Jef Raskin championed this style of interface where you only enter modes while performing an action, he called them quasimodes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo

Jef Raskin championed this style of interface where you only enter modes while performing an action, he called them quasimodes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(computer_interface)#Quasimodes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(computer_interface)#Quasi... He never mentioned pedals though, it's a really clever approach.