OT: rodent usage

Joe(theWordy)Philbrook jtwdyp at ttlc.net
Sun Sep 28 07:52:05 UTC 2008



It would appear that on Sep 26, Ignazio Palmisano did say:

> Joe(theWordy)Philbrook wrote:
> [snip]
> 
> >> 1) "Ball" mice may not roll smoothly, sometimes they need cleaning (not just 
> >> the ball as manufacturer tell, but the shafts it rools against)
> > 
> > That's a big 10-4, In fact my track ball does sometimes have that
> > problem. Every now and again I tip it upside down (catch the ball) and
> > spray the Redmond out of it's guts with a can of air... The rodent usually
> > works a little smoother afterwards. 
> 
> I used to open the 'rodent' and scrub the dirt out with whatever tool 
> was needed or at hand for the job, then I bought mi first optic mouse 
> and was done with all that mess. Also, I'm saving money in the long run, 
> I only bought two optical mice in the last 7 years (because I kept 
> forgetting one in the office or at home while moving the laptop).
 
 Yeah optical is nice. But given how hard it is to find retailers with
 TRACKBALLS I'd have to order it from someplace... I always preferred
 getting my hands on something to physically check it out before
 purchase... But the next time I replace the durned thing I intend to
 shop for an optical version... Perhaps I should get around to it before
 the old one dies...
 
> >  But it still doesn't help me keep the
> > pointer in between the lines... Though to tell the truth I may have
> > exaggerated (slightly) as at times I can make it work a little easier.
> > but if I spend much time with it, my hands start to go numb, and once
> > that happens it's a hopeless cause. Funny that, I can keypunch for hours
> > without such problems, But it only takes a few minutes trying to control
> > the mouse... <sigh>
> 
> I had the same problem when I first started using a computer. Over time 
> I learned that the problem in my case was that I needed to keep the 
> whole forearm on the table, so that the hand does not have to push on 
> the mouse with the weight of the whole arm. Might be worth a try? (I 
> escaped carpal tunnel syndrome as well that way :)).

 Well in my case, NOTHING helped with the mouse ( & I've been using
 computers so long my first one (excluding a commodore64) had only 640 KB
 of ram...)

Funny you should mention carpal tunnel syndrome, I've been dancing
around that for a long time. I used to "form cables" for AT&T 
before they spun off Lucent. This involved a repetitive "sewing"
operation (they didn't like cable ties...)

It was then That I noticed my hands would get numb if I wrote (with a pen
& paper) too long. By the time I stopped forming cables I couldn't
"write" for 15 minutes. But that improved over time and I can write for
about a 1/2 hr or so now... I can usually use the trackball for about the
same time, or an actual mouse for about 15 minutes before that happens.
But if I spend much time trying to be precise (such as trying to stay
between the lines of menu choices to get to a sub menu that opened on the
other side of the menu entry. Or to click on several small icons in a row
and it often takes less than 5 minutes to go numb. Yet somehow I can
keypunch for hours on end before I have that problem... And no, I don't
touch type.  I started to take a typing course once, but when I tried to
reach all the right keys with the right fingers I found that numbness
creeping up on me so quickly That I dropped the course and returned to my
peek and poke style where I use whatever finger of whatever hand happens to
be handy at the time while avoiding using the same finger/hand continuously
for very long... And thus can keypunch for many hours... Go figure!

I've suspected for a long time it might be the beginning stages of carpal
tunnel, but by being careful how I use my hands (including avoiding the
rodent as much as possible) I can avoid that numbness.  Over time, most
of the symptoms faded. And since I've developed a strong distrust of the
medical system, I've never asked a doctor to check it out. 

-- 
|    ^^^   ^^^
|    <o>   <o>	     Joe (theWordy) Philbrook
|	 ^    		  J(tWdy)P
|	___	       <<jtwdyp at ttlc.net>>
|           
|      <sigh>





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