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A couple of "large" trackball vendors:

BigTrack - http://www.bigtrack.co.uk/
Kensington - http://www.kensington.com/

FWIW, I love my Kensington Expert Mouse. Despite the name it's actually a roughly billiard-ball sized trackball with four buttons and a scroll ring. Two caveats:

1. I use it with a Mac, and I had to get a third-party driver to map the buttons.
2. I made the mistake of registering the product. Now I get weekly spam from Kensington despite repeated attempts at unsubscribing. Kensington is permanently routed to my spam folder now.

I got it because I was developing RSI from use of a regular mouse with my right hand. I tried switching to my left, but had trouble training myself to use almost-but-not-quite the same mouse motions. The trackball has a completely different motion from the mouse, so I was able to easily train my left hand to use it. Now I use the left-handed trackball at work and the right-handed mouse at home and haven't had any more RSI issues. (Yeah, using the trackball right-handed probably would have had the same effect, since the motion is different. But at the time my right arm really hurt and it was more comfortable just to give it a rest and train my left to do it.)

Hello,

A couple of "large" trackball vendors:

BigTrack - http://www.bigtrack.co.uk/
Kensington - http://www.kensington.com/us/u...

You can also try visiting www.trackballworld.com and looking around at the various offerings there. I've never bought from them, so no specific feedback to give (or, in other words, caveat emptor).

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

By that logic, FibreChannel and Ethernet also were for the same purpose as USB and FireWire.

FibreChannel and Ethernet are pretty narrowly purposed towards networking. In theory they could be competitors to USB and Firewire and Thunderbolt but in practice they generally are not. You can do things like drive a monitor over Ethernet but people rarely do so. Similarly you can connect to a network over USB or Firewire or Thunderbolt but in practice people rarely do. Thunderbolt on the other hand is being aimed at video and storage much like Firewire is/was. USB overlaps with those use cases fairly heavily. Virtually everyone has USB storage and USB monitors have become a thing. I have a USB monitor I use fairly often and it works great.

FireWire 400 still kicks USB 2.0 ass when it comes to sustained transfers rates.

Which matters not one tiny bit to most users. The few who need the modest advantages of an old version of USB over an older version of Firewire have it available to them. The number of use cases affected is pretty much the very definition of niche.

You cannot run video and Ethernet simultaneously over USB.

Then I must be pulling off a miracle because I'm doing EXACTLY that as I type this. I have a USB 3 docking station that runs gigabit ethernet, drives two 1080p monitors and handles my keyboard, mouse and an external hard drive. All through a single USB connection. Works great and the bandwidth has not ever been a problem for anything I've needed to do. I could do the same thing using Thunderbolt but it would cost me a LOT more money to do it plus I'd still need USB for the mouse and keyboard.

Again, USB and TB overlap in functionality but are not direct competitors.

They overlap rather heavily in functionality though Thunderbolt is technically far more appropriate for video. Video is the main current source of distinction between the two. For most other uses (storage etc) the differences matter far less to most people. However the latest incarnations (3.0 & 3.1) of USB are fast enough that they can do video too for the most common use cases out there. Thunderbolt is technically better but there is a strong chance that won't matter any more than it did for Firewire. Anywhere USB and Thunderbolt compete I don't think Thunderbolt will fare well even though most of us would probably prefer it.

I have a somewhat bulky idea on how to increase the difficulty of taking the hardware. Basically a retractable cable attached to the belt and the phone. If the cable is long enough you do not need to remove it to use the phone. http://www.maclocks.com/blackb... http://www.kensington.com/kens...

Kensington also makes a PSU with USB.

Right now I have about 6 different types of chargers, each plugged in in various places around the house.

I have tried very hard to make sure the things I buy that need charging will mostly charge off of USB of some sort.

I've got a really nice Kensington charger with 4 USB ports that covers most of what I need.

My two cameras each have a dedicated charger, but the rest of my electronic devices can get handled with that. It really does cut down on the number of chargers you need to keep around. It also makes travel easier since it will handle any currents in use (110/220V, 50/60Hz), and I only need to bring it, and the appropriate cables.

ask a doctor. He can give you advice on how to sit and also on what to sit on. There are ergonomic chairs and even balls.
Also there might be medical reasons as to why do or not do something.

Where I work, one person has back issues and she asked her doctor and he told her she must NOT use a sitting ball as that would increase her problems.

I use a trackball instead of a mouse. Took me three days to get used to it. I also have a mouse pad with foam and a wrist pad. http://www.kensington.com/kensington/us/us/s/1429/mouse-wrist-pads.aspx will give you examples. Relative cheap solution to prevent problems.

Using something like this might be a bit over the top.

As to sitting: sit straight, adjust your monitor to your sitting position. (Most likely it is to low) and take breaks. Befriend a smoker and go with them on their smoke breaks. This will give the added bonus of talking with people from other departments.

While you're at it -- upgrade your mouse too! I found all my wrist problems went away when I moved to a Logitech Cordless Trackman (wish it was corded, but whatever). This has a finger-operated trackball and a thumb-operated left-click, which I find MUCH more accurate and comfortable than a thumb-operated trackball (e.g. most trackball mice on the market now). Trackball mice are usually considered to be more accurate than regular mice anyways. One of the big benefits here is the fact that your wrist isn't as twisted as with a regular mouse... if that's your main goal, there are also some expensive ergonomic vertical mice that might be comfortable.

I agree. I have a Kensington Expert Mouse (Model K64325) at home and at work with the top right button remapped to be a middle click (via X-Mouse Button Control) and I wouldn't be without it.

Aaron Z

Logitech makes 'thumb marbles'...not trackballs... I don't care what they call 'em, not a single one of them are a full sized trackball.

Kensington's Expert Mouse trackball has always been ambidexterous and provides for switching the buttons in the drivers/companion software. Love these things. Have used 'em for well over a decade.

http://us.kensington.com/html/2200.html

In fact, -all- of kensington's trackballs are ambidexterous.

Oh, and according to Kensington, it'll do "Input: 100-240VACm, 50-60Hz, 0.3A Max".

So, it's also a travel charger, which is pretty sweet.

Cheers

Kensington will sell you cell phone connectors that will allow you to charge a cell phone from a laptop or other USB power source. It also has a portable battery that can provide an additional charge for your cell phone. Or step up to a fully universal laptop battery if you want to power that netbook

Some cameras can also be charged from USB, allowing you to use the Kensington portable battery or your netbook. Google to find out if yours can be charged that way.

There are at least half a dozen systems to charge a laptop (or in your case, a netbook) from solar power, effectively making it your portable power station, using solar power as the source.

Kensington will sell you cell phone connectors that will allow you to charge a cell phone from a laptop or other USB power source. It also has a portable battery that can provide an additional charge for your cell phone. Or step up to a fully universal laptop battery if you want to power that netbook

Some cameras can also be charged from USB, allowing you to use the Kensington portable battery or your netbook. Google to find out if yours can be charged that way.

There are at least half a dozen systems to charge a laptop (or in your case, a netbook) from solar power, effectively making it your portable power station, using solar power as the source.

The Kensington "expert" trackball. Here Big and sturdy, stays in one place so you can whack the scroll ring or paste button without looking. Most of the time my hands are on the keyboard, and when they're not I don't want to go mouse hunting. Not cheap, but TANSTAAFL.

I don't think this can happen. There are actually economic disincentives for those in control of the manufacturers to adopt a standard like this. I applaud the altruism here, but it fails to "incentivize" the standardization for the manufacturers. Manufacturers - those in control of mass production - are not so much intent on realizing the full collective efficiency and savings of mass production as they are in twisting the whole process to benefit them and slightly disadvantage those who buy their product. They waste resources and labor on unnecessarily frequent redesign cycles and impose planned obsolescence and proprietary schemes, all in the name of disproportionate profit. The end result is a waste and perversion of the collective potential of mass production.

What Green Plug proposes makes PERFECT sense from an altruistic, socialistic, Big Picture perspective... which also means it makes absolutely NO sense to these corporate CEOs because they expend NO mental energy on such unimportant things.

Having said that, I'd like to point out that one company has produced a power supply design that in some ways is actually BETTER than the Green Plug standard: Kensington. Yes, that Kensington. They have a series of true variable-output DC power supplies which have a rather unique way of powering a wide range of different devices that require different voltages and current; I have one myself, a model 33197 (I actually have "last year's" model that uses a rather proprietary cable, but apparently this most recent one uses a standard USB cable in the design. It has a five-pin DC output jack, to which a cable attaches that has a female plug on the other end; there is a series of "tips" which connect to the end of the cable, and it is these tips which actually determine both the physical attachment method to a device AND the voltage and current. There are tips available for virtually every laptop, cellphones, even one for my old HP iPAQ hx4700 (which is a REALLY weird one).

I believe the Kensington design works by the tips creating a feedback loop of some sort with the power supply proper, communicating through one or several of those pins precisely what voltage and current to supply. It strikes me as quite ingenious. I have no idea what specific mechanism this feedback loop employs, because I haven't yet reverse-engineered one of the tips to see what makes it tick.

So what Kensington has produced is a 3-24VDC, 6A, 120W variable output DC power supply that, with a proper tip, can power virtually any device that falls within its output specs. They have already anticipated the vast majority of common devices, and can easily produce others as the need arises. Of course I'd rather see the whole thing open sourced, but that again is the difference between altruism and harsh Darwinian reality. Regardless, I think what Kensington has created could very easily become a standard even superior to what Green Plug proposes.

I agree, my Kensington Expert Mouse (really a big track ball) saved me from carpal tunnel. And it is very precise for any graphics or anything else like that. And it moves as fast as anything else out there too... as needed.

If you really feel you work in an environment that is not secure, and you insist on remaining with these people, here are a few suggestions:

To lock up a running laptop, you could use what is called a DVR box - it holds a PC in a secure box with adequate ventilation. http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&upc=61751755200&pid=_Froogle>

I'd suggestsimply investing in a large number of Kensington locks, many, many devices have Kensington lock "ports". http://us.kensington.com/html/1434.html>

To the OP: How bad is the thievery rate? Is it a place where anybody can enter to possibly steal, or is it a place where you need locks to keep honest people honest?

You can get some decent cable locks that are Bic Pen resistant. I use these:

http://us.kensington.com/html/11208.html
on all my equipment, be it desktop or laptop. Of course, they can be cut, but it would be a dedicated effort to do so.

First, the locking cabinet is an idea, but of course if someone is desperate enough to cut cable locks, they likely will try for the cabinet if its not bolted down. You could go with a motion detecting alarm, or a locking cable that has an alarm that will sound if cut, but co-workers will get really annoyed if the system makes false alarms often.

Kensington's alarmed lock: http://us.kensington.com/html/6311.html

Second, have you considered a dock for your laptop, if one is available? Almost all docks have some way of locking the laptop to the dock either via a lever and a padlock or something using a Kensington lock slot. Then, you can hook all your monitors and items to the dock and just do a simple eject to hit the road with your laptop.

Third, have you considered logical security? If you are worried about data theft as opposed to physical, consider something like TrueCrypt that can encrypt your Windows boot/system drive, and also encrypt data on external drives. If you use keyfiles, after you type in your preboot passphrase, the external drives can automount while still providing security from thieves. For further protection, you can use TrueCrypt on external drives, and use PGP's whole disk encryption with a cryptographic hardware token. Then, you can use cable locks for your devices and if someone does steal one, it will be "merely" a hardware theft rather than hardware and sensitive data.

Last, if you can't find a metal box, have you considered hitting a metal shop with the dimensions of what you want for a cage, and having them weld you up one? I have had this done (and the cage bolted down solidly) when I wanted to make sure some file servers, switch, and a router would not be stolen. Even though I did not know who other than myself had the key to the room the equipment was in, only I had the key to that cage, so I knew that the equipment might be powered off or perhaps vandalized, it wouldn't be stolen without some major effort. A welder can use pinless hinges and tabs so someone attempting to break into the cage by a crowbar wouldn't be successful.

To the OP: How bad is the thievery rate? Is it a place where anybody can enter to possibly steal, or is it a place where you need locks to keep honest people honest?

You can get some decent cable locks that are Bic Pen resistant. I use these:

http://us.kensington.com/html/11208.html
on all my equipment, be it desktop or laptop. Of course, they can be cut, but it would be a dedicated effort to do so.

First, the locking cabinet is an idea, but of course if someone is desperate enough to cut cable locks, they likely will try for the cabinet if its not bolted down. You could go with a motion detecting alarm, or a locking cable that has an alarm that will sound if cut, but co-workers will get really annoyed if the system makes false alarms often.

Kensington's alarmed lock: http://us.kensington.com/html/6311.html

Second, have you considered a dock for your laptop, if one is available? Almost all docks have some way of locking the laptop to the dock either via a lever and a padlock or something using a Kensington lock slot. Then, you can hook all your monitors and items to the dock and just do a simple eject to hit the road with your laptop.

Third, have you considered logical security? If you are worried about data theft as opposed to physical, consider something like TrueCrypt that can encrypt your Windows boot/system drive, and also encrypt data on external drives. If you use keyfiles, after you type in your preboot passphrase, the external drives can automount while still providing security from thieves. For further protection, you can use TrueCrypt on external drives, and use PGP's whole disk encryption with a cryptographic hardware token. Then, you can use cable locks for your devices and if someone does steal one, it will be "merely" a hardware theft rather than hardware and sensitive data.

Last, if you can't find a metal box, have you considered hitting a metal shop with the dimensions of what you want for a cage, and having them weld you up one? I have had this done (and the cage bolted down solidly) when I wanted to make sure some file servers, switch, and a router would not be stolen. Even though I did not know who other than myself had the key to the room the equipment was in, only I had the key to that cage, so I knew that the equipment might be powered off or perhaps vandalized, it wouldn't be stolen without some major effort. A welder can use pinless hinges and tabs so someone attempting to break into the cage by a crowbar wouldn't be successful.

Most keyboards priced over $10 have some unique feature

Yep. The best keyboard I can find at the moment for me is this. No nonsense, no stupidly placed power/hibernate/etc. keys, just a regular ASCII layout, and just the right amount of tactile feedback.

and my PS3 has a $500 Blu-ray player, $249 media server, $109 wireless adaptor, $67 Upscaling DVD player, a $65 60GB 2.5" harddrive, a $30 bluetooth adapter, a $23 multi flash card reader, a $5 web browser, and a game console for free. It's amazing everyone doesn't have one. That's well over $1000 in value for only $600... no, $400!

Question, if I sit on it, can I claim an another $25 value as a butt warmer?

... the fact is, Maya's UI sucks. 3d Studio's UI sucks. Power Animator's UI sucks. Cinema 4d's UI sucks. Rhino's UI sucks. Nendo's UI sucks. Silo's UI sucks. Softimage's UI sucks. Lightwave's UI sucks. ALL 3d application UIs suck ass until you get up on the learning curve, because all 3d applications do fundamental things differently.

I "grew up" with 3d Studio MAX - Maya, Rhino, etc. all make my brain BLEED - not just because they're Not MAX (the way The GIMP is Not Photoshop) but because they're Not MAX the way Emacs is Not Vi.* 3d is HARD, dammit - hard to code, hard to learn. I'm picking up Silo pretty fast, but mostly because Silo seems to make it a point to do intuitively a lot of really basic things that are a massive assraping pain-in-the-ass to do in 3d Studio MAX.

That said, I have only two complaints about blender.

1. The open/save dialogue (as has been said elsewhere) does suck a load of flaming ass. Weapons grade Anthrax ass.

2. Like almost all modern 3d apps, you need a three button scroll-wheeled mouse to get ANY use out of the app at all. Which makes the app unuseable if you're using an input device, with, say... two buttons. While that's all fine and good, it ought to be fairly trivial to poll the bus, check for pointing devices, and pop up a nice little "FOR OPTIMAL USE PLZ ATTACH 3-BUTTON SCROLLWHEEL THINGER. [DIAGRAM WITH FUNCTIONS OUTLINED]" if inadequate hardware is detected. If Blender did this, it would put it well ahead of commercial apps for first-impression useability.

* Pick any two apps that generate the same results but go about it using completely contradictory and counterintuitive methods. Same principle.

I recommend this removable keyboard cover which provides larger, easier to read key caps on a standard keyboard. Colour coding distinguishes character keys from other keys and that helps to build confidence:

http://www.tts-group.co.uk/Product.aspx?cref=TTSPR 593132&rid=63&cid=7

A trackball mouse is easier to use than a conventional mouse. A trackball mouse can be used two-handed, so the mouse pointer is less likely to be moved accidentally while clicking. Plus a trackball doesn't fall off the table. I found the Kensington Optical Trackball is ideal. It has a nice symmetrical shape, and it has no rollers so it doesn't need cleaning:

http://us.kensington.com/html/4771.html

I've been using Kensington's large, 4 button trackballs (Expert Mouse) for more than 10 years now. Have owned three of them. Switching to a trackball eliminated my wrist problems. Also, works quite well for gaming. It took a little time to get accustomed to the scroll ring on the latest model but now I love it.

Company product page:
http://us.kensington.com/html/1436.html

Let me point out that the Kensington MouseWorks software for their trackballs is very nice. Precise control of cursor acceleration, per application customizable mapping for each button and many other options.

They have versions of MouseWorks for XP, 2000 and OS X. According to their website, for Vista you just go with what the OS supplies.

I switched to a Kensington Expert Mouse last year for a similar problem. This input device works better for me than the traditional mouse. My wrist pain problem is so bad that I switched the trackball to my other hand and this has improved things a bit for me. I am not a graphics professional and I try to avoid the Mouse input device as much as possible. Guides like this table help very much.

The Kensington Expert Mouse trackballs are symmetric right to left.

I use one on my Linux box with my left hand, and one on the Mac with my right hand.

I am a programmer, and I've been using the Expert Mouse trackball for several months. It's great.

I had pain in my wrist from mousing before switching to another (non-optical) version of this trackball, and the pain disappeared quickly.

Scrolling is really quick with it, and using your whole hand instead of gripping a mouse and using your wrist seems to help a lot.

http://us.kensington.com/html/2200.html

.... Is one of these Travel Plug Adapters from Kensington:

http://us.kensington.com/html/5519.html
http://us.kensington.com/html/7207.html

They allow you to plug in any device that does voltage conversion (check your AC adapter before you leave to make sure it does) into any outlet. That way you don't have to walk around with a ton of cables.

Also, if you're an Apple Fanboy, Apple has the World Travel Adapter Kit that does the same thing with the power adapters that come with iPods, iBooks, PowerBooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=1F805214&nplm=M8794G%2F B

All of these are light and don't take up a lot of space.

.... Is one of these Travel Plug Adapters from Kensington:

http://us.kensington.com/html/5519.html
http://us.kensington.com/html/7207.html

They allow you to plug in any device that does voltage conversion (check your AC adapter before you leave to make sure it does) into any outlet. That way you don't have to walk around with a ton of cables.

Also, if you're an Apple Fanboy, Apple has the World Travel Adapter Kit that does the same thing with the power adapters that come with iPods, iBooks, PowerBooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=1F805214&nplm=M8794G%2F B

All of these are light and don't take up a lot of space.

Thats true, but thats the case with most every adaptor. They have a cheap solution for that too.. http://us.kensington.com/html/5519.html

Pick up one of these http://us.kensington.com/html/6368.html it comes with the 9 most common tips including an Ipod one and if you have some wierd device it doesnt support they will send you the extra tip. It also includes air and car adaptors and comes with a nylon back to carry it all. Even with all the tips and adaptors its still smaller than most laptop power supplies. I just carry it with me when I travel and round robin it with all my gadgets for charging. It sure beats carrying 15 pounds of power adaptors.

One word: Trackball.

You never run out of trackpad no matter how big your screen is. Plus you can "throw" the ball (i.e. push it very quickly then release it so that it continues to spin after you let go) to get across the monitor very quickly.

I personally like the Kensington Expert Mouse for the scroll wheel and the extra-large ball, but it's a bit pricey. I'm sure there are cheaper options available.

I'm pretty sure that this is more reasonable
http://us.kensington.com/html/6408.html
Though I have to say I won't mind WiredZone's profit margin

It turns that Kensington makes a pretty slick one.

I have a mouse like this, from Kensington. They don't make the exact same model I have any more, but the Studio Mouse appears to be similar. It's a three-button corded optical mouse, but the middle button is small, and above it is a little trackpad. The trackpad only scrolls vertically, though.

there are lots of actually.

trust mi5300m
trust mi5400x
anycom btm100
kensington pilotmouse mini bluetooth
level one blm3000
logitech v270
sony vgpbms30
targus amb02us
targus amb03us

shall i go on?

Most people I know with limited use of their hands prefer this Kensington trackball. Some other solutions/sources here.

Look at this trackball if you want something left handed. It's ambidextrious, and instead of a scroll wheel, it has a scroll ring. It also looks like it has 4 buttons. I haven't tried this one specifically, but I have a logitech, with a large ball (this one is bigger), and I have to say that the large ball makes it easier to control. I also find that using fingers works better than the thumb.

I love my saddlebag. They also make it in black now, and Kensington also has messenger and executive bags now labeled under the "Saddlebag" name. While those may also be excellent bags, I have experience with the old-faithful -- the brown/black model. This was the very first laptop backpack (that I'm aware of).

When I travel, I can easily fit two laptops, a multitude of chargers, cell phones, cables (including 25ft cat5), a mouse, a soda, camera, and some snacks. Easily, I can bring it to a weight that could easily break a smaller man's back.

I have an old Kensington Expert Mouse trackball, and I think they're still about the same size. I've switched to the Microsoft Trackball Explorer on my new system, but the Kensington is still on the older "game" machine. And yes, I have to keep my 2-year-old from running off with the ball.

Heathen! MS Trackball Optical for life!

Unfortunately, that trackball is discontinued too. :-(
Nobody seems to be interested in making trackballs anymore. Logitech hasn't updated their (horribly cramped) trackball line in a while, and Kensington seems to be stuck in the late 90's design-wise.

Damn mice. Who thought rubbing a potato across your desk was a good idea for a control scheme?

even better, I have a very small USB optical mouse with a retractable cable that I use with my laptop... Kensington make it

I remember using a kingston 2 button trackball with my centris 650, circa 1993. That would be with some version of System 7 on it.

Do you mean Kensington? I also remember 3rd party multibutton mouse from "back in the day". You had to install drivers for them to work. I think Apple added support for multibutton mice around Mac OS 8.5 or 9.

What I am annoyed about (it's always something, innit?) is that there are NO Bluetooth trackballs! Hello Logitech!

Though it doesn't appear to be Bluetooth specifically, Kensington does offer a wireless version of their Expert Mouse.

Kensington has always produced trackballs that are the size of a billiards ball. I've tried the ones where the balls are the size of a large gumball (about 1" across) and I've never thought they moved easily. The large Kensington balls have always worked very well for me, and combined with a wrist rest and ergonomic keyboard, I've pretty much eliminated most of my "computer related pains".

If you haven't worked with trackballs yet, consider this: when you use a mouse, where is your movement? Most likely, you're resting on your wrist (probably the ball opposite your thumb) and stretching/retracting/twisting off of that pivot point- not a natural movement. With a trackball, the movement is in your fingers. Specifically with the ones like Kensington makes, its your index/middle/ring fingers doing the movement. This kind of movement is at least a little more natural.

I don't work for Kensington or any computer product company; I just like to share my findings with people because people who use computers all day for work don't need to destroy their eyesight or hand/wrist joints.

Finally, just about ANY mouse is going to require this software to make use of the fourth and fifth buttons, because mouse makers don't make their own Mac drivers.

Well, it's true that some mouse makers don't make their own Mac drivers, but the big ones do: Microsoft, Logitech, Kensington.

That said, you're right that these "drivers" are pretty much unnecessary. Any USB mouse will work fine on a Mac; the only real issue is that in Mac OS X, buttons 4 and higher can only be used for Exposé and Dashboard commands. These drivers (or something like USB Overdrive) let you assign other commands to those buttons.

I like the Kensington trackball, with lots of programable buttons and a keyboard. Just wish they made a left hand only keyboard. That would be cool.

My favorite Emacs-specific ergo tip: avoid chording. It's not for nothing that Emacs is so massively configurable. I have:

(define-key global-map [f1] 'Control-X-prefix)
(define-key global-map [f2] 'find-file)
(define-key global-map [f3] 'save-buffer)
(define-key global-map [f4] 'kill-buffer)
(define-key global-map [f5] 'switch-to-buffer)
(define-key global-map [f6] 'other-window)
(define-key global-map [f9] 'compile)

in my .emacs (inspired by this.) I used to have a host of other things mapped all over the numeric keypad -- kill, yank, undo -- but I lost them at some point. I should re-create those.

Also don't neglect a good setup (good posture, good keyboard, good pointing device), and stretch breaks at least once an hour.

Mouse: Logitech MX610

Bluetooth mouse with scroll wheel, no recharging station (AA batteries). I'm using this with my Powerbook. The batteries last about a month. Works with Windows too (assuming you have Bluetooth)

Almost every notebook has this little hole caled a Kensignton Lock Slot. Yes, sufficent force can rip a kensington cable out but it becomes quite obvious that this was done. Also, hacksaws can cut away the desk leg (or cable) but that is obvious as well. And it takes time.

Check out Kensington's StudioMouse. It has three buttons and a scroll pad. Works a lot smoother than a wheel. I've used them for about 2 years now and they've been great.