Keyboard Shortcuts I Learned From My Cat

My feline Mira is perfect, and has ne'er done thing wrong. She besides loves walking connected laptop keys—both my MacBook and my woman Kathy's Windows PC.

You mightiness deliberation that walking connected laptops is an illustration of Mira doing thing wrong. She disagrees. And, successful immoderate case, we've some learned a batch astir however our computers enactment due to the fact that of this. Every clip she walks crossed our keyboards she triggers immoderate new, confusing keyboard shortcut. I wonderment however she did it, but past I find retired the keyboard shortcut by Googling around. Here's what I learned.

Mira Hides Important Things

Multiple times Mira has walked crossed my keyboard and caused astir of my windows to disappear. This sends maine into a panic—is my enactment gone?—until I click a dock icon and recognize everything is inactive there. What happened?

It could beryllium a fewer things. On the Mac the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-H hides each windows but the existent one. Or possibly Mira switched virtual desktops successful Mission Control—that's done with Control-Left/Right arrow key, and could marque it look similar each of my windows are gone.

Mira's pulled this instrumentality disconnected connected a PC too. Windows-, (comma) hides each windows portion Windows-Ctrl-Left/Right arrow key switches virtual desktops. So there's each sorts of ways for Mira to induce anxiousness portion besides teaching america much astir however our computers work. Lovely.

Mira Takes a Screenshot

I instrumentality screenshots connected my Mac constantly, truthful it wasn't overmuch of a astonishment for maine erstwhile Mira managed to trigger Command-Shift-4 to trigger taking a screenshot of a circumstantial country connected my screen.

But I didn't recognize I could bash the aforesaid happening connected a PC: Windows+Shift+S is the keyboard shortcut for that, apparently. Now I cognize this, and I'm going to usage it each the time.

Mira Toggles the Dock, Somehow

I usually similar to fell the dock connected my Mac, but Mira seemingly disagrees. Once she walked implicit the keyboard and it stopped being hidden. Apparently she pressed Command-Option-D, which toggles whether the barroom is hidden oregon not.

I could ideate this being adjacent much confusing if you're the benignant of idiosyncratic who ne'er hides the dock—where did it go? Some mightiness similar being capable to rapidly toggle this, though, truthful I'm gladsome Mira showed maine however to bash it.

Mira Teaches Me About Accessibility

Sometimes Mira volition locomotion implicit Kathy's laptop and the keyboard nary longer works. Honestly, I've researched this 1 extensively, and I've nary thought however Mira pulled that off.

But determination are a clump of keyboard shortcuts that alteration however typing works successful Windows. Pressing the Shift cardinal 5 times connected Windows, for example, enables Sticky Keys, an accessibility diagnostic that changes however modifier keys similar Control, Alt, and Shift work. With this diagnostic on, pressing Shift applies the Shift cardinal arsenic though it's held down, which could effect successful you typing successful each caps. It's utile for radical who can't property aggregate keys astatine once, but confusing erstwhile enabled by a cat. Tapping Shift a 2nd clip turns disconnected Shift lock, and you tin disable the diagnostic by tapping Shift different 5 times.

Another accessibility diagnostic triggers erstwhile Mira sits connected the close displacement cardinal for 5 seconds—FilterKeys. This feature, intended for radical with manus tremors, causes the strategy to disregard abbreviated and repetition cardinal presses. It's a utile feature, and I'm gladsome it's there, but it's a confusing happening to crook connected accidentally.

It’s ever amusive to recognize your machine tin bash thing you didn’t cognize it could, adjacent if the mode you larn it is simply a small spot confusing. So I’m grateful to Mira, successful a way, for showing maine these keyboard shortcuts. But I’m besides moving to bid her to halt walking and sitting connected my laptop. Maybe someday.