Sunday, April 30, 2017

Windows 10 Driver Issue with Falcon / Z-77 Keyboard

Windows 10 has an issue with this mechanical keyboard (which works great, BTW).  It's a Chinese-made keyboard (aren't they all?), but it doesn't have much English-language support.

I captured a few screen shots of how to fix it in case someone else has the same problem.  (I got the instructions off of Tom's Hardware, but it doesn't have screen shots & isn't clear on some of the details.)

First, open up Device Manager and select the controller under USB controllers (not under keyboards).


Next, choose "update driver" from the Drivers tab.
Then choose the "browse" option (search doesn't find anything).
Then select "Let me pick from available drivers on my computer."
Finally, switch it from the ND device (which is the wrong one) to the generic USB compatible one (which works fine on my machine).








You might want to clip these instructions into your favorite notes software because:

  • You need to do this for each USB port you plug into (though you only need to do it once for each & then you can unplug & plug back in without issues).
  • You need to re-do it after major Windows updates, and it's hard to tell which ones will break it.
Good luck, fellow mechanical keyboard-enjoyers!

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Developer Skills: Listening

Most people have an agenda when they listen.  They aren't really listening, they're waiting for you to finish talking so they can tell you why you're wrong, or demonstrate their own brilliance.

It is hard to listen without an agenda.  Your mind jumps to how you will respond, or wanders off to what you're going to have for lunch.  Becoming good at this takes a lot of time and practice.

It's worth it because:
  • You learn more - a LOT more.
  • You will often change your point of view for the better.
  • People trust you more - and their trust is justified because you are open to changing your point of view.
  • You will make more connections with other experiences.
So how does one listen without an agenda?  The best advice I can give is to "Fake it until you make it."  Act like you don't have an agenda.  Your need to "own" the conversation will slowly fade away as you repeatedly experience the value of listening with an open mind.

If this doesn't work for you, you might want to try being less of a douchebag.  I recommend therapy and meditation.  I'm not longer a complete jerk thanks to both of those.

You can also apply "active listening" techniques.  One is to repeat what they told you in your own words.  This can very easily be overdone, so be careful that  you aren't substituting technique for genuine openness and curiosity.

The best way to demonstrate that you're interested and listening?  Draw it!   This not only clarifies concepts in your mind, it helps your conversation partner understand their own ideas better.  The best part:  It's easy to capture what you've drawn for later reference.  It's easy to forget the details of a conversation, but if you capture the salient points in a picture or a set of bullets, you can recapture most of what you were thinking.