Yvette's Inner Geek Blog

I have been using a Logitech Trackman Mouse for over four years, and I L-O-V-E. it. It’s ergonomically perfect for my small hand, especially when used in conjunction with an Imak Ergobeads Wrist Cushion, and I love that I don’t ever have to pick it up and move it around like a regular mouse. Though a thumb-controlled trackball may not seem intuitive to standard mouse users, you should give this model a try. (Unless you need a left-handed model, which they sadly don’t offer.)

Anyway, the reason I am once again gushing about my personal love for this Trackman mouse (and don’t forget my 5-star review of the Imak Ergobeads) is because… hold on, I’m getting verklempt… it developed a problem. It wasn’t anything personal, I know. But one day, a couple weeks ago, the scroll wheel stopped working.

You don’t know how much you depend something until it’s gone, of course.

I followed the natural problem-solving course for this type of thing: curse, restart the computer; test a different USB port, curse when that doesn’t make a difference, but ultimately be thankful for not having a USB port problem; uninstall/reinstall the Logitech software driver thingy, curse some more. Then, moving on: deny that there is a actually a problem; wake up angry the next morning, curse; bargain with the devil (which only leads to developing a terrible cold, btw); get depressed and actually think to onseself there’s nothing on the internet today; and, eventually… accept the loss of a functioning scroll wheel. And mutter one final curse before looking up the warranty information—you know, just in case.

Five year warranty, the internet said. I did the math and decided that I was cutting it pretty close—but I filled out the form on Logitech’s website anyway. Logitech’s return email, received within one day, was this: Read more…

When I mentioned how much I love my mouse at home, I should have also told you about my wrist cushion. It is absolutely THE BOMB.

I may complain about a sore middle finger from scrolling too much, but I haven’t complained about wrist pain since I started using the IMAK wrist cushion. It’s a slightly stretchy cotton-nylon shell that is filled with ergoBeads, whatever those are. It doesn’t matter what they are, because my wrist loves them.

I bought it about the same time as I purchased my Logitech trackball mouse because using the new mouse without one was, admittedly, a little awkward. And I’d never found a wrist cushion that I liked, despite trying several different types.

The IMAK cushion I purchased had been sitting patiently on the shelf of an office store, inconspicuous next to the colorful gel-filled mousepads and the various "adorable" comfort-inducing items with kittens and puppies and American flags on them.

If you’re in the market for a wrist cushion, this is the one to get.  The thumb-controlled trackball mouse isn’t for everyone, but  everyone needs a good wrist cushion. It probably comes in several colors and with fewer bits of lint than appear in this photo.

Someday I’ll probably upgrade to the wrist cushion for my keyboard as well so my left wrist will stop feeling so jealous. But I figure that my left hand gets out of doing a lot of the labor that my right hand endures, so it can just shut its proverbial mouth and be content with the fact that it gets to wear a pretty ring every day.

I have been scrolling pages on Teh interwebz too much lately and it’s catching up to me.

For as much time as I spend with my hand on my mouse (that’s not innuendo, thanks very much) and on the computer, I’m fortunate not to not (yet) suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. Today, however, I realized that the underside of my middle finger is tender.

At work, I use a semi-ergonomic wireless Microsoft mouse with a scroll wheel. My middle finger logs many hours on the slightly raised bumps, pulling repetitively as my brain demands more, better, faster visual input on the screen in front of me. My right hand middle finger is much more of a workhorse than I give it credit for.

(My left hand middle finger also works diligently in tandem with my left hand thumb, resting on the Tab and Alt keys respectively as I frequently switch views on my taskbar.)

At home, my preferred mouse for the last couple of years is a Logitech with an optical Trackman Wheel. It stays in one place and I move my on-screen cursor around with a red track ball… and I absolutely love it. It took a couple days for my thumb to adjust to the new movement, and now I can go effortlessly between different mice without even noticing (like hopefully someday I will do with  Dvorak and QWERTY keyboards).

But it also has a scrolling wheel upon which I rely heavily for my internet needs. And isn’t it always embarrassing to talk about a seemingly benign injury that is related to a cushy desk job? Well, whatever. At least the underside of my middle finger gets a break when I’m playing the Wii.

On a side note, it absolutely drives me crazy to watch people surf the internet, wholly dependent upon their mouse to scroll down a page, etc. in a painfully slow manner. If I just described you, dear reader, please do not take offense. Just learn the faster way or let me do the fingerwork while we’re looking at something together next time, okay?

In the meantime, I better go check into what kinds of rehab I might expect to endure if I continue to abuse for my poor, tender middle finger. But I’m thinking that there also has to be a fancy gadget out there that will allow me to scroll down pages through eye movement!