Silicon Keyboards: Do They Pass a Spell Check?

In the late 1990s, a Los Angeles biotechnology company had a bottle of “bleech” in the molecular biology lab. As the reader might guess, that bottle label should have read, “bleach.” Since that molecular biology lab was next to an infectious disease lab, this writer hopes to reach the eyes of anyone who purchases equipment for that particular infectious disease lab.

This writer fears that an association with the poor spellers in the molecular biology lab could hamper on online search for a valuable piece of equipment. The technicians in that infectious disease lab are not allowed to eat or drink in the lab. The crumbs or water drops could contain an infectious agent, and could alter the results of an important experiment.

Now in the late 1990s, the regulations regarding that infectious disease lab did not take into consideration another possible source of bacteria and viruses. That source could have been on any computer in the lab. Computer keys could have been holding particles of saliva, dead skin cells or skin oil. That fact introduces the subject of silicon keyboards.

Actually, the term “silicon keyboards” is often substituted for the phrase “silicone keyboards.” That latter phrase contains the correctly spelled term. Still, since this reader hopes to reach someone who finds it hard to remember how words are spelled, this writer suspects that at least one group of lab technicians could well conduct an online search for silicon keyboards.

By placing silicon keyboards in an infectious disease lab, researchers can better eliminate the chance that an unnoticed infectious agent could hinder the successful completion of a planned experiment. Each of these silicon keyboards can be thoroughly washed and disinfected. A technician can simply place it under running tap water, use a liberal amount of soap, and then spray the dried keys with a disinfectant.

A computer with a silicon keyboard is also something that a sports team might want to have in its locker room.  The presence of such a keyboard could help a sports team maintain an admirable win-loss record. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can not take up residence on a silicon keyboard. Therefore, a locker room with a silicon keyboard does not encourage spread of the MRSA infection.

Methacillin resistant staph aureus bacteria cause the MRSA infection. An increasing number of athletes have developed that skin infection. When a player has that infection, he must remain on the sidelines. No coach looks forward to a decrease in the number of healthy players on his or her team.

Silicon keyboards offer other health benefits as well. They have a flat design, thus reducing chances that the keyboard user might suffer from an angle stress injury. In addition, the soft keys emit virtually no noise, regardless of the speed with which the fingers of the computer user fly over those same keys.

Perhaps librarians could use a quiet silicon keyboard in their library. Librarians, however, have a reputation for being good spellers; they are apt to search for the silicon “alternative.”

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