Writing - a dying skill?

Have to skipped tennis today as a few work datelines are looming and how I wish I am not human… but an octopussy with 8 arms and hands. I am in the business where my productivity, in a way, is determined by how fast I think and click on the keyboard. I am always grateful that I was an ACSian from Ipoh. ACS seemed to be the only school in Ipoh then to offer typing class. Unfortunately the class was abolished after the retirement of the typing teacher. Those were pre-computer days and typing was probably considered a low-level skill that was not a pre-requisite to a successful career. We were lucky to be the last few cohorts before the class was abolished. I wonder whether schools offer typing class now? If not, where do youngsters nowadays pick up typing skill? Typing is such an important skill in this world of electronic mail and word processing, it will be interesting to know where do people pick up this cannot-do-without skill from? So, if you meet an Ipoh ACSians circa 83 or earlier and he claims he can’t type to save his life… you know you can’t trust this guy.

On the other hand, does the development and advancement of word processing slowly and surely pushing the skill of writing into oblivion? I have friends who swear by their word processing machines that they can't live without it. Writing is too slow to follow their train of thought, they argued.... and lack the flexibility of rearanging their thoughts at a click of the mouse. I, for one, don't think i will have a business venture, if i have to type (using a typewriter)or write my reports. Maybe it is a sign of time. As our life become more complicated and the pace of life become faster, manpower (read hand writing/typing) is giving way to machine (read computer). As our need (of a writing instrument) reflects our lifestyle, it is not unnatural to slowly give up something that had spent so much time and effort in learning. Even at the expense of something as personal and as beautiful as a person handwriting.

some interesting links on computers, typewriters and history of writing....

http://members.aol.com/typebar/collectible/typewriter.htm

http://www.hitmill.com/computers/history/index.html

http://www.historian.net/hxwrite.htm

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltypewriter.htm