new post: programming on 34 keys

5 files changed, 411 insertions, 8 deletions

diff --git a/docs/index.html b/docs/index.html
index f1ead1b..259777e 100644
--- a/docs/index.html
+++ b/docs/index.html
@@ -42,15 +42,15 @@
     <tr>
         <td class=table-post>
             <div class="date">
-                02/08 — 2022
+                28/08 — 2022
             </div>
-            <a href="/posts/a_reference_counted_afterlife" class="post-link">
-                <span class="post-link">A Reference Counted Afterlife</span>
+            <a href="/posts/programming_on_34_keys" class="post-link">
+                <span class="post-link">Programming On 34 Keys</span>
             </a>
         </td>
         <td class=table-stats>
             <span class="stats-number">
-                1.6
+                6.2
             </span>
             <span class=stats-unit>min</span>
         </td>
@@ -59,15 +59,15 @@
     <tr>
         <td class=table-post>
             <div class="date">
-                13/06 — 2022
+                02/08 — 2022
             </div>
-            <a href="/posts/lotus58" class="post-link">
-                <span class="post-link">Lotus58</span>
+            <a href="/posts/a_reference_counted_afterlife" class="post-link">
+                <span class="post-link">A Reference Counted Afterlife</span>
             </a>
         </td>
         <td class=table-stats>
             <span class="stats-number">
-                4.7
+                1.6
             </span>
             <span class=stats-unit>min</span>
         </td>
diff --git a/docs/index.xml b/docs/index.xml
index 996ef12..62c8871 100644
--- a/docs/index.xml
+++ b/docs/index.xml
@@ -12,6 +12,85 @@
       <language>en-us</language>
       <copyright>Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0</copyright>
       <item>
+<title>Programming On 34 Keys</title>
+<description>&lt;p&gt;Minimizing your keyboard layout is a slippery slope. A few months ago, I built the &lt;a href="https://github.com/icyphox/ferricy"&gt;Ferricy&lt;/a&gt;, a 34-key-split-ortho-ergo keyboard. The Ferricy is a fork of the &lt;a href="https://github.com/davidphilipbarr/Sweep/tree/main/Sweep%20Bling%20MX"&gt;Ferris Sweep MX Bling&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/otz.jpg" alt="The Ferricy, designed by icyphox" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;The Ferricy, designed by &lt;a href="https://icyphox.sh"&gt;icyphox&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;My daily use consists of a bit of prose and a lot of program, my layout has evolved accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;h1 id="base-layer"&gt;Base Layer&lt;/h1&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/base.png" alt="Colemak with no mods" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;Colemak with no mods&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;The base layer contains alphabets, four symbols and four whitespace keys:&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;ul&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;Alphas: Stock Colemak, with no modifications whatsoever&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;Symbols: &lt;code&gt;. , / ;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;Whitespace: tab, space, enter, backspace (from left to right)&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;/ul&gt;
+&lt;h1 id="layers"&gt;Layers&lt;/h1&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Keyboard input is complex and it is impossible to skirt around it. You can either use a keyboard with enough keys to supply all possible inputs (a mechanical burden), or you can use firmware to supply all possible inputs (a cognitive burden). Layers are a cognitive burden.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;I use 3 layers, heavily inspired by &lt;a href="https://github.com/manna-harbour/miryoku"&gt;Miryoku&lt;/a&gt;, but tuned for programming. Excluding the base Colemak layer:&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;ul&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;&lt;code&gt;NAV&lt;/code&gt;: activated on holding &lt;code&gt;space&lt;/code&gt; (left thumb)&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;&lt;code&gt;NUM&lt;/code&gt;: activated on holding &lt;code&gt;tab&lt;/code&gt; (left thumb)&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;&lt;code&gt;SYM&lt;/code&gt;: activated on holding &lt;code&gt;enter&lt;/code&gt; (right thumb)&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;/ul&gt;
+&lt;h2 id="the-nav-layer"&gt;The &lt;code&gt;NAV&lt;/code&gt; Layer&lt;/h2&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;As the name suggests, this layer is focused on navigation. Arrow keys and the likes.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/nav.png" alt="NAV, on holding space" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;&lt;code&gt;NAV&lt;/code&gt;, on holding &lt;code&gt;space&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Using Vim and Colemak means you lose out on HJKL navigation. However, on activating the &lt;code&gt;NAV&lt;/code&gt; layer, the right home-row is converted into arrow keys. In essence, by holding space, I can navigate Vim with the home-row, or Firefox, or my PDF reader. I no longer need to look for software that allows Vim navigation keys, because it is baked into the firmware!&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;My Vim motions are not limited to HJKL. In fact, my Vim motions are rarely HJKL. I tend to use &lt;code&gt;}&lt;/code&gt; (next paragraph) and &lt;code&gt;)&lt;/code&gt; (next sentence) more often. As a result, these have found their way into my &lt;code&gt;NAV&lt;/code&gt; layer, over the likes of &lt;code&gt;PgDown&lt;/code&gt; and &lt;code&gt;End&lt;/code&gt;. Having brackets at my index and middle fingers is nice for programming too.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;h2 id="the-sym-layer"&gt;The &lt;code&gt;SYM&lt;/code&gt; Layer&lt;/h2&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/sym.png" alt="SYM, on holding enter" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;&lt;code&gt;SYM&lt;/code&gt;, on holding &lt;code&gt;enter&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;This layer contains all the symbols that you would find by hitting &lt;code&gt;Shift&lt;/code&gt; and a key on the number row. Probably noteworthy to Vim users: the symbols are arranged in the form of a mirrored numpad for exactly one reason: to move &lt;code&gt;$&lt;/code&gt; to the left of &lt;code&gt;^&lt;/code&gt;. It has always annoyed me that &lt;code&gt;$&lt;/code&gt; moves the cursor to the end of the line and &lt;code&gt;^&lt;/code&gt; moves it to the beginning, but their position on a typical number row are reversed, 4 comes before 6.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;h2 id="the-num-layer"&gt;The &lt;code&gt;NUM&lt;/code&gt; layer&lt;/h2&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/num.png" alt="NUM, on holding tab" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;&lt;code&gt;NUM&lt;/code&gt;, on holding &lt;code&gt;tab&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Another deviation from Miryoku, the numpad just feels &lt;em&gt;right&lt;/em&gt; on my &lt;em&gt;right&lt;/em&gt; hand.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;h1 id="zmk-combos"&gt;ZMK Combos&lt;/h1&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;If you have been paying close attention, you might have noticed that &lt;code&gt;escape&lt;/code&gt; didn’t make it to any layer. &lt;code&gt;escape&lt;/code&gt; is too crucial to put on a non-base layer, but at the same time, not as important to deserve a place on the base layer. That is where ZMK’s combos come in. Combos let you tap any number of keys, and combine them to form a single key. I have combos set up for underscore, minus, escape and caps-word (more on caps-word later):&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/combos.png" alt="Combos are almost piano-like" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;Combos are almost piano-like&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;h1 id="home-row-mods"&gt;Home-row Mods&lt;/h1&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Inherited from Miryoku, I have home-row mods for activating &lt;code&gt;Super&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Alt&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Shift&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Ctrl&lt;/code&gt; and &lt;code&gt;Hyper&lt;/code&gt; (&lt;code&gt;Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Super&lt;/code&gt;). The idea is to send &lt;code&gt;T&lt;/code&gt; on tap and &lt;code&gt;Ctrl&lt;/code&gt; on hold. Home-row mods are fairly popular, so I’ll not go into the details.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;figure&gt;
+&lt;img src="https://u.peppe.rs/homerow.png" alt="Super, Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Hyper; on the left half, and mirrored on the right half" /&gt;&lt;figcaption aria-hidden="true"&gt;Super, Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Hyper; on the left half, and mirrored on the right half&lt;/figcaption&gt;
+&lt;/figure&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;&lt;code&gt;Hyper&lt;/code&gt; bridges the gap between firmware and software. You can never configure key combination that, opens Firefox, for example, through firmware alone. However, with the &lt;code&gt;Hyper&lt;/code&gt; key, and some &lt;code&gt;sxhkd&lt;/code&gt; magic, you can emulate that. Pressing &lt;code&gt;Hyper + F&lt;/code&gt; on a keyboard is just two keys, but the key codes sent are &lt;code&gt;Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Super + F&lt;/code&gt;. That key combination is not intercepted by any application as a shortcut, except for the following &lt;code&gt;sxhkd&lt;/code&gt; stanza:&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;div class="sourceCode" id="cb1"&gt;&lt;pre class="sourceCode bash"&gt;&lt;code class="sourceCode bash"&gt;&lt;span id="cb1-1"&gt;&lt;a href="#cb1-1" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="ex"&gt;super&lt;/span&gt; + alt + shift + ctrl + f&lt;/span&gt;
+&lt;span id="cb1-2"&gt;&lt;a href="#cb1-2" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;span class="ex"&gt;xdotool&lt;/span&gt; search &lt;span class="st"&gt;&amp;quot;Mozilla Firefox&amp;quot;&lt;/span&gt; windowactivate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you can intercept unused &lt;code&gt;F&lt;/code&gt; keys: &lt;code&gt;F13&lt;/code&gt; through &lt;code&gt;F24&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Home-row mods are mirrored on each half because it would be impossible to hit &lt;code&gt;Ctrl + T&lt;/code&gt; if not; they lie on the same key.&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;h1 id="caps-word"&gt;Caps-word&lt;/h1&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Caps-word is a clever caps-lock, built into ZMK. Typing out constants such as &lt;code&gt;PORT&lt;/code&gt; with home-row mods would look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;ul&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;hold &lt;code&gt;e&lt;/code&gt; (shift) on left hand, and tap &lt;code&gt;p&lt;/code&gt; on right hand&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;hold &lt;code&gt;e&lt;/code&gt; (shift) on left hand, and tap &lt;code&gt;o&lt;/code&gt; on right hand&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;hold &lt;code&gt;s&lt;/code&gt; (shift) on right hand, and tap &lt;code&gt;r&lt;/code&gt; on left hand&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;hold &lt;code&gt;s&lt;/code&gt; (shift) on right hand, and tap &lt;code&gt;t&lt;/code&gt; on left hand&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;/ul&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;This hold-alternate-hold dance gets tiring quickly. With caps-word, however:&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;ul&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;toggle &lt;code&gt;caps_word&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;type out &lt;code&gt;p&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;o&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;r&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;t&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;hit a &lt;em&gt;break&lt;/em&gt; character (space, enter will do)&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;li&gt;continue&lt;/li&gt;
+&lt;/ul&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;Caps-word automatically disables capitalization upon encountering a breaking character, (which are space, enter or any modifier, by default) right in the firmware!&lt;/p&gt;
+&lt;h1 id="findings"&gt;Findings&lt;/h1&gt;
+&lt;p&gt;34-keys has been reasonably comfortable to use, for both prose and program. My palms do not move across the desk at all, as I reach for keys. I mostly write Rust and Bash, and my layout has evolved to accomodate special characters from their grammars (angled brackets and hyphens, specifically). If you are on a similar journey, I would suggest focusing on accuracy and comfort over speed. Speed comes with time.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
+<link>https://peppe.rs/posts/programming_on_34_keys/</link>
+<pubDate>Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:51:00 +0000</pubDate>
+<guid>https://peppe.rs/posts/programming_on_34_keys/</guid>
+</item>
+<item>
 <title>A Reference Counted Afterlife</title>
 <description>&lt;p&gt;I took interest in the Egyptian rendition of the afterlife recently.&lt;/p&gt;
 &lt;h3 id="parts-of-the-soul"&gt;Parts of the Soul&lt;/h3&gt;
diff --git a/docs/posts/index.html b/docs/posts/index.html
index 24d9594..c211d3b 100644
--- a/docs/posts/index.html
+++ b/docs/posts/index.html
@@ -27,6 +27,23 @@
     <tr>
         <td class=table-post>
             <div class="date">
+                28/08 — 2022
+            </div>
+            <a href="/posts/programming_on_34_keys" class="post-link">
+                <span class="post-link">Programming On 34 Keys</span>
+            </a>
+        </td>
+        <td class=table-stats>
+            <span class="stats-number">
+                6.2
+            </span>
+            <span class=stats-unit>min</span>
+        </td>
+    </tr>
+    
+    <tr>
+        <td class=table-post>
+            <div class="date">
                 02/08 — 2022
             </div>
             <a href="/posts/a_reference_counted_afterlife" class="post-link">
diff --git a/docs/posts/programming_on_34_keys/index.html b/docs/posts/programming_on_34_keys/index.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8667701
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/posts/programming_on_34_keys/index.html
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/style.css">
+    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/syntax.css">
+    <meta charset="UTF-8">
+    <meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1">
+    <meta content="#ffffff" name="theme-color">
+    <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true">
+    <meta property="og:title" content="Programming On 34 Keys">
+    <meta property="og:type" content="website">
+    <meta property="og:description" content="a static site {for, by, about} me ">
+    <meta property="og:url" content="https://peppe.rs">
+    <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.png">
+    <title>Programming On 34 Keys · peppe.rs</title>
+    <body>
+      <div class="posts">
+        <div class="post">
+          <a href="/" class="post-end-link">Home</a>
+          <span>/</span>
+          <a href="/posts" class="post-end-link">Posts</a>
+          <span>/</span>
+          <a class="post-end-link">Programming On 34 Keys</a>
+          <a class="stats post-end-link" href="https://git.peppe.rs/web/site/plain/posts/programming_on_34_keys.md
+">View Raw</a>
+          <div class="separator"></div>
+          <div class="date">
+            28/08 — 2022
+            <div class="stats">
+              <span class="stats-number">
+                63.53
+              </span>
+              <span class="stats-unit">cm</span>
+              &nbsp
+              <span class="stats-number">
+                6.2
+              </span>
+              <span class="stats-unit">min</span>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+          <h1>
+            Programming On 34 Keys
+          </h1>
+          <div class="post-text">
+            <p>Minimizing your keyboard layout is a slippery slope. A few months ago, I built the <a href="https://github.com/icyphox/ferricy">Ferricy</a>, a 34-key-split-ortho-ergo keyboard. The Ferricy is a fork of the <a href="https://github.com/davidphilipbarr/Sweep/tree/main/Sweep%20Bling%20MX">Ferris Sweep MX Bling</a>.</p>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/otz.jpg" alt="The Ferricy, designed by icyphox" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true">The Ferricy, designed by <a href="https://icyphox.sh">icyphox</a></figcaption>
+</figure>
+<p>My daily use consists of a bit of prose and a lot of program, my layout has evolved accordingly.</p>
+<h1 id="base-layer">Base Layer</h1>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/base.png" alt="Colemak with no mods" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true">Colemak with no mods</figcaption>
+</figure>
+<p>The base layer contains alphabets, four symbols and four whitespace keys:</p>
+<ul>
+<li>Alphas: Stock Colemak, with no modifications whatsoever</li>
+<li>Symbols: <code>. , / ;</code></li>
+<li>Whitespace: tab, space, enter, backspace (from left to right)</li>
+</ul>
+<h1 id="layers">Layers</h1>
+<p>Keyboard input is complex and it is impossible to skirt around it. You can either use a keyboard with enough keys to supply all possible inputs (a mechanical burden), or you can use firmware to supply all possible inputs (a cognitive burden). Layers are a cognitive burden.</p>
+<p>I use 3 layers, heavily inspired by <a href="https://github.com/manna-harbour/miryoku">Miryoku</a>, but tuned for programming. Excluding the base Colemak layer:</p>
+<ul>
+<li><code>NAV</code>: activated on holding <code>space</code> (left thumb)</li>
+<li><code>NUM</code>: activated on holding <code>tab</code> (left thumb)</li>
+<li><code>SYM</code>: activated on holding <code>enter</code> (right thumb)</li>
+</ul>
+<h2 id="the-nav-layer">The <code>NAV</code> Layer</h2>
+<p>As the name suggests, this layer is focused on navigation. Arrow keys and the likes.</p>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/nav.png" alt="NAV, on holding space" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true"><code>NAV</code>, on holding <code>space</code></figcaption>
+</figure>
+<p>Using Vim and Colemak means you lose out on HJKL navigation. However, on activating the <code>NAV</code> layer, the right home-row is converted into arrow keys. In essence, by holding space, I can navigate Vim with the home-row, or Firefox, or my PDF reader. I no longer need to look for software that allows Vim navigation keys, because it is baked into the firmware!</p>
+<p>My Vim motions are not limited to HJKL. In fact, my Vim motions are rarely HJKL. I tend to use <code>}</code> (next paragraph) and <code>)</code> (next sentence) more often. As a result, these have found their way into my <code>NAV</code> layer, over the likes of <code>PgDown</code> and <code>End</code>. Having brackets at my index and middle fingers is nice for programming too.</p>
+<h2 id="the-sym-layer">The <code>SYM</code> Layer</h2>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/sym.png" alt="SYM, on holding enter" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true"><code>SYM</code>, on holding <code>enter</code></figcaption>
+</figure>
+<p>This layer contains all the symbols that you would find by hitting <code>Shift</code> and a key on the number row. Probably noteworthy to Vim users: the symbols are arranged in the form of a mirrored numpad for exactly one reason: to move <code>$</code> to the left of <code>^</code>. It has always annoyed me that <code>$</code> moves the cursor to the end of the line and <code>^</code> moves it to the beginning, but their position on a typical number row are reversed, 4 comes before 6.</p>
+<h2 id="the-num-layer">The <code>NUM</code> layer</h2>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/num.png" alt="NUM, on holding tab" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true"><code>NUM</code>, on holding <code>tab</code></figcaption>
+</figure>
+<p>Another deviation from Miryoku, the numpad just feels <em>right</em> on my <em>right</em> hand.</p>
+<h1 id="zmk-combos">ZMK Combos</h1>
+<p>If you have been paying close attention, you might have noticed that <code>escape</code> didn’t make it to any layer. <code>escape</code> is too crucial to put on a non-base layer, but at the same time, not as important to deserve a place on the base layer. That is where ZMK’s combos come in. Combos let you tap any number of keys, and combine them to form a single key. I have combos set up for underscore, minus, escape and caps-word (more on caps-word later):</p>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/combos.png" alt="Combos are almost piano-like" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true">Combos are almost piano-like</figcaption>
+</figure>
+<h1 id="home-row-mods">Home-row Mods</h1>
+<p>Inherited from Miryoku, I have home-row mods for activating <code>Super</code>, <code>Alt</code>, <code>Shift</code>, <code>Ctrl</code> and <code>Hyper</code> (<code>Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Super</code>). The idea is to send <code>T</code> on tap and <code>Ctrl</code> on hold. Home-row mods are fairly popular, so I’ll not go into the details.</p>
+<figure>
+<img src="https://u.peppe.rs/homerow.png" alt="Super, Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Hyper; on the left half, and mirrored on the right half" /><figcaption aria-hidden="true">Super, Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Hyper; on the left half, and mirrored on the right half</figcaption>
+</figure>
+<p><code>Hyper</code> bridges the gap between firmware and software. You can never configure key combination that, opens Firefox, for example, through firmware alone. However, with the <code>Hyper</code> key, and some <code>sxhkd</code> magic, you can emulate that. Pressing <code>Hyper + F</code> on a keyboard is just two keys, but the key codes sent are <code>Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Super + F</code>. That key combination is not intercepted by any application as a shortcut, except for the following <code>sxhkd</code> stanza:</p>
+<div class="sourceCode" id="cb1"><pre class="sourceCode bash"><code class="sourceCode bash"><span id="cb1-1"><a href="#cb1-1" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="ex">super</span> + alt + shift + ctrl + f</span>
+<span id="cb1-2"><a href="#cb1-2" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a>  <span class="ex">xdotool</span> search <span class="st">&quot;Mozilla Firefox&quot;</span> windowactivate</span></code></pre></div>
+<p>Alternatively, you can intercept unused <code>F</code> keys: <code>F13</code> through <code>F24</code>.</p>
+<p>Home-row mods are mirrored on each half because it would be impossible to hit <code>Ctrl + T</code> if not; they lie on the same key.</p>
+<h1 id="caps-word">Caps-word</h1>
+<p>Caps-word is a clever caps-lock, built into ZMK. Typing out constants such as <code>PORT</code> with home-row mods would look like this:</p>
+<ul>
+<li>hold <code>e</code> (shift) on left hand, and tap <code>p</code> on right hand</li>
+<li>hold <code>e</code> (shift) on left hand, and tap <code>o</code> on right hand</li>
+<li>hold <code>s</code> (shift) on right hand, and tap <code>r</code> on left hand</li>
+<li>hold <code>s</code> (shift) on right hand, and tap <code>t</code> on left hand</li>
+</ul>
+<p>This hold-alternate-hold dance gets tiring quickly. With caps-word, however:</p>
+<ul>
+<li>toggle <code>caps_word</code></li>
+<li>type out <code>p</code>, <code>o</code>, <code>r</code>, <code>t</code></li>
+<li>hit a <em>break</em> character (space, enter will do)</li>
+<li>continue</li>
+</ul>
+<p>Caps-word automatically disables capitalization upon encountering a breaking character, (which are space, enter or any modifier, by default) right in the firmware!</p>
+<h1 id="findings">Findings</h1>
+<p>34-keys has been reasonably comfortable to use, for both prose and program. My palms do not move across the desk at all, as I reach for keys. I mostly write Rust and Bash, and my layout has evolved to accomodate special characters from their grammars (angled brackets and hyphens, specifically). If you are on a similar journey, I would suggest focusing on accuracy and comfort over speed. Speed comes with time.</p>
+
+          </div>
+          
+    <div class="intro">
+        Hi. 
+        <div class="hot-links">
+            <a href="https://peppe.rs/index.xml" class="feed-button">Subscribe</a>
+            <a href="https://liberapay.com/nerdypepper/donate" class="donate-button">Donate</a>
+        </div>
+        <p>I'm Akshay, I go by nerd or nerdypepper on the internet.</p>
+        <p>
+        I am a compsci undergrad, Rust programmer and an enthusiastic Vimmer.
+        I write <a href="https://git.peppe.rs">open-source stuff</a> to pass time. 
+        I also design fonts: 
+        <a href="https://git.peppe.rs/fonts/scientifica">scientifica</a>, 
+        <a href="https://git.peppe.rs/fonts/curie">curie</a>.
+        </p>
+        <p>Send me a mail at [email protected] or a message at [email protected].</p>
+    </div>
+    
+          <a href="/" class="post-end-link">Home</a>
+          <span>/</span>
+          <a href="/posts" class="post-end-link">Posts</a>
+          <span>/</span>
+          <a class="post-end-link">Programming On 34 Keys</a>
+          <a class="stats post-end-link" href="https://git.peppe.rs/web/site/plain/posts/programming_on_34_keys.md
+">View Raw</a>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/posts/programming_on_34_keys.md b/posts/programming_on_34_keys.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15610d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/posts/programming_on_34_keys.md
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+Minimizing your keyboard layout is a slippery slope. A few
+months ago, I built the
+[Ferricy](https://github.com/icyphox/ferricy), a
+34-key-split-ortho-ergo keyboard. The Ferricy is a fork of
+the [Ferris Sweep MX
+Bling](https://github.com/davidphilipbarr/Sweep/tree/main/Sweep%20Bling%20MX).
+
+![The Ferricy, designed by [icyphox](https://icyphox.sh)](https://u.peppe.rs/otz.jpg)
+
+
+My daily use consists of a bit of prose and a lot of
+program, my layout has evolved accordingly.
+
+# Base Layer 
+
+![Colemak with no mods](https://u.peppe.rs/base.png)
+
+The base layer contains alphabets, four symbols and four
+whitespace keys:
+
+- Alphas: Stock Colemak, with no modifications whatsoever
+- Symbols: `. , / ;`
+- Whitespace: tab, space, enter, backspace (from left to
+  right)
+
+# Layers
+
+Keyboard input is complex and it is impossible to skirt
+around it. You can either use a keyboard with enough keys to
+supply all possible inputs (a mechanical burden), or you can
+use firmware to supply all possible inputs (a cognitive
+burden). Layers are a cognitive burden.
+
+I use 3 layers, heavily inspired by
+[Miryoku](https://github.com/manna-harbour/miryoku), but
+tuned for programming. Excluding the base Colemak layer:
+
+- `NAV`: activated on holding `space` (left thumb)
+- `NUM`: activated on holding `tab` (left thumb)
+- `SYM`: activated on holding `enter` (right thumb)
+
+## The `NAV` Layer
+
+As the name suggests, this layer is focused on navigation.
+Arrow keys and the likes. 
+
+![`NAV`, on holding `space`](https://u.peppe.rs/nav.png)
+
+Using Vim and Colemak means you lose out on HJKL navigation.
+However, on activating the `NAV` layer, the right home-row is
+converted into arrow keys. In essence, by holding space, I
+can navigate Vim with the home-row, or Firefox, or my PDF
+reader. I no longer need to look for software that allows
+Vim navigation keys, because it is baked into the firmware!
+  
+My Vim motions are not limited to HJKL. In fact, my Vim
+motions are rarely HJKL. I tend to use `}` (next paragraph)
+and `)` (next sentence) more often. As a result, these have
+found their way into my `NAV` layer, over the likes of
+`PgDown` and `End`. Having brackets at my index and middle
+fingers is nice for programming too.
+  
+## The `SYM` Layer
+
+![`SYM`, on holding `enter`](https://u.peppe.rs/sym.png)
+
+This layer contains all the symbols that you would find by
+hitting `Shift` and a key on the number row. Probably
+noteworthy to Vim users: the symbols are arranged in the
+form of a mirrored numpad for exactly one reason: to move
+`$` to the left of `^`. It has always annoyed me that `$`
+moves the cursor to the end of the line and `^` moves it to
+the beginning, but their position on a typical number row
+are reversed, 4 comes before 6.
+
+## The `NUM` layer
+
+![`NUM`, on holding `tab`](https://u.peppe.rs/num.png)
+
+Another deviation from Miryoku, the numpad just feels _right_
+on my _right_ hand.
+
+# ZMK Combos
+
+If you have been paying close attention, you might have
+noticed that `escape` didn't make it to any layer. `escape`
+is too crucial to put on a non-base layer, but at the same
+time, not as important to deserve a place on the base layer.
+That is where ZMK's combos come in. Combos let you tap any
+number of keys, and combine them to form a single key. I
+have combos set up for underscore, minus, escape and
+caps-word (more on caps-word later):
+
+![Combos are almost piano-like](https://u.peppe.rs/combos.png)
+
+# Home-row Mods
+
+Inherited from Miryoku, I have home-row mods for activating
+`Super`, `Alt`, `Shift`, `Ctrl` and `Hyper` (`Ctrl + Shift +
+Alt + Super`). The idea is to send `T` on tap and `Ctrl` on
+hold. Home-row mods are fairly popular, so I'll not go into
+the details.
+
+![Super, Alt, Shift, Ctrl, Hyper; on the left half, and
+mirrored on the right half](https://u.peppe.rs/homerow.png)
+
+`Hyper` bridges the gap between firmware and software. You
+can never configure key combination that, opens Firefox, for
+example, through firmware alone. However, with the `Hyper`
+key, and some `sxhkd` magic, you can emulate that. Pressing
+`Hyper + F` on a keyboard is just two keys, but the key
+codes sent are `Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Super + F`. That key
+combination is not intercepted by any application as a
+shortcut, except for the following `sxhkd` stanza:
+
+```bash
+super + alt + shift + ctrl + f
+  xdotool search "Mozilla Firefox" windowactivate
+```
+
+Alternatively, you can intercept unused `F` keys: `F13`
+through `F24`.
+
+Home-row mods are mirrored on each half because it would be
+impossible to hit `Ctrl + T` if not; they lie on the same
+key.
+
+# Caps-word
+
+Caps-word is a clever caps-lock, built into ZMK. Typing out
+constants such as `PORT` with home-row mods would look like
+this:
+
+- hold `e` (shift) on left hand, and tap `p` on right hand
+- hold `e` (shift) on left hand, and tap `o` on right hand
+- hold `s` (shift) on right hand, and tap `r` on left hand
+- hold `s` (shift) on right hand, and tap `t` on left hand
+
+This hold-alternate-hold dance gets tiring quickly. With
+caps-word, however:
+
+- toggle `caps_word`
+- type out `p`, `o`, `r`, `t`
+- hit a _break_ character (space, enter will do)
+- continue
+
+Caps-word automatically disables capitalization upon
+encountering a breaking character, (which are space, enter
+or any modifier, by default) right in the firmware!
+
+# Findings
+
+34-keys has been reasonably comfortable to use, for both
+prose and program. My palms do not move across the desk at
+all, as I reach for keys. I mostly write Rust and Bash, and
+my layout has evolved to accomodate special characters from
+their grammars (angled brackets and hyphens, specifically).
+If you are on a similar journey, I would suggest focusing on
+accuracy and comfort over speed. Speed comes with time.