You might want to consider the QWERTY keyboard layout,
which was specifically designed to DISABLE people from typing the keys
faster than the mechanical typewriters of that time could handle.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY .
On Wed, 8 Feb 2006, basile zimmermann wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I was wondering if someone on the list could help me find information on
> "affordances or cultural constraints 'inside' technological tools, based on
> history and design".
>
> Things like when an ASCII keyboard is based on the latin alphabet, which is
> inconvenient for writing in Chinese, the issue of 'corrupted' French (and
> other foreign languages) accents in e-mails*, or the fact that websites names
> can only be written in plain English etc.
>
> Any help really appreciated (I am looking for more references/comparisons for
> my thesis) --thanks very much in advance,
>
> Basile
>
> *I actually wrote myself a very short "first-try" article (5 pages) on these
> issues about a year ago. If someone wants to have a look email me privately
> and I'll be very glad to send a copy.
>
>
> --
>
> Basile Zimmermann
> Teaching assistant
>
> Unit of Chinese Studies
> Faculty of Arts
> University of Geneva
> 2, rue de Candolle
> 1211 Geneva 4
> Suisse
>
> Phone. +41 22 379 72 40
> Fax. +41 22 379 72 81
> E-mail. basile.zimmermann@lettres.unige.ch
> Web. http://www.unige.ch/lettres/meslo/chinois/
>
> _______________________________________________
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> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
Tony Whitson
UD School of Education
NEWARK DE 19716
twhitson@udel.edu
_______________________________
"those who fail to reread
are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
-- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
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