Know your limits...

Frunch, GCB and I have been talking recently, trying to figure out the future of The Dvorak Zine and DVzine.org. As we get older, we are all becoming very busy guys, and we need to keep the scope of the project small and manageable, instead of expanding it into too many new areas which we will not be able to maintain.
One area we found, where we can cut back, is the idea of translating the Dvorak Zine in a variety of languages. We had created a rough draft of a French Dvorak Zine (which we mentioned here on the blog) but after a lot of thinking and discussion, we have decided to cancel that project. It opens a door to more translations, which we do not have the time to create.
We are deeply honored that so many people across the world, want to spread the message of our zine, but we no longer think that a direct translation is the best way to do so. Our zine is very specifically about an American invention, and American inventors dealing with the English language in a very specific way.
We encourage others to create their OWN zine, dealing with the specific history of their language's version of the Dvorak layout. If anyone wants to use our zine as a reference about the history of the keyboard, or as a template of how to use comics to get across this information, that would be great! But we no longer wish to try and port our zine internationally.
We will of course continue to list links of international sites in the International Section of our site.
Our main goals, as they stand now, are: 1) to spread the word about Dvorak with our site and zine 2) to help new Dvorak typists with their transition into the world of better typing by answering their questions via email 3) to use this blog to point people to new Dvorak resources as they become available. Those are responsibilities we can handle!

"I'm working on it, I'm working on it!"

Well, the first Dvorak Day was a success! Many people wrote in to tell us about passing out flyers, or copies of the zine and hopefully we convinced a few new people to give Dvorak a try! We'll have more time to plan out NEXT year's Dvorak Day, so start thinking up some new ways to spread the word.
The title of this entry is a line from Han Solo, when everything is going wrong on his ship (the Millennium Falcon). This is a bit how we feel here at DVzine.org this summer! While there have not been many updates recently, we are still fighting the good fight! Recently Alec exhibited at the 2008 MoCCA Arts Fest where he passed out many copies of The Dvorak Zine and heard from people who had picked up the zine years ago and are now happily typing Dvorak! Alec is also working on a new 12-page Dvorak comic which will be in the next volume of Syncopated Comics. ALSO Gabe and Alec are preparing to be interviewed for an upcoming documentary about QWERTY.
This is all to say that there are still many updates in the works and we will get to them as soon as we can. We appreciate your continued patience. Soon enough we'll launch back into Hyperspace!

The 1st Annual Dvorak Day!

We hereby declare this Wednesday, May 21st to be the first annual DVORAK DAY! In 1932, Dr. August Dvorak turned in the patent for his simplified keyboard on May 21st, so we thought "What better day to get out and spread the word about Dvorak?!" Since this is the first year, we thought we'd start out small, by making up some flyers to pass around to our non-Dvorak friends.

There are four flyers total, which you can get in the Downloads section. You just print out the PDF file double-sided, cut the sheet on the dotted lines and you are ready to spread the word about Dvorak! Be creative and come up with your own ways to tell others about Dvorak on Wednesday, and send in your stories. That way we can all have some more ideas for NEXT year's Dvorak Day!
We also wanted to note that while doing some research for these flyers, we learned that the world's fastest typer, Barbara Blackburn passed away on April 18th, 2008. Barbara was a lifelong Dvorak typist and did a lot to promote the greater efficiency and SPEED that were possible when typing Dvorak. We are sad to see her go, and send our condolences to her friends and family.

Dvorak Day - May 21st!

Well, the new site updates are far from over, but people can at least get the idea of what's going on. The biggest update is our new international section where we will be posting translations of the zine and other resources for our international friends of Dvorak.
The other big announcement is that we are declaring May 21st International DVORAK DAY! The original patent for The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard Layout says it was filed on May 21st, 1932 so we thought this was as good a day as any to celebrate Dvorak. (We were going to use Dr. Dvorak's birthday, but he was born on Cinco De Mayo!) The goal for Dvorak Day is to tell at least ONE new person about the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard. You don't have to "convert them" but just spread the word to a new person. Just think! If every year we doubled our ranks, eventually we would HAVE to take over, right?!
Anyways, we'll post more info about Dvorak Day as it draws closer and also more about various updates around the site. Viva La Dvorak!

Weekend Updates

Well, Gabe and I are going to be updating the site this WEEK, so there will most likely be a little chaos while pages and sections shift and are updated. We apologize for the confusion this might cause, but hopefully the end result will be a more organized site with better content!
To tide you over while we fiddle with the site, here is a Dvorak inspired Limerick I wrote!

There once was a man named Dvorak.
For inventing, he had quite a knack.
He designed a keyboard
That was largely ignored,
But now it is making a comeback!

Viva La Springtime!

I know, I know: Two months with no updates???! Well, all I can say is, we are not sleeping over here at DVzine.org headquarters. We are busy with many projects!

1. We finally finished converting The Dvorak Zine into French! It is going through some proofreading right now, but will be available soon, as both a webcomic and as a printable PDF. Get ready for Dvorak, people of France!
2. We received our largest ever order of Dvorak Zines (over 400 copies!) for the attendees of the 2008 GEL conference. So Gabe and I have been doing a lot of Folding and Stapling these days.
3. Last but not least, we are gearing up for some rearranging and updating of the site, so that things will be easier to use and up-to-date!

Hang with us, and Viva La Dvorak!

Happy New Year! +100,000 hits?!

Well, it's 2008 and learning Dvorak is a perfect New Year's Resolution!!! :) We've got a few Dvorak-related resolutions here ourselves at DVzine.org central, so hopefully there will be some more activity on the site this year, including a ton of backlogged updates, some translations of the zine (French AND Spanish?!) and some other top-secret surprises that are in the works...

Back in December, our friend Ruth Engelberg was driving home from work in Seattle when she heard Dvorak mentioned on the Sound Focus program. DVzine.org gets a mention about 6:00 into the broadcast, so thanks to Glenn Fleishman and all the folks at KUOW. Hooray for public radio!

Also, UK dvorak enthusiast Colin is trying to get his government to take a look at Dvorak as an official layout for the UK! If you are living in the UK, please sign this petition! He needs 200 e-signatures by April 18th!!!

ALSO, we cleared 100,000 hits on the front page! It's great to think that we've got some new people typing Dvorak from making the zine and this site. Keep spreading the word and we'll change this world yet!

Viva La Dvorak in 2008!