So, I’m left handed. Among other things, this means I smear my words horrendously as I take notes, strangers go out of their way to tell me I’m probably a “creative type” and learning a new sport involves a surprising amount of personal discovery.
Being left handed also means navigating a technological world that wasn’t designed for you. Some lefties seek out left-handed products, others learn to adapt to the right-handed system. In general, I’d put myself in the latter category — my computer mouse sits to the right of my keyboard, I wear watches on my right wrist, and I basically just pretend numeric keypads don’t exist (who needs ’em, anyway?). Using right-handed tech has never struck me as more than a minor inconvenience. But I’m curious about the experiences of my fellow southpaws.
Lefties of Gizmodo, do you ever feel like technology discriminates against you? Does it bother you that every important control on practically every game controller ever is on the right side? (Granted, the Power Glove only lasted for a hot second in the gaming world, but seriously Nintendo? No left-handed version at all?) Do you have a favourite left-handed gadget? What could tech companies do to make the digital world more leftie friendly?
Share your thoughts and stories below. We’re all fumbling around in this right-handed world together.
Image: Wikimedia