The video above shows a 40-key computer keyboard created entirely out of cans full of beer. While there’s no reason for such a device to exist (typing anything worthwhile on it would be akin to playing a concerto on the giant piano from Big), it did get my wheels turning.
Specifically, I started to think which keys on the keyboard I would drink first under the following conditions:
- The can has to be removed to consume it, and therefore the letter/number/character it actuates can no longer be used in typed communications.
- This is all the beer available – If you want a beer, it’s going to cost you a key.
- The beer on your keyboard is better than the beer featured above (something you’d crave).
The keyboard itself consists of 26 letters, ten numbers, and single cans for ‘space’, ‘enter’, ‘period’ and ‘backslash.’ There are no fungible keys such as ‘[‘ or ‘\’ or ‘~’ that you might enjoy without consequence – every key counts.
A smart person would most likely start with the keys that are used the least, like ‘z’ and ‘x’ and ‘q’ and maybe the number keys. You could get a dozen beers in before hard choices had to be made.
.
But an even smarter person would start with the vowels. Once those are gone, you’re looking at 35 beers (34 if you count ‘y’ as a pinch-hitter) that no longer work as a keyboard. You can now enjoy them without stressing out about how you’re destroying something useful. It’s just an alpha numeric 30-pack (give or take) at that point.
Wherever I started, I’d finish with ‘period’ followed by ‘enter,’ just like I finish everything I write.
.
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Too much thinkin’ and not enough drinkin’
That’s my life boiled down to a bumper sticker, Oliver.
I tend to always put space between a period and I
well that’s just comma sense, John…
I would drink the T. For some reason, I frequently hit the wrong key when I reach for the T, so I might as well get rid of it.
I think I’d always keep the ‘o’ and the ‘l’ – ’cause I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t LOL!
Ugh. 😦
The number keys. You can always spell out numbers and do w/o punctuation.
That’s a gr8 idea 4 sure. w8, I’m doing it wrong!
Durn kids, ya can’t teach ’em anything!
Ben Franklin proposed eliminating some letters from the alphabet because they are redundant. For example, the letter “c” will either make a “k” sound or an “s” sound, so why do we have it? Drink the “c.” And do we really need a “J” or a “Y”?
es we do. As someone named im, I say we are ertainly need all the letters ou ust speified.