeah, looks like a fancy Tempur mattress… for your arm.

[jacobolus]

Thanks Mu for showing up, it was great to meet you.

[Muirium]

And you! Actually, so many people came by that we (or rather me with my visual memory) need an annotated picture of everyone there. It was an awesome keyboarding nexus today all right. Just the right group of people to match those epic boards. And what a place! GitHub's got a mind bender of an HQ.

Fortunately my brother shot a fair few pictures, which I'll rummage through when we're done travelling. For the curious: all the keyboards I mentioned earlier were there to play with, and several more stunners besides. Epic!

Some quick notes…

Surprised and impressed by: 30g Topre. Apparently my favourite kind! I'd tried a range of weights before on 002's touring ergo weighted Realforce, and back then the light ones weren't inspiring. But a board full of them, now I'm used to uniform 45g and 55g boards, well, I'm much more into them. HaaTa's 30g Realforce was a JIS model, which was first on me too. Not that I could read the black on black legends! Also worth mention was the Code keyboard in MX clear. That's a solid piece of kit that does a much better job with balky clears than I've felt before. (Well, if you get a good one.) Oh, and HaaTa's piano! Which, after we'd just discussed the literal tons of tension in the strings, he briefly terrified me by letting its lid drop with abandon while I was right beside it. Safely! But I didn't know it at the time.

Disappointed by: mint condition Futabas. They're suckier than I imagined. The sound is silly, in a good way, but the feel is, well, pretty crappy. Omrons weren't as much of a letdown, and they do have a nice sharp snap to them like buckling spring; but in their case the sound isn't as impressive as I hoped. Even in a well built, metal bottomed keyboard, they're a bit ick. Harder to judge in a large room, though.

Couldn't fail to be amazed by: the turnout, what a meetup! The venue, which needs to be seen to be believed; I shit you not. (The MassDrop guys showed me their lair today as well, and it's a damn nice place but they don't have an Oval Office, just for starters!) The DataHand, the µTRON right beside it, and… gulp… a complete and stunning Space Cadet Keyboard.

So yeah, big thanks to HaaTa, nuclearsandwich and everyone who pulled this together. (And my brother for the trip up California.) Amazed!

[002]

Wow Mu never would have guessed you would think much of 30g Topre
Looking forward to some pics. If your brother is as anal as you about taking a good shot then we should be in for a treat

[XMIT]

Sounds like a good time. I'm sorry I missed it. I'm not sure taking pictures of 200 keyboards was a better use of time.

The WASD v2 with Clears is my go-to daily driver keyboard these days. The Code Keyboard is the same thing with backlighting. Well, not exactly the same, but very similar.

I have a Televideo Model 970 keyboard with Futabas and am also very disappointed with their feel. I don't know just what it is. Springs that are too stiff, maybe? Or plastics that are not worn in and sharply increase friction at some point? As for Omrons: I *think* I've tried both Orange and White Omrons. My favorite Alps-themed switches are still Monterey Blue and Alps Salmon.

(I also think that linear foam and foil is an undervalued switch, which is convenient as I have about 40 of them to get rid of.)

I'm contemplating a Bay Area trip during the month of October or November. It is a ways off but if we are doing this event then please keep me in mind for planning. /Maybe/ I can find a venue in Santa Clara to host if that helps at all.

I've never seen a real live Space Cadet. It was already an item of legend more than ten years ago in college.

[jacobolus]

I have a Televideo Model 970 keyboard with Futabas and am also very disappointed with their feel. I don't know just what it is.

You’re talking about a totally different type of Futabas here, from a decade earlier. Muirium means this type http://deskthority.net/wiki/Futaba_clicky_switch whereas you’re talking about the “complicated” linear Futabas.

[XMIT]

Ah. Mu didn't clarify so I didn't really know. Yeah, clicky Futabas (I have one here that will be for sale with four broken sliders and some missing keys...) are a bit of a let down as well!