Maybe we should switch to fast-speed morse-code? ;)

http://www.tarc.org/index.php?load=leno

shamelessly grabbed from engadget.com

And he wasn't even sending that fast...about 34-38 wpm (words per minute). Notice that he was using a Vibraplex speed key as well. Sending is easy though...the guy who copied at that pace was pretty good. I don't use CW much any more, but I'm still good for about 30 wpm.

Now my pa-in-law...an old retired USCG radio operator can pound a straight key at 40 wpm, and a speed key at 60 wpm and copy at that speed as well. Amazing, and he is 82 y/o.

Rich (AKA KL7WI)

Nice, I can't stand text messages. I would be embarrassed even thinking it could beat mores-code. Ha ha

lol. morse code that fast... But if the fastest "typer" of text messaging from like er.. Japan could compete, then i don't know the result.

Nice.

I wonder if there's a software for that on smartphones. Or for that matter, PDAs. Imagine if there's a handwrite character recognizer based on that... it can be pretty fast. For example if a character can be drawn with a single line crossing 3 vertical lines at one of two segments, it might just be faster than pressing one of two buttons three times.

I think it's even fairer if the morse code receiver used a computer, altho that'd be less dramatic or entertaining to watch.

And if anyone wants to challenge them, I guess you can race against that video clip, and prove it to yourself.

Long after Morse was established, they came up with electronic keyboards...where if you pressed the letter A you got the audible .- (dit dot) tone. They took that and compressed the message and sent it out in the airwaves as high speed teletype wherein they average something like 400 wpm, and then it is interpreted electronically. Well obviously some people can type really fast...like my wife...100 wpm+. I guarantee if that test was done again, with two Mobilepro HPCs linked wirelessly the Morse guys would have lost. The limiting factor for that example was the thumb keyboard pressing....

Rich

yeah ... I guess the other limiting factor was the service provider's speed at sending the messages. I believe carriers do batch sending yes? no? I wonder ...

If they used a blue-tooth to blue-tooth msg sending, I believe they might win, the BT folks I meant. And also, if you send in some jap msgers or someone from Singapore, I can easily think of a few friends who can type (or thumb) faster than most people type!

Anyhow, I guess the whole novelty of the "test" was to show how hi-tech *can* be beaten by low-tech and not to do an apple-apple comparison

Sorry, I know some people at work who can type soooo much faster on a Motorola two way pager. I average 35 WPM and I'm very slow!, I also had a Motorola Accompli that had the thumb pad for regular text, I never thought about spelling errors because (that dowsn’t coint on pagers. Oh I guess I misspelled that.) It is really hard to type with your thumbs on a full sized keyboard. Lets face it; the phone keypad sucks as an effective type pad. Especially compared to Morse-Code Those guys were DORKS!!!

hehe ... and those SMS geeks will not have the chance to hone their thumbing skills for 70+ yrs like the MC geeks ... 'cos I doubt any present day technology will last more than 10 years or 20? Though keyboards have been around since day -1.