Australian journalist Isabella Kwai thumb-types her interview notes using her “disturbingly agile millennial thumbs.” Interesting Mac/iPhone productivity tools here, not the usual stuff that comes up on the usual podcasts and Apple websites. I like that her toolkit is simple.
Note taking, or transcribing?
There’s a pushback against students taking notes on laptops, as it leads to mindless transcription of lectures. Perhaps not an issue in reporting.
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Many people don’t realize that James Arness of Gunsmoke fame played the monster in the original Disturbingly Agile Milennial Thumb movie.
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Yeah, I’ve worked in newsrooms where note-taking on the keyboard during phone interviews was a requirement. The use of pen and paper (or worse, memory) was forbidden. I had my doubts, but in each case, once my fingers were intimately familiar with the keyboard, I found it to be a far more efficient and accurate way to take notes for that purpose. It wasn’t about retention. It was about transcribing what the person was saying in real time.
I’m sure that with enough practice I could develop the ability to do that on a touch screen. I’m also sure that I’m glad that I don’t need to.
Mistaking method as cause …not pointing at how it’s typically used?? …other techniques possible using typing input?