The Left Side of Normal Airplanes, The Internet, and Everything Else

Many years ago (2003 or 2004), I bought a Logitech cordless duo which included a wireless keyboard (no model number that I can find) and an MX700 wireless mouse.  A couple of months ago, the mouse finally took a turn for the worse.  The scroll wheel became erratic, the buttons began to stick, and it was becoming extremely difficult to use.  One day I retired it to its charging cradle (the battery charger hasn't worked for years and I would swap rechargeable batteries with a wall charger) and brought out my even older (~2000) USB Trackman Marble trackball.  It still works, but I prefer the mouse and missed the thumb operable "back" button that the mouse had.  Switching from a mouse at work to a trackball at home doesn't help matters, and it was beginning to impact my productivity in small but perceptible ways.  So, I decided it was time to get a new mouse today.  I trekked out to Best Buy to sample their wares and see what sort of advancements have been made in mouse technology.  Since 1999 I've used Logitech mice and keyboards, so I have an affinity for their products.  They're well designed and built to last, that is, if you stick with the higher-end stuff.  At first I thought I would get a new "duo" set which includes the keyboard and mouse with a single wireless receiver.  The sets they had available were ok, but the mice that they included felt small compared with the full-size mice that I've used for 10+ years.  The keyboards were also different from what I'm used to (I actually have the same wireless keyboard at work and at home so that I don't have any adjustment to make from one to the other and can use the exact same typing style, finger placement, tactile response, etc.).  Since I'm happy with my keyboards and they still work perfectly (I take really good care of them), I ultimately decided to look at mice by themselves since there was a wider variety to choose from.

After a lot of handling their sample units and opening boxes for the ones they don't have on display (it's amazing how much sales attention you get when you start opening boxes, hehe), I finally decided on the Logitech (surprise!) Performance Mouse MX.  This corvette of the mousing universe has everything my old mouse had and more.  First, it uses Logitech's relatively new "unifying" receiver.  It's a tiny USB receiver that I can just leave plugged in to the laptop all the time.  It only sticks out about 4mm.  I really wanted bluetooth, but apparently bluetooth mice just aren't all that common in the PC universe and tend to be designed for use with a Mac.  This tiny USB receiver will do just fine though.  The technology allows the same receiver to be used by any newer Logitech keyboard or mouse, so no need for larger tethered receivers or multiple receivers for different devices (I will still need to plug in the older receivers for the keyboard though, unless I decided to upgrade those at some point).

The other interesting advancement is what they're calling Darkfield Laser Tracking.  I haven't read up on how it works, but the nearly universal red LED or laser on most modern mice is missing in lieu of a "dark" laser which is capable of tracking even on clear glass and other glossy surfaces, something older tracking mice have had trouble with.  As I move the mouse around or pick it up, there is no red glow coming out anymore.  I can't say that I'll miss that.  Also notable is that the new mouse only uses a single AA rechargeable battery instead of two.  They also claim that it will last far longer per charge than the old one did.  Instead of having a docking cradle, they include a micro USB cable which plugs in to the front of the mouse (just like a corded mouse).  This can be connected to the computer or a USB wall charger so you can keep using the mouse, even while it's charging.  It includes a multi-LED battery meter display which comes on the first time you use the mouse after it has been idle for a while and turns off after a few seconds as to not be distracting.  It will blink red when the battery is low (in several months if their predictions are accurate).  It includes the standard scroll wheel with vertical and horizontal scrolling.  The wheel can be set to either "smooth" or "clicky" mode depending on which you prefer.  I mentioned the "back" thumb button already, but it also includes a matching "forward" button which I use far less often.  The new mouse also includes a "zoom" button which may come in handy now and then, and another button which defaults to a task switching feature (similar to alt+tab).  I may reassign that depending on how useful it proves itself to be.

Ideally, since the receiver can stay with the laptop, I will just take the mouse with me in the laptop bag as well.  If I do that regularly I'll need to find some sort of smooth padded case to put it in before it gets tossed into the bag with my other goodies.  It's a fine piece of work and something I'll use for hours on end every day.  So far today it's been a dream, and hopefully it will last as long as my previous mouse did and I can give you another update on mouse advancements in 2016 or thereabouts.

Just for kicks, the old mouse (left) and new mouse (right) are pictured below.  The old one has some serious cruft and discoloration after years of constant use.  The silver paint actually rubbed off in places from a few years of sweaty hands while playing Team Fortress.  I don't play the games as much anymore, so hopefully the new mouse will look better when it reaches retirement age.

As someone who works in the IT field, especially working on networks, servers, and building software, I have a lot more understanding of how computers and the Internet work than your average person.  Occasionally I'll be finding myself in a discussion or on a support call trying to help someone and have to actively try to understand what the user is thinking, the sense of panic, blame, or flat out lack of understanding they have about what they are doing.  For the problems that come up over and over again I sort of know what to expect and have built up good ways of explaining the issue or providing instructions.  I had a support ticket today from someone who thought their bulk e-mail template was broken.  Among technology people, it's well known that most modern e-mail programs will not load images used in an e-mail unless the recipient specifically selects to view them or has the sender in their address book (among other things).  This person wasn't aware of that and just assumed that when they send their e-mail out, it will all show up perfectly without any other action required by the recipient.  After explaining this, I think they understand, but of course they have the same questions that everyone else does when they first hear about this (namely, is there any way to force the images to load automatically; the answer is no).  Unfortunately, many people that are put in charge of managing websites, online marketing, or other areas requiring technical knowledge, they have none, or very little.  It's an extreme example, but recently when Google featured a Pac-Man game on its home page, a lot of people didn't know how to react or what to do.  In many of these situations, troubleshooting requires feedback from the user, but in many cases they don't even know where to look on the screen to find the information we need, or are unable to follow basic instructions or answer basic questions about their computer (such as what web browser they're using, or even what a web browser is).  In these situations, a support call can go from bad to worse in a matter of seconds.  Tempers flare, the user gets frustrated, and the support tech simply can't help them without answers to some questions.  I've found that in these situations, it's best to simply use a remote access tool such as Fog Creek Copilot and actually see what the user is seeing on their screen.  If an interactive session isn't possible, a basic screen capture can also go a long way toward understanding what the user is experiencing.  As the adage goes, "seek first to understand..."  Understanding the point of view is invaluable in solving problems, especially when the user doesn't have any understanding of what is being asked of them.

May seems to have been a relatively slow month all the way around.  No herculean efforts required on any of my work projects or contract jobs; school was tough but no major project due for the course; nothing major going on with life in general.  My course this month is Air Cargo.  We've been assigned a lot of reading, have two exams, and a short paper due at the end of the month.  This is a course I could knock out in a weekend if the school would let me.  The ducks are now fully grown and have made several supervised trips out into the lake.  One of these days we'll leave their pen open so they can go down to the lake on their own if they like.  As for this weekend, I don't really have anything planned aside from relaxing and responding to any emergencies.  I might check in on ServerFault.com to see if there are any questions I can answer, and I'll be checking e-mail here and there, but no major deadlines or projects in the works.  Perhaps the rest of June will be a little busier.