Type in Morse code by repeatedly slamming your laptop shut

When I was in college, and a member of the school's ham radio club, we went to some event on the bus. While riding, one of the guy's in the group who could do almost 30 words-per-minute (while I struggled with 20) was staring at a billboard ad.

"What are you looking at?", I asked. "This ad has morse code on it and I'm trying to figure out what it says," he replied.

Good morse coders go by sound groupings. While watching that video, I had a little trouble following along cause I'm used to "dits and dahs" though I haven't done morse in years.
 
Code:
-.-- --- ..- / .-. . .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / .... .- ...- . / .-. . ... .--. --- -. -.. . -.. / .. -. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .

 

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My brother was in compulsory military service (something I was able to avoid), part of his training was to learn a morse code. What I was surprised about they teach you how to write letters too so you can keep up while transcribing.
I don't remember much of what he told me .. I only remember that the first letter they were taught was f, you write it from bottom to top. Kinda useless thing to remember, eh ? :)
 
What I was surprised about they teach you how to write letters too so you can keep up while transcribing.

All ham radio tests require you to write out what you hear. As far as I know, so does everything else cause you aren't receiving the code just for yourself.

I know some people would write it out in cursive cause it was faster for them.
 
Now we just need to write some code that converts text into GPIO PWM outputs to drive a motor to open and close the laptop lid quickly.
 
The FCC part 97 exams no longer include a code test (not since February of 2007).
I remember taking the 20 WPM test for the Amateur Extra license. I was able to copy the code OK, but it really strained my writing ability. I would make an error in copying, and quickly figure out the right letter, but I was writing so fast that I couldn't immediately go back and fix it; I had to wait till the pencil was on the next line, just under the incorrect letter, then quickly pop up one line and fix it.

(BTW, the fact that you can figure out errors based on context is why the code test for commercial radiotelegraph licenses requires 20 WPM plaintext, but only 18 WPM for code groups, where there is no context.)
 
For me it took some practice to be able to follow 20 WPM. But then there has been no need to write the received message using a pencil. It has been less stressful to assemble the text in the brain while listening and write down just a few key words as the rapport, QTH or so.
 
Years ago there was a demo on steganography that added blank space or tab characters to the end of lines of text files to hide morse coded messages in the plain ASCII text. Another variation used different UTF code points for common punctuation. The code points displayed correctly making it less obvious.
 
For me it took some practice to be able to follow 20 WPM. But then there has been no need to write the received message using a pencil. It has been less stressful to assemble the text in the brain while listening and write down just a few key words as the rapport, QTH or so.
When I was in my 20s and living at home, I would write everything down. I would have QSOs in the basement shack, and when I came upstairs, my dad would comment on the QSOs, because he had been copying them in his head. (He could hear them through the floor.) I thought that was pretty amazing.

Somewhere along the line, without really realizing it, I learned to copy in my head myself, Now it doesn’t seem quite so amazing.
 
Again and again I am astonished what energy is wasted to do completely useless junk.
And what joy it brings to talk about it.

{
Okay, I have the one, or the other idea myself, too, I thought of bringing up here on April 1st.
But I don't.
I fear having discussions with those who didn't get it was a joke.
Or even worse, actually do it.
Today you can actually kill people by just posting some rubbish they don't get as a joke but really do it.
Responsibility forbid, even it would produce a lot of Darwin Awards.
}

Well, not completely useless.
The laptop industry will sell more devices when the lid is worn out...
 
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