Ultimate Hacking Keyboard ⌨️

Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (UHK) – “The Keyboard. For professionals.” That‘s the claim of the company‘s slogan. I was interested in this very special keyboard and yes, I would consider myself a professional. Not in hacking, but in writing, respectively in (fitness and health) blogging. I have written my entire upcoming book on the UHK and this odd looking keyboard is a real game changer for me. This article is my little tribute to those who do write a lot and are looking for “a fully programmable, impeccably built, open source, split mechanical keyboard designed for extreme productivity and ergonomics.” (UHK).

Dieser Artikel ist bald auch auf Deutsch verfügbar (This article will soon be also available in German)

📖 Tired of the same old story? 📖

OK on a Fitness-Blog an article about a computer keyboard might be a bit of an “off-topic”, I admit. But hang on and read my story as it will also cover the benefits of ergonomics, muscle memory, cognitive tasks, and why I love to type, instead of using a dictation program.

Furthermore, I thought it might also be cool to show my readers HOW my articles are made. A “making of” series. I‘d like to show you once in a while which tools I use to create my blog post and books. That‘s why there is a category named “cool tools”.

But first let me introduce myself (for those who do not know me yet) to see why I need (and love) to write a lot…

My name is Bernd Stößlein and I’m an internationally known strength coach/personal trainer (currently working on my Ph.D.)  from Germany. I also work as a “Heilpraktiker” (complementary and alternative medicine practitioner). I was a Men’s Fitness cover model, featured in Men’s Health, “Muscle”, Flex and in Tim Ferriss’ New York Times bestseller “Tools of Titans”, just to name a few. I’m the inventor of the BAMBOO BENCH® , which was endorsed by Charles R. Poliquin (R.I.P.).

Besides that, I do have a well-known Fitness Blog, a Personal-Training Gym and my own supplement brand. I am currently also working on my second book. I  write a lot of blog post, and I‘ve been using my Mac Book Pro 💻 for all these articles. But for my new book I was a bit tired of the little keyboard of  my Mac.

Now you will ask why I didn‘t simply buy a remote Bluetooth keyboard to get the job done. Well, I will tell you why. I am not a fan of Bluetooth, Wireless Lan, 5G etc. So I was looking for something “old school” with a USB connection.

But it had also to be more ergonomic than a regular keyboard as these are not very comfortable, if you plan to write something longer than a regular blog post.

Therefore I was looking around for quite a while. There are tons of keyboards out there. A lot for gaming…but I‘m not a (video)gamer, nor do I intend to be one.

Then I discovered the UHK. Honestly, it was an advertisement I saw on Instagram. First I thought “OK, here we go again, another keyboard, hurrrrrrah”. But then I  took a closer look on the company’s website and it gained my interest!

☯️ The Yin and Yang Keyboard ☯️

I like to call the UHK my “Yin and Yang Keyboard” as it is a split mechanical keyboard which utilizes Cherry MX-style switches. It’s also a fully programmable keyboard which can be vastly customized for your needs. If you need a compact, ergonomic keyboard or looking for the programmers’ keyboard, then look no further!

I simply copied this text form the UHK company (except for the part of the Yin-Yang) as it is simply something I would sign. For me it is by far THE best keyboard I have typed on.

To be honest I was used to the almost silent Mac Book keys. Switching to a mechanical type of keyboard was a bit strange….aaaaand a bit annoying! Sure, the mechanical clicking is a bit of a difference but if you get used to it (and/or if you like it) you‘re good to go!

The cool thing about this keyboard is, that it is really smooth. It works like a well-oiled machine.

If you nevertheless want to reduce the sound of the keyboard you can use “O Rings” [affiliate link] for silencing. You can get these from amazon for a couple of EUR.

I have never used a split-keyboard before, so this was quite a change. But after a while you really get used to it and it is indeed a lot more comfortable for your wrists.

I got the UHK with original wood palm rest, to make it even more comfortable (see picture). Furthermore,I use the feet to type in a “tented” position. But if you like you can also use other variations like negative or positive tilting.

I have talked to the very friendly guys from UHK in Hungary and they told me:

“As a truly split keyboard, the two keyboard halves of the UHK result in a more natural typing posture – rather than forcing your wrists to adapt to a straight keyboard, you can adjust your keyboard so that your wrists are straight.The halves are connected by a replaceable bridge cable which expands and shrinks as needed, occupying minimal desk space.The UHK palm rest belongs to a class of its own. It’s made from natural beech wood, which is then machined, pickled, lacquered, and finally fixated to a powder-coated steel plate. It offers a unique combination of warmth, class, and durability.The palm rest firmly attaches to your UHK, and it’s strongly recommended for maximum ergonomics.”(UHK).

🐭 The mouse in the house 🐭

The coolest features of all of the UHK for me is by far the integrated mouse. I have never seen something like this before. That was also one of the points I was wondering about. As I didn’t want to use an extra mouse , too.

Using an extra keyboard AND the tracking panel of my mac would be rather uncomfortable. That‘s where the UHK plays its trump. It has a built in mouse you can use with a combination of shortcuts.

You simply have to hold the “mouse” button and can use the arrows on the keys (see photo).

If you‘re not satisfied with that you can also buy optional features, like a Key Cluster Module, a Trackball Module 🖲️, Trackpoint Module and/or a Touchpad Module (see pictures).

⚙️ Ultimate Configurability ⚙️

But the UHK doesn‘t stop here. It gives you sheer endless opportunities to customize not only its hardware but also its programming. You can download a free UHK Agent with which you can modify the keyboard to your specific needs (see picture).

It is simple AND it is easy! On the upper left corner you also have a (dimmable) LCD Display that shows you which mode you use…QWERTY or others.

Picture LCD

The guys from UHK say:

“Agent is the configuration application of the UHK. Unlike other keyboard configurators, Agent allows for easy, yet deep configuration of your UHK. Its interface was crafted to be powerful, yet intuitive. Agent provides loads of advanced features, like mouse keys, dual role keys, shortcuts, multiple keymaps, layers, macros, mouse speed settings, and more. You can save your configuration in a second with a click of a button, and take it with you. Your UHK remembers its configuration without Agent. It runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows.”(UHK).”

If you want to know how it works you can klick àhereß and see a live demo of the UHK Agent.

Upcoming features

The cool thing of the UHK is that it is everything but static. It keeps evolving. That means you can get your standard version and keep on upgrading everything you like. Start with the basic split keyboard and add all the cool features.

All items are available as spare items. The keys, the feet, whatsoever. Plus you can choose between different case colors. So, it‘s also fully customable.

I highly recommend to buy the palm rests. These are an absolute investment!!!

There will also be an upgrade possibility to illuminate the keyboard. I‘m really looking forward to that!

⌨️ Become a “keyboard hero” ⌨️

For me typing is more like kind of playing an instrument, just like the piano, which I used to do as a kid. It‘s about using both hands and therefore both hemispheres of your brain. Typing (when using all 10 fingers) is a complex cognitive task most people aren‘t aware of.

That‘s probably because we all do it mostly on a daily basis. Once learned properly it is like having learned how to ride a bicycle or…like lifting weights. If you have mastered it, you will never forget it, even without a daily practice.

See, that‘s where the fitness association comes into play. I told you this article will also be about fitness 😉 So it‘s not necessarily a total “off topic” article.

It‘s basically the same as lifting weights, but obviously with a lot less weight.

But in contrast to lifting weights, what you train while typing are your fine motor skills! Just like in your larger skeletal muscles, like the biceps or triceps (used for bending and extending the arm) you are giving your finger muscles a light “workout”. Plus you improve what is known as “muscle memory”.

You train your fingers to be faster than your brain. Just like a “finger brain”. That‘s why you eventually can type on the keyboard while simultaneously looking at the screen. Just because you know where the several keys are. You don’t have to look at the keyboard anymore.

Of course this lives from daily or at least regular practice, just like lifting weights ;).

So, when it comes to typing it is a complex cognitive task, involving fine motor skills, different brain areas, memory faculties, hand-eye coordination and your language skills (native or foreign).

That’s why I love typing. Using the UHK is also a nice haptic experience, compared to a built in keyboard of a laptop. It‘s much more solid and therefore involves more “muscle recruitment” in your finger muscles. The UHK is a really solid piece of equipment!

The Layers – All good things come in 3s, or 4s?

In German we a have a proverb: “Aller guten Dinge sind drei”, which means: „All good things come in  threes”. But in the case of the UHK, respectively its layers, it‘s four! So you‘re new to this topic? Don‘t worry here‘s the UHK‘s explanation:

“Layers provide a way to map multiple functions to a single key. Think of the Fn key of laptops, but unlike laptops, there is not one but three layer-switcher keys, namely Mod, Fn, and Mouse. These three, in addition to the Base Layer, give you four separate layers.”

That means:

• The Base layer contains regular alphanumeric keys.
• The Mod layer contains navigation and function keys.
• The Fn layer contains media keys to adjust volume and switch tracks.
• The Mouse layer allows you to control the mouse pointer, click and scroll.

I have already shown you the “Mouse-Layer” and the “Base-Layer” (see pictures above) so please see the two remaining ones, the “Mod-“ & the “Fn-Layer”.

Conclusion

This article is one of the upcoming “making off” series in which I will show you how I create my articles, videocasts, books etc.

Therefore, it does not only serve as an “off topic” but rather as a recommendation which “cool tools” I use to get my work done in an efficient and professional way. In this case it is a sophisticated new keyboard I literally use every day!

Special thanks to the guys from UHK for supporting me with one of their very cool keyboards. This piece of equipment is a real gamechanger. It enabled me to “pump out” over 100 pages for my upcoming new book in only 7 days.

As I am not only a professional in the gym but also in the field of writing/blogging I like to keep things efficient, using the pareto principle (80/20 rule).

According to this I highly recommend you to get a UHK, no matter in which profession you are in. If you have to type a lot, do it in an ergonomic, more healthy and efficient way. Invest in the best and get yourself a UHK!

© HP Bernd Stößlein, Master of Business Administration in Sportmanagement.

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