Did you know you can generate more than five things to count with using just the fingers on a single hand? This may come in handy for use in complex languages and counting systems. You’ll find that the bits on computers make more sense after reading this…:
First, use an open hand for 1 countable unit.
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You can get 5 more from putting one finger down at a time.
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If you put two fingers down at a time, you can get 10 more.
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By putting three fingers down at a time, you can count an additional 10 units.
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With four fingers going down at a time, there are 5 more configurations.
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FInally, all fingers down at once gives you an extra 1 unit.
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That makes 32 total? Conveniently enough, most computers today run on a 64-bit schema (32 times 2, which takes into account both hands). It hurts to try and count at the same time as bending the fingers. Maybe it would be easer if someone could count on me.
If you can put fingers halfway down, you can get even higher, but it’s very difficult to see and recognize easily without memorization, dexterity, mathematicality, and practice.
Suggested Listening: St. Vincent – Actor – Marrow
Update (09-17-2019):
Right hand user interface input controller I designed. Right and left together are called the Deckastick. It’s 10 joysticks with eight directions each, and a vertical press each, for a total of 90 unique inputs. Requires lots of training to master, but the sticks have an LCD tracker between the two units that tells you what key has been inputted when you press down on the sticks or move them in a combination of directions. Works with a text editor or CGI wireframe controler or musical interface, and anything else you can think of that I haven’t considered yet…essentially a PC replacement.
You can combine the 5 center presses on each hand for a total of 32 up/down combinations for both the right and left controllers, making 64 total.
2 sets of 5 fingers and 1 set of 10 fingers generate different amounts, but should be worried about memory density and right/left handedness motor control and stuff.
Haven’t done the calculations yet for 8 positions of 5 (or ten!) fingers with up/down on each finger position.
I want my cyborg interface upgraded NOW, and yet, I must proceed with caution. I’m in the process of overturning a multibillion dollar industry.
This device would make the entire computer mouse and keyboard and controller market obsolete. With enough work, it might even be possible to affix a tablet-sized LCD between the right and left hand inputs, and get rid of laptops ad desktops completely. Nintendo Switch controllers were very disappointing.
Why we need better interfaces:
A fanciful controller from the mid-1990s:
Update (02/27/2020):
Here is my piece de resistance; a partial proof for how many combinations of presses you can do with ten finger buttons, with order mattering, and one of each finger. If you surmise that each button can be moved in eight directions, it gets MUCH messier, but that’s what I plan on implementing once this is done.
As you can see from the image below, with all ten fingers included, there are around 3628800 different combinations of single button presses that can be created with order factored in for just 10 buttons.
If you want to be smart, you would ask yourself why CTRL+ALT+DEL is one of the only 3-button press combinations available on the PC keyboard. We could be dealing with many quadrillions of unique inputs if this weren’t the case (~104 keys, choose 10 produces a much higher number of inputs than 10 choose 10). The possibilities are calculatable, but in practice, pressing every unique combination wouldn’t just be impossible, it would take a longer time than any single person has to live!
[…] See here for an entry-level post of the digital mastery and science needed for this device. […]