Numbers

[Lorna Brodie]

Hi, Mark,

Of course I haven't read every single discussion here, so maybe you've already addressed this. I am trying to improve my number skills, and I believe you are also on DigitalCat, so I'm wondering, do you use "Numbers Resolution" in the program?

Thanks,

Lorna

[Shelley Ottwell]

I too am a digital cat user and my understanding is that Numbers Resolution only works if you REMOVE all of your number dictionary entries from your personal/job dict. Also, I believe you have to have a separate numbers dict. I played around with it for a while and I found it to be more of a hinderance than a help. I truly believe it depends on your personal style of writing numbers, i.e., whether you use the number bar exclusively or the keyboard w/out the number bar. I, unfortunately, use both the number bar and the keyboard. Plus, I also have certain numbers with letters defined for the type of work I do. So the short answer: it didn't work for me. WTH
BRP - you can also look on Stenovations website. They do have a users forum over there.

[Lorna Brodie]

Hi, Shelley,
Thanks so much for your response. I, too, use the number bar and the keyboard, and I really need to change the way I write numbers, be more efficient about it, because I am studying for captioning.

If you have any other info you'd like to share, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[Kathryn A. Thomas, RMR]

I use DigitalCat but never messed with Numbers Resolution on ANY system I've used, because I like to control how my numbers work myself. I use lots of realtime commands.

[Lorna Brodie]

Well, I have to confess, since I've been reporting, I haven't had a real "written in stone" method of writing my numbers, just what has been comfortable for me. Now that I am thinking about captioning, I know I have to be a lot more precise with everything. Any tips, anyone have a great method they look for writing numbers differentiating between words and numerals...love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

[Tami]

I use no AI either, Lorna.

My short-and-fast rule is if I want it to look like a number, I write a number. If I want it to look like a word, I write a word.

(Admittedly that might be old school because I started doing it that way before AI was available.)

[Shelley Ottwell]

Lorna,
Yeah, I too for years had the hodge-podge method. I did spend some time cleaning up the way I write numbers just because it was so awful. I really truly believe one needs to find a method and stick to it for it to be effective. I used Ed Varallo's (sp?) book on realtime and the number solution in there had some great ideas that didn't take too much effort to implement. I will say I love his reverse, double and time format strokes. Now that I think about it I think those are the only ones I use.

Say if you have to write 22, the stroke would be 2-U. The U means double. I think he used the E for reverse but I chose the R instead. It was just an easier stroke for me. Say it's 92, you'd write 2-R9. AFA time goes say it's 4:30, the stokes would be 4-BG/30. The 4-BG is defined as 4: (attach # flag in DC.) For the plain ol' 4:00 it's simply 4*BG. On the reverse side if it's 9:00 the stoke would be KW*9. There was something he had with the -Z for the year ('92) but it just didn't stick with me.

I do write 401(k) as FOIK and 401(b) FOIB. For telephone #s and SS#s, I still do it the hard way. There is a realtime command in DC for those, and also a "Make time" and "Make date." Those might be worth a look at. HTH

You'll have to clean out your dict and add those strokes in for the conversion to work correctly along with the Attach # flag on each number (very important!). The add-in part was really easy - not so much on the clean-out!!

Mark K does have a numbers theory you might want to look at though. I do need to go back and look at it again... I think the first time I looked it scared me :)
Sorry for hijacking your thread!

[Lorna Brodie]

Shelley,
Thanks so much for your input. Now I'm really interested in the number theory you're using. Where did you find his book?

Thanks,
Lorna

[Shelley Ottwell]

Lorna,

I honestly don't remember! I will have to get back to the office on Monday and maybe I can find some info in the book itself. There is an older thread over on Depoman.com that has some great info for numbers too: "writing numbers out with no number bar." I'm thinking that Stenograph might sell the book but it's purely a guess. I do know that there's so much more that I SHOULD/COULD be doing with writing clean numbers but I am so much improved over where I started... Hope all this helps!

[Lorna Brodie]

Oh, you have been a tremendous help and an inspiration to me to do something about my numbers. Thanks again for all of the great tips.

[Shelley Ottwell]

The book is titled "The Realtime Writer's Manual" A Commen-Sense Guide for Court Reporters by J. Edward Varallo
Apparently I have the 6th printing done December 1999.
Direct Orders/Inquiries to:
J. Edward Varallo
c/o JEV Books
P.O. Box 251
Grafton, MA 01519.

You might check NCRA store. HTH

[Mike]

I started using "U" for reversals and "E" for ordinals in the past few weeks. I took to the ordinal extension right away, but the reverse is taking a little more time. Also, I am thinking of working in the * as an extra zero. I know there are a lot more ideas for extensions out there for various measurements, ie: feet, pounds, grams, ounces. Would love to see some more ideas on this. I remember seeing a good thread about them on depoman.

[kathy - iamwrdsmth]

Word of caution, on my software, StenoCAT,
using the U with a number is a conflict resolution
keystroke and the software will go back and select
whatever word that corresponds with the number
you stroked. EX: 2U would select the second word
in the conflict.

simply disable the conflict resolution feature if you're
writing your numbers using the U.

I write
22 TWU 22nd TWUND

2006 TW EUX
2007 TW FN (or TW FRN when I drag the R)
2008 TW AE T
2009 TW AOEUN
2010 TW E PB
2011 TW HR E FRPB

kathy