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As a complete opposite to you, I use virtually only my fingers and a little bit of wrist. My arm is rested on the desk. I feel that using my entire arm and parts of my upper body to slide a few grams of plastic around the table is overkill. But that's what most people around where I work do, their arms stretched out in front of them. The mice related physical issues here are normally neck/arm/shoulder related, not wrist. I can't help but feel there's a connection.

Most of those with pain opt for a vertical type mouse over a trackball.

They may look stupid and it takes a while to get used to them but they work... at least for me.
Anir mouse
3M equivalent

Actually, I had the same problem with the Anir/3M ergonomic mouse (the one that looks like a....er, flight stick).

Even though it *does* have a shelf built into it, if I allowed my lower arm to be in any other posture than the "ideal," it caused me great pain in my hand. Needless to say, holding your arm "just so" for hours at a time is simply exhausting, so you end up leaning on the mouse and hurting yourself. I have gone back to a regular mouse.

OTOH, the Anir/3M would probably be perfect for people wearing a wrist brace, who *can't* limber up their lower arm.

is RSS actually cured by changing the position of the hand

Since it removes the "Stress" part of Repetitive Stress Injury, it prevents further damage. Probably won't cure anything, though.

I was developing problems in my forearm, so I tried the Anir Vertical Mouse. Made a huge difference. After using it for a few years, I can handle a normal mouse again without discomfort. Hey, maybe these things do cure RSI...

Currently, computers cannot, and will not, simply fit in with home entertainment setups. There are several reasons why:

1. Inconvenient input devices. Though wireless keyboards and mice (and integrated wireless keyboard/trackball) are all very well, what you're after most of the time is simply a remote control. There was a device made by Animax called the Multimedia Magic, which was perfect for the job - it even allowed you to control the mouse and type addresses into IE - but it doesn't have W2K drivers at the moment, and it relies on an external IR receiver. Perhaps some universal IR input device standard should be made, so that you can have an IR input port on the front of your PC, and use any input device you wish with it. Difficult to set up, I know, but it's an idea.

2. Appearance - whilst there are many nice PC cases around at the moment, getting one small enough that looks nice is difficult. That said, the Dell Optiplex GX150 is a sleek little thing - I can't get on with its laptop-style drives though. Also, it's not configured for home entertainment.

3. Graphics systems - some PCs don't come with TV-out, which is pretty much a necessity, unless you want to buy a very big monitor and shove a standalone TV tuner in.

4. Noise - covered by previous posters, getting a silent PC is nigh on impossible. It would be possible in theory, but you'd need some hefty heatsinks sticking out of the back, which could compromise the appearance.

5. Squeezing it all in the box - for a decent HEPC, you'll be wanting 5.1 sound output, a decent graphics card with S-Video out, a reasonable processor, large hard drive to store your (il)legal MP3s and DivXs, DVD reader, decent processor, etc etc etc... the Shuttle SS51 looks good for this, but again, it's only one system and it's not ideal. It does look quiet though...

6. Not many people want one - whilst I feel I am making a circular argument here, there must be little demand for HEPCs because there aren't any ideal devices.

About 10 years ago until about 7 years ago their keyboards were made in the U.S.A. or Ireland. I bought two Natural Keyboards in 2000, both made in Taiwan. The crappy keyswitches butchered my hands and the key switches started wearing out within two months so that when you pressed shift or any broad key it would just jam in the "up" position and not go down. That was also a major cause of pain, eventually.

Now, my hands are 26cm (~11in?) thumb-tip to pinky-finger-tip, so the average keyboard and things like my Logitech "ergonomic" mouse were far too small.

So I dropped by an ergonomic equipment specialist in Holland and after trying out a bunch of keyboards I spent the dosh, and got a Kinesis Ergo Elan keyboard. For my huge hands it was a good size, and the ultra-light keyswitches and 6 keys under each thumb, all arranged in two bowls, have meant hours of typing without pain. Combine that with a Anir Vertical Mouse and I'm a happy hacker. I made sure work bought be one as well. At home I've got a huge Countour Perfit mouse to fit my hand

As for my fave keyboard. The Union Bank of Switzerland (now UBS AG) used to be the biggest IT shop in the country. They were even developing their own Unix workstation at one point. They manufactured a keyboard for traders with 4 or 5 extra rows of keys over the normal QWERTY layout plus a number pad, with a 4 line LCD display built in. Talk about lots of short-cut buttons... :-)

This is news? The Anir Vertical Mouse has been around for years.

I own both both a Mac version and a PC version and they now have a USB version available. They come in 3 sizes for both left and right-handed people.

My experience has been that it Really does help with carpal tunnel problems. However it requires that your desk be at the proper height - otherwise you end up trasferring some of the strain to your shoulder.

My experience is that it is a bit more difficult to use on the PC than the Mac due to the PC's lack of speed sensitivity. Likewise, the vertical mouse is not the greatest for Gaming.

Nevertheless, its a great alternative to living with a painful disability.