Bill Clementson's Blog

Surviving Emacs - Part 2

Friday, October 29, 2004

I posted recently about various techniques people have used in the past for "surviving Emacs" (e.g. - avoiding RSI-like symptoms due to the excessive use of modifier keys). Well, there's been a long thread on c.l.l. (titled "OT Repetitive Strain Injury") that discusses different techniques that people have found effective in reducing/avoiding the problem of RSI. Peter Seibel (author of the soon-to-be-released book on CL titled "Practical Common Lisp") described what he does:

"Okay, here's how I do it. Of course I tend to overdo things--how do you think I dorked up my wrists in the first place so I can't say this is necessarily recommended practice:

1. Fill one pitcher with cold water and a tray or two of ice cubes, leaving room for you to immerse your hand and wrist without overflowing.
2. Fill another pitcher with scalding hot water, again leaving room for as much of your hand and wrist will fit into pitcher without bending your wrist at some weird angle.
3. Stick affected hand in ice water. Scream in agony until the numbing takes the edge off. Leave in for 1-4 minutes.
4. Move affected hand to hot water. If you timed it just right the water has cooled just enough that you avoid parboiling your hand. Leave in for 1 minute. Move your fingers around some.
5. Go to 3 until you get bored or the water in both pitchers has gone tepid.

I also periodically freshen up the hot water by filling a mug from the hot-water pitcher and microwaving it for a minute while I'm soaking in the cold water and then putting it back in the hot pitcher when I'm ready to switch. But I'm pretty weird."