Shift key started acting like Caps Lock

[GreyGeek]

I have been running K9.04 JJ since alpha5.  The last updates I received
notification for (the gear in sys tray) was the day before yesterday. 
After that update I began noticing that both Thunderbird and FireFox
began behaving weirdly while I was typing in various input boxes or edit
panels.

I can be typing along when suddenly the keys become all caps, as if the
Caps Lock were pressed, but it was not.  The Caps Lock is off.  If I
touch the Shift Key I can return to lower case.    If I deliberately use
the Shift Key to create an upper case it works normally.   After I press
and hold the Shift Key and then press the letter key and then release
both keys the lower case letter is printed and the lower case mode
remains. 

However, while the placement icon is in a blank area with no characters
on either side, If I press and release the Shift Key and then press the
"period" key, a right carrot appears instead.  If I press and release
the Shift Key again, and then press the "period" key, a period shows.

This occurs regardless of whether I have the touch pad active or
deactivated.  

I have not changed any keyboard layouts, hot keys, or other keyboard
configurations.
GG