Keyboard Shortcuts I Learned From My Cat Leave a comment
My cat Mira is ideal, and has by no means executed something unsuitable. She additionally loves strolling on laptop computer keys—each my MacBook and my spouse Kathy’s Home windows PC.
You may assume that strolling on laptops is an instance of Mira doing one thing unsuitable. She disagrees. And, in any case, we have each realized quite a bit about how our computer systems work due to this. Each time she walks throughout our keyboards she triggers some new, complicated keyboard shortcut. I ponder how she did it, however then I discover out the keyboard shortcut by Googling round. This is what I realized.
Mira Hides Necessary Issues
A number of occasions Mira has walked throughout my keyboard and precipitated most of my home windows to vanish. This sends me right into a panic—is my work gone?—till I click on a dock icon and notice every part remains to be there. What occurred?
It may very well be a couple of issues. On the Mac the keyboard shortcut Command-Possibility-H hides all home windows besides the present one. Or perhaps Mira switched digital desktops in Mission Management—that is executed with Management–Left/Proper arrow key, and will make it seem like all of my home windows are gone.
Mira’s pulled this trick off on a PC too. Home windows–, (comma) hides all home windows whereas Home windows-Ctrl-Left/Proper arrow key switches digital desktops. So there’s all types of the way for Mira to induce anxiousness whereas additionally instructing us extra about how our computer systems work. Beautiful.
Mira Takes a Screenshot
I take screenshots on my Mac always, so it wasn’t a lot of a shock for me when Mira managed to set off Command-Shift-4 to set off taking a screenshot of a selected space on my display.
However I did not notice I may do the identical factor on a PC: Home windows+Shift+S is the keyboard shortcut for that, apparently. Now I do know this, and I’ll use it on a regular basis.
Mira Toggles the Dock, By some means
I often like to cover the dock on my Mac, however Mira apparently disagrees. As soon as she walked over the keyboard and it stopped being hidden. Apparently she pressed Command-Possibility-D, which toggles whether or not the bar is hidden or not.
I may think about this being much more complicated when you’re the type of one who by no means hides the dock—the place did it go? Some may like with the ability to rapidly toggle this, although, so I am glad Mira confirmed me easy methods to do it.
Mira Teaches Me About Accessibility
Typically Mira will stroll over Kathy’s laptop computer and the keyboard now not works. Truthfully, I’ve researched this one extensively, and I’ve no thought how Mira pulled that off.
However there are a bunch of keyboard shortcuts that change how typing works in Home windows. Urgent the Shift key 5 occasions on Home windows, for instance, allows Sticky Keys, an accessibility function that adjustments how modifier keys like Management, Alt, and Shift work. With this function on, urgent Shift applies the Shift key as if it is held down, which may lead to you typing in all caps. It is helpful for individuals who cannot press a number of keys directly, however complicated when enabled by a cat. Tapping Shift a second time turns off Shift lock, and you’ll disable the function by tapping Shift one other 5 occasions.
One other accessibility function triggers when Mira sits on the correct shift key for 5 seconds—FilterKeys. This function, meant for individuals with hand tremors, causes the system to disregard brief and repeat key presses. It is a helpful function, and I am glad it is there, nevertheless it’s a complicated factor to activate unintentionally.
It’s all the time enjoyable to understand your laptop can do one thing you didn’t comprehend it may, even when the best way you be taught it’s a little bit complicated. So I’m grateful to Mira, in a means, for displaying me these keyboard shortcuts. However I’m additionally working to coach her to cease strolling and sitting on my laptop computer. Possibly sometime.
