Wubi: How Chinese Characters Trumped QWERTY

Resources

Books

• "The Wubi Effect" by Simon Adler - This is the title of the episode, suggesting it's a narrative exploration of the Wubi method and its implications.

Videos & Documentaries

• Infomercial for Wubi - Mentioned as a filled with photos of Professor Wang with important people, indicating its role in promoting the Wubi method.

Research & Studies

• English study on the "Qwerty Effect" - This study, conducted in the early 2000s, explored feelings associated with words typed from different hands of the QWERTY keyboard, finding positive associations with right-hand letters.
• Social Security records from the 1960s through 2012 - Used in a study to examine the prevalence of baby names with more right-handed letters compared to left-handed letters before and after 1990, to see if the QWERTY keyboard layout influenced naming trends.

Tools & Software

• Wubi Method - A method for typing Chinese characters on a QWERTY keyboard by breaking them down into component shapes.
• IME (Input Method Editor) - Software that allows users to input Chinese characters using a QWERTY keyboard.
• Microsoft Word - Mentioned in the context of cloud input, where typing is influenced by what millions of other users are typing.
• Google Search Bar - Used as an example of predictive text, offering suggestions based on trending topics and popular searches.

Articles & Papers

• "The Wubi Effect" (Radiolab) - This is the episode itself, serving as the primary source of information for the listener.

People Mentioned

• Latif Nasser - Host of Radiolab.
• Simon Adler - Senior producer of Radiolab, who created the story and is credited with reporting and producing it.
• Professor Wong Yong Min - The inventor of the Wubi method, described as a pivotal figure in enabling Chinese characters to be typed on computers.
• Yang Yang - Local reporter who assisted Simon Adler with reporting in China.
• Professor Tom Mullaney - Professor of Chinese history at Stanford University, who provided historical context and research on Chinese typing.
• Martin Howard - Historian and collector, who described the sounds and sights of typists in American businesses in the 1970s.
• Mao Zedong - Mentioned as having advocated for the abolition or alphabetization of Chinese characters.
• Hu Yaobang - Head of the Communist Party in China, who met with Professor Wang and supported the continued use of Chinese characters.
• Joe Ming - Computer scientist at Microsoft Research Asia, who was on the front lines of IME development.
• Daniel Cassasanto - Credited for teaching about the QWERTY Effect.
• Joshua Suter, Marion Renault, David Gabel, Chen Gao, Renkel Chang, Martian Wickery, Yingying Lu - Individuals thanked for their contributions to the story.

Organizations & Institutions

• Radiolab - The podcast production.
• WNYC - The radio station associated with Radiolab.
• Stanford University - Affiliation of Professor Tom Mullaney.
• Ford Company - Mentioned in relation to a Chinese visitor observing American businesses.
• United Nations - Where Professor Wang presented his Wubi invention in 1984.
• Microsoft Research Asia - Where Joe Ming works.
• ABC News - Mentioned in relation to conforming to Pinyin standardization.
• Simons Foundation - Provided leadership support for Radiolab's science programming.
• John Templeton Foundation - Provided leadership support for Radiolab's science programming.
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation - Provided foundational support for Radiolab.

Courses & Educational Resources

• University of Science and Technology of China - Where Professor Wong Yong Min studied, described as the equivalent of MIT.

Websites & Online Resources

• General Chinese typing methods - Discussed in the context of the explosion of different input methods after Wubi.
• Pinyin input - A method of typing Chinese characters by using the Latin alphabet to spell out their pronunciation.

Other Resources

• Chinese characters - The core subject of the episode, their history, and the challenge of inputting them into computers.
• QWERTY keyboard - The standard English keyboard layout, central to the discussion of input methods and the "Qwerty Effect."
• Typewriter - Discussed as a precursor to computer keyboards and its impact on business efficiency.
• Dot matrix printers - Mentioned as a technology that struggled to print legible Chinese characters due to insufficient pixel density.
• Chinese character typewriter (without a keyboard) - Described as a clunky device with levers that managed to print Chinese characters, staving off the death of the character before computer input methods.
• Pinyin - A system for romanizing Chinese characters, used for spelling out pronunciations.
• Cloud input - A newer phase of input technology using artificial intelligence, where typing is influenced by collective user input.
• Typing competitions in China - Events where different input methods and typists compete, with some being televised.
• "Qwerty Effect" - The phenomenon where people associate positive feelings with words typed using letters from the right side of a QWERTY keyboard.