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The Most Powerful Mouse in the World
Seumas writes "Check out the Durapoint
stainless steel industrial mouse which has bee thrown off a five-story building, submerged for hours, run-over by an 18-wheel truck, beaten with a hammer, used as a hockey puck, thrown across a room and stepped on countless times. It's even theft-proof. Even the pentagon is considering using it. At $279, it isn't cheap -- and it sure isn't an ergonomic wonder, but it might be your ticket if you do your computing strapped to the underside of a Mac truck." If only it had 3 mouse buttons!
It's stainless steel, dude. Unless you're a mutant, semen and pine-sol won't touch it.
If only someone would make computer cases out of stainless steel, maybe with a little chrome. Coolermaster's aluminum cases are pretty, but they could be even better...
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As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
I had a chance to use a Durapoint at a chemical plant once. It is definitely solid and *heavy*. At the time I remember thinking the thing must be tough to damage. If you're thinking it's a pain to use, you're right. Definitely not for fine graphics work. It took a nontrivial amount of pressure to move the mouse.
(Saw someone mention a ball, there is none. The rubber disk on the top is how you move the pointer.)
At my university we have had these mice for several years now. They are used at internet cubes, which consist of a cube in which a monitor is installed, a keyboard and this mouse. You can't touch the monitor or the pc itself though.
They are meant to be used by visitors who want to have a go with internet and are seldomly used by students who want to go to a site quickly and forgot their laptop.
Fact is that initially they worked fine and didn't get dirty at all. After a while, though, it wasn't what they promised at the website. Seemingly being used by hundreds (or rather thousands) of people is too much for them. They kept failing to move the cursor and clicking wasn't everything either.
So, we wound up with these cubicles with either a failing mouse or just shut down. They aren't used anymore today. So much for the indestructable mouse!
--- Anyway, here's Aniway!
What's it like working for Larry Ellison?
III.IIVIVIXIIVIVIIIVVIIIIXVIIIXIIIIIIIIVIIIIVVIII
>Don't know about the rest of the world, but
> that's >what everyone in the Midwest calls a
> 18-wheeler.
> A semi-truck.
> A Freightliner, Peterbuilt, Kenworth, >GM/Volvo...A big-rig.
"An articulated lorry"
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
It's my belief that NOTHING can stand the craziness of the public. :)
Calum
For that kind of money, you're not going to get one that has all those features AND is that durable. This isn't designed for people to use on their desk. This isn't designed for people browsing the internet. This is for places where you have to have a PC in a hazardous environment. We're talking forklifts moving around, sparks flying, excessively high temperatures, caustic chemicals, piles of dirt and grease, etc. I don't think anyone makes a mouse that can take that sort of punishment AND have the "nice" features you seem to be demanding. And if they did, I bet it'll cost more than this one does.
"That's Tron. He fights for the Users."
The wire doesn't look like anything special.
Where is the steel conduit? Is it fireproof?
Maybe they can run over it with a truck, but
can a pocketknife cut the cable? Can the DB9
connector crack off a piece of epoxy? How does
it act with a 7.62 round fired into it?
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
Ah - the company would have to be a new mouse if it got damaged, whereas 'loosing' a user would actually cut spending (no wages).
Richy C.
--
I know someone who has a machine shop with high speed milling machines. The machines use an oil/water emulsion coolant sprayed on the tool, which creates a fine oil mist in the air. The oil mist mixes with dust and makes this ultra sticky crud that gets in everything and doesn't come off, no matter what you do.
This mouse has been working fine in this environment for 3-4 years, along with a similar keyboard with a stainless steel case and rubber membrane keys. I can't keep a ball mouse working at my house for 6 months.
Yes, if only /. could instinctivly know when each of the billions of pages on the WWW had some new info. How often do YOU go looking for bullet-proof mice?
-This sig intentionally left blank
The mouse is made to be used in hazardous environments, the kinds of places that would kill your average mouse within a few days, if not hours. So, let's say an average lifetime of 5 days in these environments for one of your mice. That's 365/5*$20=$1460 a year. Quite a bit more than $279. Actually, using your $20 average mouse price, if your environment could kill 14 mice a year, then this mouse saves you money.
"That's Tron. He fights for the Users."
The most powerful mouse in the world was susceptible only to Limberger cheese... That's right, here he comes to save the day, MIGHTY MOUSE is here to stay.
Personally, I always thought Speedy Gonzalez was *way* cooler than Might Mouse. Yeeha! Yeeha! Andele! Andele! Ariba! Ariba!
It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
--Scott Adams
What, is it hardened against a nuclear attack or something? Or is it just another excuse to bilk the U.S. taxpayer?
I think a $1000 toilet seat with buttons and USB support would kick ass.
People usually get killed if this equipment doesn't function correctly in a combat situation- our people.
Replace the unit is what some would suggest. In combat, you usually don't have the luxury of swapping out parts like that (and unless it's USB, it's NOT going to be hot-swappable either so that means a reboot of most OSes...) In combat, failure is largely NOT an option.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
I've used one of these things, and even for the limited time I had to use it (1-2 hours) my wrist and fingers didn't recover for a day or so. It's sort of like a trackpoint on a laptop, but extremely stiff. Granted that my admin/programming efforts required a lot more mouse usage than the average worker would do.
Very good for use in difficult environments; factory floors, chemical production, very dirty environments, etc. Not my first choice for anything else though.
"But actually trying to use m4 as a general-purpose langage would be deeply perverse" --ESR
A Sigint system does.
A Sigint system is a computer with a GUI, etc.
While I agree that the previous poster's analogy is a bit broken, there are definite reasons why this is a useful thing (and not overpriced either). If you've never dealt with the stuff, you wouldn't understand. I have.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/enclosur es/professional/pro_towers/index.htm
They aren't stainless steel, but they are heavy gauge steel and there is an option for a chromed one. Not cheap, but quality hardware usually isn't.If you can't beat them, embrace and extend them.
Picture a typical "industrial" situation. Noisy. Messy. Loads of vibration and contaminants in the air, etc. Standard computer equipment gets KILLED in this world. You usually find embedded and hardened PCs in this world. An ordinary mouse or trackball would die rather quickly in this world. This one wouldn't.
A military, or more appropriately, combat situation will be at least 10 times worse conditions than the industrial setting.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
Drop it from 6'. Repeat for at least 1000 cycles.
Submerge it in water.
Submerge it in oil.
Subject it to vibration approximately equivalent to 70g's worth of acceleration.
Subject it to dust, dirt, and mud.
Subject it to discharges of gunpowder and explosives (Nearby, not ON it...).
Won't last long, will it?
This mouse will under those conditions.
People need to realize that this stuff is not going to always be operated in office or home like conditions. It's going to be subjected, in most cases, to evil conditions that will kill your home or office equipment outright- that's what combat presents. That's why having "milspec" stuff can often mean you've got superior parts. In combat, failure of your equipment is not an option.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
This mouse needs a better name. How about "Rasputin?"
See you in hell,
Bill Fuckin' Gates®.
See you in hell,
Bill Fuckin' Gates®.
(This post is ©2001 Microsoft(TM) Corporation.)
After all, that is what he asked for...
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
i use a $25 optical mouse but our pentegon brass needs to look into buying $300 bricks they think will work better??
and no one finds military intelligence an oxymoron?
sheesh!
/* Half alive and half dead too, work is for suckers and the sucker is you. - "Half-life" by Local H*/
A Grizzly "suit" (sort o' like a shark suit...)- who'd have thunk...
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
--I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.
Just a very, very short joystick.
-- Alastair
Both the main case and the monitor of a computer can be protected from a hazardous environment. Let's say you're working in a cabinet maker's shop, and there's tons of sawdust. Put the case and the monitor inside of a filtered cabinet, with a window to see the monitor. You still need to have input devices exposed to the harsh environment.
If someone constructs keyboards and mice for harsh environments, and the rest of the computer is removed from those environments, you can still have a very durable system.
Other places I can see this being used:
On the back of a Hummer in the middle of nowhere
A machine shop
Okay, I'm out of ideas now, but you get the picture.
It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
--Scott Adams
So does a Mac truck only have one wheel? ;-)
(Should be Mack truck, BTW...)
cya
Ethelred
Everyone wants to be Ethelred. Even I want to be Ethelred.
Hmmm...wonder how durable this Compaq Mouse is...okay, this Microsoft Mouse, damn.
Hey, betchya these Dell Laptops are pretty durable....nope.
*scans office for other things to drop out window*
This is not the way to build a lasting empire.
A truck in California, a fall in Sweden? Bring it to us in Russia. If it survives then they can certify it for real and claim as the real thoughest mouse... Meanwhile it is only a though mouse...
I would like to see it pass -50, dropped into the coffee mug, being mistakenly taken for the ashtray, occasionally plugged into the power socket, then being kicked by one though sysadmin in Quake. And being sadistically tested by dozens of users - "Though yeah? Let's see then.."
Once I saw how canadians brought a though truck into a Siberian town. A big bright shiny Kenwood. The Kamaz looks as a tiny family car in front of it. Russian mechanics looked at the american monster and warned that it wouldn't hold up too long. Canadians answered that they have Kenwoods working in similar climatic conditions in their North... Two weeks, BHAM! The main axis turned into a small mound of steel sand. And the guys got stucked in their base without supplies... Well five guys in a whole filled Kamaz. Running 80-120Km/h through the Taiga, frozen river beds at -50 they brought the supplies to the canadian group... A whole trip of over 300Km through Siberia...
So, while it is not "Russian certified", it's only though...
Just to help people out, re-read 'though' as 'tough'.
~Cederic is not criticising, he wishes his Russian was as good
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Game over, 2000!
Anyone can make something bomb proof, truck proof, etc, but who's going to use it?
Some likely uses are warehouse/industrial, auto shop and military. A regular mouse wouldn't stand a chance in those environments.
I bet Troy Hurtubise could use that in his project.
Karma karma karma karma karmeleon: it comes and goes, it comes and goes.
User? There`s millions more where they came from.
You see the problems with pricing conservatively? If they'd asked for $500, the Pentagon wouldn't have given a second thought and placed a bulk order for 10,000.
My last mouse cost $20. I can't imagine for a second that I'd get through 14 mice in my lifetime.
Rich
...it might even survive an X-Windows crash!
The Most Powerful Mouse in the World
Don't try to put that one past me! I've seen Mighty Mouse, and this thing aint nothing compared to him!. Why it doesn't even have a cape!
I wouldn't say my boss has a temper, but I'm still digging out the shrapnel from the wall from computer equiptment that upset my boss.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
it's optical...the only moving part is the mouse wheel and they make them without those....
Smear mud all over the bottom and see how well it works. Now, simulate combat conditions (think falling derbris) by whacking it with a hammer. After that, if it still works, tell me where you bought it, I want one.
I guess this could be an input device for public terminals. This mouse may not be vandal proof but it may be vandal resistent.
That's not entirely true. For example, if my brain were miraculously removed at this exact moment in time, due to the configuration of my office chair I would slump forwards and my head would doubtless impact on the keyboard, resulting in something like:
:)
bhnhruty
Notice that this is not only an incorrect spelling of "arriba," but it is also an incorrect spelling of much simpler words, such as "a", "I", "it", and complex words like "triskadecaphobia". So, I'm afraid that your post isn't entirely correct
It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
--Scott Adams
Hah! I'm laughing out loud about the response an accelerometer would give when dropped off of a five storey building, or run over by a Mack truck!
It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
--Scott Adams
Suppose your Navy Destroyer is hit with a missile or a bunch of wackos pop off a couple hundred pounds of C4 next to the hull. Think a Logitech or MS Mouse will keep working? I know that the computers will keep running, all of those things are on shock mounts. Have you seen the over-enginered flat panel displays the DoD buys?
But the mouse? Will it keep running? You need something...stout so that you'll be able to keep inputing.
Just because it's not the kind of mouse that most people need on thier desk...The Military and heavy industry has other needs that many geeks just don't get.
The mouse may survive, but what about the user?
Penguins love mice. The Linux Pimp
--It's Pimptastic!--
But I'm not likely to throw my mouse off of a five story building or hit it with a hammer.
What's needed is information on how it handles my day to day mousing activity.
How does it stand up to being squirted with semen and then cleaned off with pine-sol?
--Shoeboy
Don't know about the rest of the world, but that's what everyone in the Midwest calls a 18-wheeler.
A semi-truck.
A Freightliner, Peterbuilt, Kenworth, GM/Volvo...A big-rig.
This mouse is going to be PERFECT for my new underwater oceanic frozen hammer and truck manufacturing plant!
Did I mention that we get supplies via non-parachuted air drops?
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Let me give you the lowdown
isn't this more of a crappy joystick than a mouse? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the defining characteristic of a mouse that you move the device to move the cursor?
This chunk of metal had a button on top that you push to control the cursor speed and direction, similar to those awful joysticks you find on laptops. Plus, it comes with all the holes necessary to bolt the damn thing to the desktop. I'm pretty sure you couldn't move it around then. Geez, I was expecting some rugged optical-mousing technology. Colour me disappointed.
It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
--Scott Adams
For the International Space Station.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
I am currently working on a project to overclock my monitor, in order to get a few more valuable frames per second in Quake III.