So, the other day was International Caps Lock Day.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD.

It’s the day, declared by nobody in particular but marked on the Internet by many, that celebrates the way the volume in any document can be turned way up JUST BY PRESSING THAT LITTLE-USED (OFTEN UNINTENTIONALLY) KEY ON THE LEFT, ABOVE THE SHIFT KEY.

Unscientific surveys show it’s used primarily in political blogging and e-mails to grandchildren, where it’s the typographical equivalent of the forever blinking turn signal. But it’s hard to be a supporter of the caps lock key. It’s rude, it messes up password-protected log-in attempts and, like a beach-volleyball court in a public park, it takes up way too much prime real estate for its level of usefulness.

Instead, let’s celebrate the unsung heroes of the keyboard:

¢The control key: We all need control, right? And if we used it more, we’d probably be taking more time to program in time-saving macros.

¢ The 1/8 3/8 (brackets) keys: Too many people use parentheses when they should be using brackets, even though parens, which require a shift, are harder to type.

¢ And, most of all, the delete key: Held down until an ill-considered sentence disappears, it can save you from all manner of trouble, LIKE YELLING BACK AT THE E-MAIL CORRESPONDENT DISPARAGING YOUR PARENTAGE, YOUR BRAINPOWER AND YOUR LIKELY TREATMENT OF STRAY DOGS.

International Delete Day. Celebrate the unsaid.