Weapon of Choice: Keyboard Tales

Three years ago I wrote about my decade-long, on-off obsession with getting the right keyboard. To recap: I bought a clicky mechanical keyboard because it was better than typing on rubber domes. Then, the obsession kicked in and I started building, soldering together, and programming keyboard kits that had been put together by enthusiasts on Kickstarter. I found typing nirvana only in a vintage Apple AEKII keyboard from the early 1990s. But making it work seamlessly with modern computers was too cumbersome.

Finally, I decided that the Taiwanese company Tex, which makes a mechanical keyboard called the Shinobi, was my exit plan. With cherry-brown switches, and the handy track-point mouse in the middle of the keyboard, I found total satisfaction. The exact match of nostalgia, function, and form.

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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Three years ago I wrote about my decade-long, on-off obsession with getting the right keyboard. To recap: I bought a clicky mechanical keyboard because it was better than typing on rubber domes. Then, the obsession kicked in and I started building, soldering together, and programming keyboard kits that had been put together by enthusiasts on Kickstarter. I found typing nirvana only in a vintage Apple AEKII keyboard from the early 1990s. But making it work seamlessly with modern computers was too cumbersome.

Finally, I decided that the Taiwanese company Tex, which makes a mechanical keyboard called the Shinobi, was my exit plan. With cherry-brown switches, and the handy track-point mouse in the middle of the keyboard, I found total satisfaction. The exact match of nostalgia, function, and form.