Dear Crabby: What's up with those wacky keyboard keys?

Late last December I wrote a post to remind you about the ribbon roadmaps, interactive guides that you can download and use as reference workbooks. Today is about a comment I received on that post that had absolutely nothing to do with roadmaps at all...

Or did it?

Barbara Leedom, a spunky retired schoolteacher living in Cape Cod who "writes humor" (as she put it)  for the Cape Cod Times (hey wait a minute; is SHE the future ME?) posed a question about those kooky keys that are to the right of the function (F) keys on most keyboards. After going back and forth with Barbara in email about what these keys are for (or, more often than not, used to be for), I started to think that maybe keyboards should come with roadmaps, too. I mean, how many regular computer users know (now be honest) what the PrtScn/SysRq key is for? How about Pause/Break? ScrLk? I mean, I've written about Num Lock before and so I figured it was time to tackle the other weirdos.

See, Barbara, being the scrappy (I imagine her as scrappy), adventurous, 72-year-old she is, had just gotten a brand new Windows 7 computer and just felt...bewildered by the newness of it all, including the new keyboard, and particularly the keys to the right of the F12 key. Having parents around the same age as Barbara, I was compelled to help out, and so today's post—besides not having a whole lot to do with Office—may be old hat for some of you long-time computer users, but for others, this just may offer a beacon of light into something that you'd always been wondering about...

And so, without further ado, click the image of the keyboard below to take a look at my own wacky keyboard key roadmap (which is on my SkyDrive).

Note: Yes, this is MY keyboard—the one I use; it's called the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, and it's great tool for people who spend a lot of time typing all day. It's one of the many ways I try to ensure that my workspace is as ergonomically designed as possible. I suggest you check out Dr. Dan's blog post about ergonomics.)

Now, if you think I'm way off base with my image or my description of what these keys do, or if you'd like to add some more information about what I've done here, please let fly your comments.

Also, I found something that may address some of the more obscure issues with those wacky-named keyboard buttons. It's my sincere hope that this will ease your troubled keyboard-button-fretted mind.

• SCROLL LOCK, NUM LOCK, F LOCK, CAPS LOCK support

And by the way, did you know that there exists an International Scroll Lock Day? I kid you not.

Crabby's Find of the Day: Found Contest: Imagine the future of thrift stores

— Crabby