1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff. 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today's episode is another classic from 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: our erstwhile host, Christian Sagar. As casual computer use has 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: shifted from happening on laptops and desktops to touch screen devices, 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: the patterns of wear on traditional cordy keyboards has shifted too, 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: so which keys now were out first? Hey brain Stuff, 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: it's Christian Sager here. If you spend a lot of 8 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: time using a computer, you have undoubtedly noticed that over 9 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: time some of the letters on your keyboards start to disappear. 10 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,279 Speaker 1: That leads to the question which keys on a keyboard 11 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: tend to wear out the fastest. Since keys wear out 12 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: because of use, it's logical to assume that the keys 13 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: that wear out the fastest are the ones we use 14 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: most heavily, So which ones are they? Back in the 15 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: days before computers, when typewriters and type setting machines were 16 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: used to put words on paper, that was a fairly 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: easy question to answer. As a trade publication called The 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: Inland Printer noted, back in it was widely accepted that 19 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: the most used key on keyboards was the space bar, 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: followed by the letter E. Some sources still adhere to 21 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: that convention. A Microsoft product marketing official told Business Insider in, 22 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: for example, that the most used key was the space bar, 23 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 1: followed by the E and then the backspace key. But 24 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: if you really want the definitive answer, the source best 25 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: equipped to give it might be someone who replaces computer 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: keys for a living. Patrick Halcrow is owner and operator 27 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: of Laptop dash keys dot com, which supplies keys and 28 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: parts needed, along with repair instructions, to people who need 29 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: to fix their broken laptop keyboards. Halcrow explains in an 30 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: email that these days, habits have changed. That's because a 31 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: lot of people who were once casual computer users have 32 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: switched to using smartphones and tablets with touch screens to 33 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: write emails and check out social media and videos, and 34 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: the people who still use laptops are mostly either workers 35 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: or computer gamers. As Halcrow says, gamers mostly order replacements 36 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: for the W, A, S, and D keys, as well 37 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:32,239 Speaker 1: as the arrow keys. That's because these specific keys are 38 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: used for player movement in RPG type games as well 39 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: as vehicle control in driving type simulators. People who use 40 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: desktop and laptop computers for work, in contrast, tend to 41 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 1: replace the vowel keys A, E, I, O, and you, 42 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,239 Speaker 1: and the space bar and the arrow keys, which Halcrow 43 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: said are the keys pressed most often when typing. According 44 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: to Halcrow, people tend to replace key ease mostly because 45 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:04,119 Speaker 1: of aesthetics. They don't like the look of a keyboard 46 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: where some of the letters are worn off, and not 47 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: because of wear and tear on the underlying mechanism. When 48 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: there is actual damage, he says, it's not because of 49 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: wear and tear, but rather it's accidental. Think of your 50 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: pets knocking a laptop off a table or children breaking 51 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: off the keys, and as is the case with all accidents, 52 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: breaking the actual key mechanism is more unpredictable. Today's episode 53 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: was written by Patrick da Tider and produced by Dylan 54 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 1: Fagan and Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots 55 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: of their topics, is it how stuffworks dot com. Brain 56 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of iHeart Radio or more podcasts to 57 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 58 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.