Stenotype

Stenotype is a system for generating written language using a keyboard with fewer keys than a normal typewriter or computer keyboard, designed for rapid transcription of speech as in a courtroom. Keys are pressed in "chords", several at a time, to produce a notation that is generally more phonetic-based than the standard English orthography. Expert stenographers can achieve a very rapid pace with this device, and it takes special skills both to write with it and to read its output.

Links

 * Wikipedia article
 * Plover: open source steno program
 * The 100 Year Old Trick to Writing at 240 Words Per Minute