Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
I don't know what's possible and what isn't. But I believe that the more nostalgia that we can cram into this set, the more popular it will be.
One idea: The Space Shuttle, which even exists as a FontAwesome icon (in case that has any influence as to what's possible) ... http://fontawesome.io/icon/space-shuttle/
Other ideas and influences worth considering: The Cold War, mullets, (mentioned previously) cassette tapes, keytars, ONE glove, Ghostbusters, the Atari joystick, big hair, Ronald Reagan, Rambo, boomboxes, 1984 LA Olympics, ET, any of the MTV logos from the decade, War Games, Prince, Rubik's Cube, Cabbage Patch Kids, Mr. T, a mushroom cloud (The Day After), anything Patrick Nagel, the A-Team van, Top Gun, Sony Walkmans, leg warmers, 80s David Bowie, birthmarked Gorbachev, The Breakfast Club, Alf, Ivan Drago, big brick mobile phones, The Goonies, Andy Warhol, a control knob that goes to 11, arcades, Chucky ... There are probably a lot of people here who can add to and improve this list.
But what if these keys were also novelties? Maybe additional novelties beyond the novelty set? To me, it seems like a great way to boost the Ergodox kit sales and, considering that the 1965 group buy just had to cancel their Ergodox kit, boosting Ergodox kit sales with novelties seems prudent. And, of course, we could include MORE 80s references in this set.