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CONGRATULATIONS MARK KISLINGBURY!

Stenovations would like to congratulate Mark Kislingbury on his recent win of the 2009 NCRA Speed Contest in Washington D.C.. Mark has competed in and won several competitions and set a Guinness World Record for speed writing in 2004.

Mr. Kislingbury has an online presence where he teaches his realtime theory and offers his new book: Magnum Steno: Write short, Write Fast! We are also proud to say that Mark was using a LightSpeed writer as he won this contest.

More information on Mark's theory, book, and products may be found at his website here. (http://www.magnumsteno.com)

It's Coming!

Stenovations Brings You the LightSpeed!

"Although LightSpeed is a great name for
Stenovations' keyboard, I could think of some
others. By any name, though, I am spoiled and will
never be able to go back to the key-dipping writers
again.

I'm into my fourth decade of court
reporting, and there are certain milestones that
are still vivid in my memory. Through all that
time the stenotype keyboard hasn't really changed.

But three years ago came the LightSpeed.
For me it came just in time. After a career in
freelance, I decided to accept a federal court
officialship where every day is like a speed
contest. Not getting any younger, I was regularly
getting beat up writing realtime in the courtroom.

The LightSpeed takes out the mechanical
limitation of writing, leaving one's skills to flow
unbridled. Its speed is so evident even in the
simplest of applications, such as when forced to
double-stroke for speaker identification. I even
tested my belief of its superiority by returning to
my top-of-the-line writer one day. I couldn't
believe how much I was slowed down by having to
depress even its sensitive keys and wait for them
to return before starting my next stroke.

The LightSpeed is here to stay."

Nicholas A. Marrone, RMR, CRR, Atlanta

***

"I have been a reporter since 1979. I have
seen the advent of electric writers to computer-
enabled writers, a huge difference in the
capabilities of what you can do with the writer.
About two years ago at a convention I saw
this new lightweight writer with a wonderful touch
system. I decided after stroking the keys just a
little that I wanted one.
I finally got to get my "Pink Pearl" last
October, and I’ve never looked back since. I
practiced on it for a week, starting with finger
drills, to acclimate my brain to the new stroke
system and finger placement. Then I went on to
 write some old audios files, and finally to taking
my Ms. Pink Pearl on the job. I use the realtime
functions on every job I take.
After so many years, my hands and right
shoulder used to start hurting about 3:00 p.m. on
an all-day job.
Now I feel like I could write forever. I
have no hand or body pains. As a result, I feel
less fatigued at the end of a long, hard
deposition. I barely have to touch the keys, like
a butterfly kiss.
I can put the "Pink Pearl" on my lap or on
its stand to give my arms a movement break.
I actually enjoy writing again. Plus, I
am writing cleaner and faster than before because
I'm not distracted by pain.
The LightSpeed method is a burst of light
on the field of court reporting with its innovative
techniques. I equate it to the difference the
iPhone has made in cell phones. I am just so
totally in love with using this machine."

Patricia Harris Vernon, Seguin, Texas

***

"I got the Lightspeed writer and was up and runnning for a job the very next day.  Wow!  E-a-s-y to use and set up.  It is so cool, how it writes.  Got the bluetooth working as well. 

Response so far:  Super Cool! (from my daughter and a couple of clients).  The touch is perfect.  I don’t use the finger pads.  Like the software, a winner! 

I am one who used to have my writers purposefully adjusted to have as little key motion as possible.  I discovered years ago that that is where a great deal of waste in energy and speed is.  I was up and running the next day, in an all—day job, with no problem at all.  EASY is hardly the term for the learning curve, but I don’t know a better word"

Mark Crossley

***

"When I first laid fingers on the
LightSpeed it was like coming home. The machine is
light. The touch is lighter. Writing is a joy. I
have received compliments on how quickly I set up
for a job, since I don't need to deal with tripods,
paper trays, and separate power cords.

But the best part is I no longer get a
knot in my back nor pain in my wrist. After one
month of using the LightSpeed those problems went
away.
I am madly in love with my LightSpeed."

Kathryn A. "Stenoray" Thomas, RMR, CSR-IL, CCR-MO

***

 "I have been waiting 25 years for this
machine. It really is effortless writing, unlike
anything else available. I walk around with a
laptop bag now, instead of a 50-pound wheelie case."

Tony Lorenz, RDR-CRR, Atlanta, GA.

***

"I have been using the LightSpeed since its
debute in August 2007. I love this little gem.
It's totally different from anything out there. It
is feather-light and a dream to write on! Now my
fingers barely move, and accuracy is improved with
quieter hands. Shoulder fatigue is a thing of the
past, as is the need for a tripod.

I carry two LightSpeeds with me at all
times and still don't come close to the weight I
carried with the one standard writer. I throw a
bag over my shoulder and off I go. I'm a
deposition reporter of 22 years, and I will never
go back to a traditional steno machine."

Brenda Y. Rogers, CSR (Oregon)

***

"The LightSpeed has been the most important
court reporting purchase I've made in my 15 years
of court reporting.
When I purchased the LightSpeed, I had
grown increasingly tired of reporting. I bought it
sight unseen and received one of the first units.
I started using it the day after it arrived at my
house. I've never looked back.
The LightSpeed has not only decreased the
pain in my entire upper body, it has re-ignited my
joy of court reporting.
I had been real-timing for a couple of
years before I got my LS; however, it was after I
got my LS that I really started to strive for the
coolest techie type things I could find.
I went wireless on my real-time output,
bought throw-down netbooks so anyone and everyone
could get a real-time feed, and just started really
trying to be on the cutting edge of our great
profession.
 Sure, the pain-free days and nights are
probably the best thing about my LightSpeed. But I
sincerely believe it was the catalyst for me to
really start enjoying what I do again.
Thank you, Stenovations, and the twisted,
beautiful mind that is Johnny Jackson, for the
first truly next-generation jump in the steno
machine."

Steve Stogel, Austin, TX
stogels@sbcglobal.net

***

"In April of 1972 I sat down in front of a
metal steno writer on my first day of court
reporting school that my uncle, Harold Schulman,
had given me.
Over the decades as a freelance reporter,
I've written on many different writers. There were
times, however, when I would be watching a
presidential speech on TV or a scene from a trial
when I would "pretend" to write what was said on my
leg, or just in midair, to see if I could keep up.
I would think to myself, If only someone would
invent a writer with the touch of a feather like
that.
So when I saw the LS advertisement first
appear in 2007, let's just say I was more than
intrigued. Then I tried one at the New Jersey
convention in April of '08 and discovered I could
write on it. So I bought it.
I practiced on it for about an hour a day
for three weeks before trotting it out at a
deposition. I haven't looked back since. I now go
to depos with just a small shoulder bag.
Although I couldn't prove it medically, my
body is healthier for it. I can assure you your
hands and elbows will thank you after writing all
day. The LS touch is in a category it shares with
no other."

Al Lesky

***

"The folks at Stenovations asked if I would
do a testimonial about the writer, and I jumped at
the chance. Not very many products I would
 recommend, but I love the LightSpeed. It's like
going from a manual typewriter to an IBM Selectric
(for you old timers). You young reporters should
jump at the chance to stay with the technology.
It took me a couple hours to get used to
the touch, but I haven't looked back at the "old
style" writers since. I can write 300 plus pages
in a day and the only thing sore on me is my rear
end from sitting all day. I would highly recommend
you give it a try. I been a reporter since 1990."

Vance Jarvis, RPR, CSR

***

"I've been a freelance reporter since
1977. I began searching in early 1999 for a new
software system. I chose DigitalCat after talking
with the owner, Johnny Jackson, a reporter
himself. I have now been using the software for
over 10 years. It's rock solid, completely
dependable and absolutely cutting edge.

However, the most remarkable thing Johnny
has developed is the revolutionary new LightSpeed.
To me it's everything a reporter could wish for in
a writer - light, no moving parts, and almost
effortless to use. I have been writing on it for
over two years now. There's no way I'll ever go
back to one of the mechanical machines again.

Using the LightSpeed, the long days aren't
physically draining like they used to be. Compared
to writing on a traditional writer, the difference
in the fatigue factor is just enormous. It has to
be experienced to be believed. So much of our
energy has been wasted with the up-and-down motion
of the traditional steno machine. A very light
touch from your fingertips is all that's needed to
stroke your outlines.

Simply fantastic. Thanks, Johnny. Can't
wait to see what you come up with next."

Mike Camp, Mobile, AL

****

 "Prior to my using the LightSpeed writer, I
had kept Ibuprofen in my desk drawer in the
courtroom, because after sustained periods of
writing on my old writer I tended to get horrible
shooting pains through my arms.

I had carpal tunnel surgery over 20 years
ago while I was still in school, and was in a car
accident seven years ago, both of which had left me
less than 100 percent and prone to having pain on
long days of writing. With the need to work for at
least another 20 years, I was concerned that the
repetitive stress I experienced during writing
could disable me before my planned retirement.

I purchased my LightSpeed in August of
2007 after a lengthy conversation with the owner of
Stenovations and creator of the LightSpeed, Johnny
Jackson, who is also a fellow court reporter.

Though not really able to visualize what
the LightSpeed looked like, I realized that not
having to pound on a machine would greatly increase
my longevity in the court reporting field.

Today I no longer have the horrible pains
in my wrists or shoulders. I am a much faster and
more accurate writer because I can adjust my
LightSpeed writer to my personal writing
habits and not having to wait for keys to travel
down and back up. I am so glad that I made the
commitment to not go back to my old writer and to
take the time (less than a week) to get used to the
LightSpeed writer.
I am a certified realtime writer, and I
use the LightSpeed exclusively. The LightSpeed
writer is truly a gift to all in the profession of
court reporting."

Sonia Boughton Rogers
***

"I was introduced to Stenovations' CAT
software in 1994 at an FCRA convention in Salt Lake
City while I was serving as a trainer for another
prestigious reporting software company. I was very
impressed. I got a demo copy of the software and
began playing with it. I quickly switched over
 completely. Under the circumstances, I decided it
best to not continue training for the other company
and ceased training.
I feel lucky to have used DigitalCat from
its infancy, having seen how dedicated Johnny
Jackson has been to the development of a complete,
uncomplicated, easy-to-use, powerful and reliable
reporting software. It has all of the features
anyone could ask for while still maintaining
friendly usability.
Then Johnny created the LightSpeed writer.
I consider myself lucky to have gotten one of the
very first ones. I have been using it for over two
years. I kept one of my old stenos as a backup,
but have never had to use it. The LightSpeed is
such a tireless instrument to use that I don't
think I could ever go back to an old manual
keyboard.
I would highly recommend the DigitalCat
software and the LightSpeed writer to anyone.
Why not use the very best!"

Larry E. Marks, CP, CM, FCRR, Oklahoma City

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