I am indeed in Sweden and would happily send you some ‘North Sea Oil’ super-killer-diller-salmiak whup-dee-doo insane licorice if, and only if, I had a clue what you are talking about. Is “North Sea Oil” a brand of licorice? Any idea where it can be found (apart from the obvious answer “Sweden”)?
Since we’re chatting keyboards n’ other goodies- anybody know where I can get a normal desktop-sized keyboard (preferably a 101-key or less) but with laptop-style keys?
I know they make 'em… or made 'em at least. I saw one in a CompUSA once- and there’s a MAC version there now- but I can’t find a source right now.
After using a laptop extensively for a while, I discovered the flatter/lower keys and the reduced key travel helps my hunt-and-peck typing style somewhat.
That “Happy Hacker” KB with the low laptop style keys would be just about perfect- but I’d settle for a 101 or 103-key, etc.
elmwood said:
Got one right here, plugged in the back of my Dell running Win XP Pro. That and my Logitech Trackman make my life a comfortable thing.
I hate to ask a serious question in the pit, but has anyone know of a windows driver for the keyboard so I can use all the fancy keys on the left keypad?
Does anyone remember the membrane keyboard?
About 20 years ago, the Timex Sinclair personnal computer was introduced, and one of the features of this computer was it’s membrane keyboard. Hell, you could spill your Big Gulp ™ full of coke on this baby & not worry about messing it up.
If you ever wanted to torchure someone back in the early 80’s, ask them to type a 12-page term paper on this computer.
OH THE HUMANITY!!
Good God, Zenster, are you talking about that salted licorice? A Swedish girl here at work brought some in and I, being known for my ability to eat and like virtually anything, was offered some.
I gagged it up instantly into the trash can. My boss, wanting to show how macho he was, tried one and gagged it up instantly into the trash can.
Be sure to post back and let me know how you like it.
Aargh! Caps Lock–an absolute bane! I use sHIFT and tAB all the time 
The Insert key’s ‘Overtype’ feature is a pain in the posterior as well.
Hate to tell you this, but the menu key doesn’t usually do the same thing as the ALT key. It does the same thing as right-clicking on whatever has focus. If you want to use the context menu without touching the mouse, this can be handy. (note: it also lets you effectively right-click on things in web pages (i.e. to get the URL of a picture) even if the page author has used javascript to disable right-click).
And CTRL-ESC (not alt-esc) isn’t a complete substiture for the Windows key, either. There are a bunch of shortcuts which use the Windows key as a modifier, and some of them are pretty convenient. Windows-L locks your screen on XP, Windows-E launches an explorer, and Windows-Break brings up System Properties. There are admittedly other ways of doing these things, but in fairness, the Windows key does save you more than just having to hit CTRL-ESC.
Point taken. I still want to hunt down whoever invented them and skin them alive, though.
Don’t worry, a small flat of the Finnish Fazer Salmiak in the little red, white and black boxes would do just fine. Another one that’s impossible to find over here is Seaman’s Skra. Not to be confused with Skipper Skra, these oblong bon bons are brown instead of black and have a hollow tubular center filled with salmiak powder. I’d mail you two keyboards if you could find those. They’re made by a Danish manufacturer. Please email me your address and we’ll begin preparations for The Great Transatlantic Keyboard Migration[sup]®[/sup].
Yes indeedy pug, it’s that horrid black salty stuff that has been known to make grown men cower in abject terror. I also wanted to take a moment and send you my personal condolences about you losing one of your pups. I know how attached one can be to a pet. I’ll wager that your animals are more pampered than few others on this planet. Anyone who matches their interior decor to their pet’s fur color is a doting owner.
I use a program called “winkeykill” to disable my windows key. I don’t have a direct link but you can google it. I found it after getting really annoyed with getting kicked to the desktop and losing sound in Counter-Strike.
You can still use the CTRL-ESC method to get your menu up. Or of course, you can click on the thing.
Priceguy: Just send Zenster some “Djungelvrål” and and “Lakritsbåtar”. Haven’t heard of that danish candy though.
Thanks (tusand tak), Juggler. Translation please? Do you know their ingredients and manufacturer? I like there to be nearly as much licorice as salmiak.
Do they still make the “Tisse Murre” (pissing ants) and “Dode Flojer” (?) (dead flies)? I found those to be very interesting.
PS: Priceguy, I purposefully snagged you an extra keyboard today. I can send you two if you locate all those goodies. I’ll try to have the 'boards tested within the next week.
Priceguy, your keyboards have been tested and will now be packaged for shipping. (I managed to find my large to small keyboard connector adapter much quicker than I thought.)
These keyboards have the older style large diameter connector. You need to check your computer’s backplane for which size it takes. Are the connector size converting adapters available over in Sweden? If you need me to, I can go out and buy you the adapter. It’ll just mean more licorice.
Well, it’s not like the computer was fast enough to handle touch-typing anyway:
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--
except at occasional intervals, when
i [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
t [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
w [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
a [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
s [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
c [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
h [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
e [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
c [wait half a second for screen to refresh]
k [wait a second for screen to refresh]
e [wait a second for screen to refresh]
d [wait a second for screen to refresh]
b [wait a second for screen to refresh]
y [wait a second for screen to refresh]
a [wait a second for screen to refresh]
v [wait a second for screen to refresh]
i [wait a second for screen to refresh]
o [wait two seconds for screen to refresh]
l [wait two seconds for screen to refresh]
e [wait two seconds for screen to refresh]
n [wait two seconds for screen to refresh]
t [wait two second for screen to refresh]
I’m only barely exaggerating.
I got one of those wireless newfangled Microsoft keyboards, and I love it. Well… almost. Why the hell can’t I access my function keys normally? If I hit the F5-key to refresh, it selects the command “Open”. Which is the alternative function to the key, granted, but why does it do this? How can I get the function keys to behave like, you know, function keys?
I didn’t notice the keyboard lacked an insert key until someone in this thread pointed it out. Huh.
Apart from the play and skip keys for WinAmps, I don’t really use all the extra stuff that much. But it’s a good quality keyboard, and I like the cordless mouse that comes with it too.
Oh, and I like this one Swedish candy called Tyrkispebber or something. I probably messed up the spelling, but it comes in this blue bag with yellow letters on it. Refreshing and spicy at the same time. Does it mean “Turkish pepper”, like I suspect?
Coldie, in the old days these used to be known as “Turkish Pepper Bombs.” The blue and yellow package showed a guy in quasi-middle Eastern garb wearing a nearly sombrero type of hat holding a bag of this candy and literally vomiting orange flames from his mouth.
It is a licorice flavored hard candy bon bon similar to the Seaman’s Skra (Sailor’s Chaw) that I am inquiring about. The big difference was that the powder filling of the Turkish Pepper Bombs contained a healthy dose of chili pepper dust along with the ubiquitous salmiak. My once-removed Danish Uncle, Kasper, was totally addicted to these. Recently, they have come out with a toned-down and smaller size chewy variant of the same recipe. It just isn’t the same without that (gun)powder core.
Actually, there are other strong salmiak powder filled “pixie stix” type straws called, sorte krud, (black powder) but they are another matter entirely.
On a side note, did you know if you attack a keyboard with a drill and a 3/4 inch bit the keys fly off in random directions?
Quite satisfying, really.
I like the way you think!
Zenster Found these pages which describes Djungelvrål and lakritsbåtar pretty well.
http://www.northerner.com/products/mat-allatiders-djungelvral-100gr.html
http://www.northerner.com/products/mat-lakritsbatar.html
Also found this page with a picture of Tyrkisk peber (Turkish pepper in danish). http://www.danish-deli-food.com/English/Shop/productdetail.asp?recid=80
You should try these too. http://www.northerner.com/products/mat-godis-lakrisal.html
I haven’t seen the pissants etc. candy in stores lately but can’t say I’ve been looking for it either. I’m in Sweden and that type of candy was from Denmark, maybe it moved back 
I think I’m little too much a Homestar Runner fan. This is the second time today I’ve posted a H*R reference on the boards.