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Clammy Modding
japala writes "Some people tend to have cold hands while they type the keyboard or use the mouse. Equally as many suffer from sweaty palms and that feels really annoying while using the mouse. MetkuMods have made couple of tutorials in true DIY spirit that will try to make your life easier. These devices may have started as a joke but trust me, they do work. See the MouseFan and BreezePad."
...they could come up with something to deal with those nasty keyboard "spills" for when I'm conducting my online "research".
I wonder why their hands are sweating?
Does anyone actually use their entire palm with their mouse? I've always used just my fingers so that only my wrist has to move around rather than my entire arm (insert masterbation jokes here).
People who have this condition so bad that their mouse shorts out have Palmar Hyperhidrosis, and it can be treated by applying antiperspirant to your palms several times per week. I read an article about it. It's totally weird. dripping hands all the time.
just a thought. Good enough for MJ before a game.
What's an MJ? This is Slashdot! We don't need to hear about Magic Johnson!
slashdotted.
I've modded my case to include a window and a nice paint job. I think the next on the list is to just build a well-ventilated case from scratch.
The problem with mods is finding the time and motivation to actually follow through with them. In the case of painting, you also need to find space. Oh, you'll more than likely need a dremel.
The next mouse mod for me is the lego chick trapped in a cryogenic chamber. I don't remember where I saw that, but it was a really funkadoric mod. Now, before I start to get cold feet about actually doing the mod...
You need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button.
I used to work in a computer store. One of our staff would spend most of the day sitting at a computer in the showroom playing Everquest or whatever other game was new at the time. Another employee would daily replace the grimey mouse pad. Seriously, after 8 hours of gaming the mouse pad would have a very noticable, ugly stain on it.
Could it be that their palms are sweating because of the impending slashdotting that they KNEW they were going to get?
...I think it was something about the frequency at which suckers enter the world.
But seriously folks, this reminds me a lot of how pharmaceutical companies fabricate diseases, and then conveniently provide a treatment (never a cure) for said imaginary medical condition.
There's a Mercedes gap too. I want one and can't afford one, but it's not government's job to do anything about it.
ta dah
It hese work and it looks like they could. I think I would rather have this tech in my steering wheel on my car. I know that after about four hous driving my hands start to hurt from the moisture build up
I used to have a cool sig, back when I cared
When I saw the title, I assumed the article was about mods based on Scientology.
Funny it's "hell week" and yet you still find the time to wait around anxiously for the first post.
mom, is that you?
and so on..
I thought those ideas were a bit lame. I know the mouse fan was a joke, but I wouldnt want the fan generating all sorts of harmonics on the 5v power line anyway. Screw all the signals up I reckon. Especially on the optical variety which uses signal processing.
A Peltier cooling device on the 'other hand' (no pun intended) would be ideal and it can be molded to almost any shape mouse, and it uses constant current. Utilised in this project
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beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
Can I get enough power to the mouse over existing wiring to add some heater device or do I have to replace the cable? What would you suggest as the heater - will a few plain higher-than-minimum power resistors suffice? Will I be able to run it from built in computer ATX power supply or do I need some extra external power?
(that metal "inertia wheel" is very cool for fast scrolling but it gets damn cold in winter.)
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s s s s slashdotted
that's another one
welcome to slashdot.org, the worlds most organized dos attack
...you can already buy a suitable mouse (well, at least if you're in Japan).
From this week's Akiba PC Hotline: the fan mouse.
Of course, you'd have to find one that actually fit your keyboard.
I've been debating on getting a waterproof keyboard, for the computer in my kitchen. [so that I can have easy access to recipies online and/or watch movies while cooking]Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Old news!
Am i the only one who thought of freezing up at modding a slashdot post you don't quite know what to do with?
I'm the Devil the Windows users warned you about.
All hail the coming of the king,Crystal Pepsi.
"Comedy's a dead art form. Now tragedy, that's funny."
Cutting one of your nerves, ANY nerve, should be an absolute last resort.
Most people don't know that nerves are one of the least-regenerative cells in the body... they can sometimes regrow axons, but it can take months, and only works if the severed nerve is micro-surgically realigned (if you don't exactly realign the epineurium, which is the outer sheath of that nerve bundle, your odds of regrowth go down dramatically), and cutting nerves can have unexpected consequences.
Operations to sever nerves are sometimes done for RSD, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy (it has new nomenclature now, can't remember it at the moment). In that case, the sympathetic trunks are destroyed in an attempt to alleviate symptoms, with variable success.
I've never heard of anyone getting a nerve ablation for simple dyshidrosis, unless it were part of a larger syndrome... personally, I'd have to be miserable almost to the point of insanity before I'd agree to that procedure.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
LOSER
This sounds interesting!
--- If I were a fish, I'd be wet
With vibrations coming from the fan, the mouse will be always sending SOMETHING. Not enough to make the cursor visibly move, but enough that a screen blanker will never go off.
:)
Now, is it good or bad news?
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Arent sweaty palms the result of too much masturbation? Or maybe that's hairy palms?
What happens if you have sweaty, hairy palms?? Perhaps we need the Norelco-RightGuard mouse to cure both ailments in one shot.
I'd rather be a conservative nutjob than a liberal with no nuts and no job.
This may be filed under the "funny, laugh" department, but I would LOVE some kind of heating device for my hands. I work in an office which is always freezing cold in the summer (they crank the air conditioner, yet they complain about wanting to save money :-/ ), and my hands get so cold I find it very difficult to type.
:( In the meantime, I go through one of those chemical heating pads every single day. I should try to get reimbursed for them from HR. ;-)
I would love to buy an electrical wrist rest heater (like those wrist cushions for RSI), but nobody seems to make one.
I track known Slashdot scumbags on my foes list!
...sweating is not any bad thing!
Just splash some of this stuff on your hands once every couple days and your palms will stop sweating. My understanding is it blocks your sweat glands from releasing perspiration, and doesn't let up for up to 72 hours. Its marketed as an underarm anti-perspirant under the name "Ultra-Dry," and can be found in most major drugs stores.
I posted this the last time I saw an article on mouse cooling. It was funny and we all had a few laughs. But a friend of mine came up with an interesting idea. If you hollowed out he back of the mouse and got a few of those reusable ice cubes you could just swap an ice cube in and out whenever you felt the need for some cooling.
I pointed out that there might be some issues with condensation inside the mouse causing problems and he pointed me at my own post. Just stuff a little bit of some absorbant material inside the mouse (i.e. a small corner of a feminine napkin) to absorb said moisture.
If Darwin was right, you'd be dead by now.
Teenager dies from deodorant overdose
What i do is put a think cloth over my mouse. Not only does it keep the mouse clean... it keeps your hands cool, the cloth feels much cooler than the plastic on the mouse..
off course the cloth gets sweaty... wash at least once a week...
some of you may think it cant be ergonomic to use a mouse in such a way, but try it out with fairly thin cloth, you will be pleasantly suprised....
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
I hope they didn't mount the fans like it shows on the "do they fit?" picture cause it's backwards. The fans would then be sucking the air in not blowing it out.
Hey, I have to say, I'm impressed with some of the ads I'm seeing on Slashdot now. Check out this one:
Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Please contact the server administrator, root@localhost and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.
More information about this error may be available in the server error log.
-palp
Mechanical mice work by monitoring a small beam of UV light as it passes through a pair of grooved disks (like those on an image master). In a very basic form that I'm sure will be picked apart, it counts the number of blinks of light that it sees. Therefore, if you move it a small enough amount you won't break the threshold for blinking the light on / off, and the movement won't register at all.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if the vibrations were small enough that they wouldn't register on a consumer level mechanical mouse.
Now optical, there's another story...
The ______ Agenda
Does everyone here use a mousepad? The newer optical mice work as well or better without a mousepad. Plus, my mousepad with attached wristrest tends to be uncomfortable. Every time I try to use it I get rid of it. Anyway, anyone else get problems with black skin oil deposits on their keyboards? It's quite an annoying problem.
Sounds like some kind of feminine hygiene product if you ask me.
According to thermodynamics, an average particle in a cooled mouse moves slower, so the mouse (being built from those particles) as whole will move slower too. Heating has opposite effect.
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Ive started wearing a wrist band for long strenchs at the computer. Its the best thing to happen to LAN gaming for me. It helps with wrist support plus it wipes away sweat from my brow or my palms. So if you want a functional wrist and sweat saver device that also acts a a great "punk rocker" fasion statement get yourself a wristband.
This is a very important aspect of ergonomics - keeping the wrist firm is something you'll learn whether you're training as a chef, assembly line worker, or in any company's IT department thats sufficiently caring/scared of repercussions.
;)
Its a bit of a worry that the original poster got modded so high...
Oh, and I know slashdotters will want to keep their wrists in good condition
Google Cache of the original page, text only.
A similar page at Homelinux, describing the modification made at metku.net.
Yoshi DeHerrera's version from screensavers. Once again, the same idea, but from March 2002.
A real modder's version complete with unnecessary blue LEDs.
The ______ Agenda
When you look at peltier effect from one side, it's cool, but from the other side it's hot like the hell! :)
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and it's hot and humid here 365 days a year. Do you think these guys would make a shirt out of this for me? I've constantly got the Norm Peterson sweat bra happening and it's getting embarrasing.
I love the smell of Karma in the morning
The problem with Peltier is that it doesn't cool so much as separate hot and cold. To be successful a Peltier device requires (as your mod did) a heatsink and fan, or else it will overheat tremendously.
And by adding a heatsink and fan, you have basically undone the reason for having a Peltier device in the first place.
The ______ Agenda
See, a normal guy would have just gone and bought a 40 cent drill bit while he was out shopping for parts. With the gratuitous Dremel use, we know we have a true modder on our hands, here.
You know what?
I don't know why I thought of this, but you could also cut a slit on the side of that fan mouse and attach the business-end of a whoopie-cushion in it. That way whenever you really want to annoy your office cohorts, just hold your palm firmly down over the air vents. :D
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
It hit me that maybe this mousefan (and probably breezepad too) is a patentable idea in the USPTO. It's certainly more innovative than some of the other garbage that gets accepted.
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Pfft. If your fingers are cold just point a 60 watt angle-poise lamp at the keyboard. Mmm. Toasty.
yeah, and get a fart chair (Aeron) too so that when you do fart it doesn't collect in the chair!
If you send them a photocopy of your keyboard, most companies will produce a reasonable keyboard skin for you.
It's still very much a love it or hate it thing... you have to weigh up whether the weird rubbery texture and lack of key feel is worth ignoring to keep crap out of your keyboard. But if you're really jittery with your first caffiene source in the morning, it may be a cheaper option than constantly replacing fried keyboards.
and the werewolves came...
and they ate him...
and they drank his beer...
I would be a lot more concerned about people who try to play the guitar (or any stringed instrument) with cold hands. This is extremely difficult to do, as your fingers don't bend just right, consequently hitting the wrong string or not hitting any string at all, missing it by a tiny distance. This degrades the quality of your performance. And there is no 'backspace' string on the guitar.
How about mice/keyboards themselves? At work, it's pretty easy to pick out the ones used by smokers, as the yellow chunky residue makes its way onto their keys.
Having to do any service work that involves touching those keyboards is just gross - and it makes me wonder that if it's mucking up the keyboard that badly, what is it doing to their body?
The last thing, too.. Don't power anything like this (the pad or the fan) off a PS2 port. I think that most of them are fused for about 20-50mA at 5V. You'd be better off finding a mouse with a pair of extra wires and making a little adapter at the computer end to drop 5V or 12V from the power supply into the mouse. It might be a good idea to consider adding an inline fuse there, too. (If the dog eats the mouse, you don't want to lose your uptime record when the power supply cuts out.)
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
What about a sweaty crotch while doing certain on-line activities?
Table-ized A.I.
From the last page of the breezepad:
;)
Again something that will get overly popular instantly. Hehe, I wish.
Be careful what you wish for! I know I am going to show this to my friends and rig one up, and I know alot of others will too...
I swear this just happened... I read the story and went "Ha! What a bunch of nasty freaks, with their sweaty clammy hands!" and went back to working.
2 hours later and my BLOODY HANDS WON'T STOP SWEATING! The gods, in their ever-ironic wisdom, have cursed me for my scoffing.
Don't look at me... don't look at meeeeee...
But if they have a buffer overflow they'd have to call the plumber.
Ehm.. The mouse mod is from 2001 but the blowpad is only about a month old...
I know it's summer but come on! The lack of news can't possibly make slashdot restort to things like this.. or... oh well...
As long as it is'nt posted three times.
if you want "No More Hiroshimas" then I say "You First. No More Pearl Harbors."
Get an IBM Model M. They're dishwasher safe. Best keyboards ever.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
What I want is a (very) low powered heater to waft warm air through the keyboard. Me thinks, it wouldn't have to be that powerful, don't want to burn my fingers or melt the keyboard.
Don't know about you geeks, but my hands turn to ice blocks when I spent more than two hours on the PC when I'm at home.
M
Robert Anton Wilson
You could of course get a trackball. The Kensington Expert Mouse *** range is pretty good because of the 5.5 centimeter ball and large buttons, but hard to clean (having to unscrew the entire casing to get to the dirt). The Logitech Marble Mouse is ancient technology now (the first direct-optical pointing device it seems, hence the ugly spotted red ball), but it's a proven concept. The ball is somewhat smallish at 1.5 inches, but it's dead easy to clean. Remember, with a trackball you always know where your towel, ... I mean pointing device is, the pointer doesn't move when you click (so you don't need to hold your breath while you double click). Both trackballs saved me from aches and tingling sensations, a stiff left arm, and occasional neck, back and head aches, because your hand needs to be very active to point, while you don't lose accuracy. Another good point is you can setup trackballs for multiple computers in a tight desktop space, because you won't have to move them anyway like you do with a mouse.
JeR
if I wrap air outlet from CPU fan and attach it to a pipe, lead the pipe along the wire to the mouse and let out air heated by the CPU? ;)
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I was surprised to see this on Slashdot, I know the mouse mod is two full years old. Check the date at the bottom, Aug 2001.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Believe it or not, but you can pull a condom over your head and blow it up to hold > 20 litres. It should be real easy to put it over a keyboard then.
How happy would you be remembering that one happy occasion by the smell of your keyboard? I'm off trying it right now!
This space is intentionally staring blankly at you
In any case, extra heating (of the mouse), might be a help, as may be such herbal medicines as Ginko Bilboa, (which has been found effective in improving microcirculation to the head, hands and feet.), but I tend to think that if something is stress-related, then drugs and mechanical fixes are not as good overall as is examining the core problem.
There are lots of different ways to deal with stress and physiological stress responses. Typically, educating yourself, (a little All-The-Web searching or reading a book or two), is the best start. --Then try a few of the methods until you zero in on the core.
Heck. Maybe computers and small, picky work is causing you stress. Maybe you subconsciously know you're in the wrong place. Maybe you were supposed to be a Lumberjack. . . Swinging from tree to tree, singing. .
-FL
That mouse really reminds me of the scene in Star Trek IV where Scotty tries to talk to a Mac via the mouse. The air flow holes look to be in the pattern of an old phone (although more like the speaker end than the mic end.)
Hey-oooooo!
I had the idea to make an air-hockey style mouse pad. I've started building it, but my fans aren't nearly strong enough. Which brings me to my point- do any of you rocket scientists know the equation that will tell me how much airflow and pressure I need to lift an object weighing x grams, x millimeters off the surface of a x square millimeter surface that has a cabinet volume of x cubed millimeters. Also, how many holes, how far apart, how large themselves, etc. I'm pretty sure it's out there somewhere, but I've tooled around with tons of fluid mechanic websites and books and haven't found any "air-hockey" models. The closest I've come is taking the equations for a hydrofoil and applying that crudely in reverse. Anyway, I'll hook up a blower fan soon and it should either work, or not. heh.
because I have been enjoined by this Holy Office to abandon the false opinion which maintains that the Sun is the centre
Ewwww...they're all sticky!
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Of course, I wouldn't try this with my precious Logitech mice, but I do have a couple of MS mice laying around doing nothing but collecting dust. I may just try it!
"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." -- Robert Heinlein