The Steno Keyboard & Mark Kislingbury

Here is what the keyboard of a steno machine looks like. Of course, the keys aren't marked with letters or numbers. They are just blank. If they put the letters and numbers on them it wouldn't help anyway. It's not like you can "hunt and peck" like on a QWERTY board.

To write a word or phrase in steno you first have to learn your steno theory. There are several theories out there and you have to decide which one is the best fit for you. I'm not here to put down anyone's theory. They all have their own merits.

I made my decision to learn the Magnum Steno theory. The Magnum Steno Theory is the brainchild of the National Speed Champion Mark Kislingbury. Mark's theory teaches you to write short which means it can be stroked (typed) faster with less key strokes. Someone who has won the speed championship as many times as he has, has to have something on the ball right? You bet! I began learning my theory on October 6th, 2008 and at this point I'm on chapter 8 of 33 chapters. I've learned a lot so far and still have a long way to go but I'm getting there with a lot of hard work and study time.

If you are considering going into the field of court reporting than I would highly recommend the Magnum Steno Theory. Here is the link to the website for more info: http://www.magnumsteno.com/

My ultimate goal is to go into closed captioning and work from home. In order to be a captioner you have to be able to type very fast. 300+ wpm is the average. In order to do that you have to either be a very fast steno writer or learn a theory with short strokes, or write short. Magnum Steno fills that order for me. ;D

Light Speed by Stenovations

Many of you already know that I am studying to be a court reporter. Recently I purchased a high quality writer called a Light Speed. Previous to this I was working on an old manual writer called a LaSalle. When I say old I'm not kidding. It was manufactured between 1927 & 1938. That machine worked great but to compare it to the steno writer would be hard to do. The LaSalle is like working on a manual typewriter. The steno writers that are available today are nice but

the keys need to be shimmed so you don't have to push them down too far thus avoiding strain on your hands and fingers. If you are working in a court room all day or writing depostions you will greatly appreciate keys that are shimmed. But now along comes the Light Speed. You barely touch the keys and this baby just takes off. You use a very light touch. When you are typing your hands barely move and you gently touch each key so there is no strain at all. The real beauty of this is that each key can be adjusted individually to suit your typing style. And there is no need to send your machine away at a considerable cost to get it shimmed. You can easily do this yourself via your computer!

If you are considering going into court reporting or are thinking of buying a Light Speed do yourself a favor and check it out. It's better and cheaper than the other writers.

I'd also like to say that I am not a salesman for the Light Speed or for Stenovations that manufacters it. I just love it a lot. ;D

Fiesta Doily

This one is called Fiesta Doily. It's about 32" or so around. I love how this one looks on my table. As with most of my doilies I used my favorite size 7 steel hook.

Do we have any crocheters out there?

Pineapple Upsidedown Daisy

Here is a doily I made called Pineapple Upsidedown Daisy. The butterfly's were made separately and added on before the last round was made. This one was really easy to make. It only looks hard. ;D