Keyboard smudge patterns

[insomniac]

Howdy all. Just curious if anyone has any ideas about how the oil stains on keyboard keys can indicate how the owner uses his or her computer. The idea occurred to me when I looked at my colon/semicolon key and saw the oil stain on it. It made sense to me since I am a C programmer, and I wondered if non C programmers had unstained colon/semicolon keys. Just checked my friends laptop, who isn't a programmer btw, and noticed how clean the key is. Maybe there are other indicators? Thanks.

 

[maceman]

I was thinking same thing today
Except I'm not a programmer. I just use keyboard shortcuts all the time. That's why my Alt, Ctrl etc.. keys are pretty dirty.
I think, I can tell if the keyboard user uses shortcuts.

 

[bkribbs]

I would say that the more oily/dirty/faded it looks, the more it is probably used.

 

[TFT]

I would think if all the keyboard keys are oily then its a good bet the user is a car mechanic

 

[OvenMaster]

Depends on the keyboard, I think. Some keys will get real oily or greasy. Then you have a keyboard like mine... some keys, especially the "A" and "Shift" keys, the letters are wearing away and are much lighter than, say, the "Z" and "Q" keys. I touch-type, so I pivot my left pinky on the "A" all the time, wearing it away.

If I look at the keyboard with a bright light, the really worn keys have shiny tops, and keys I hardly ever use, like the number pad, are totally dull.