Summer Is Coming; Will Your Mousing Hand Survive?

japala writes "Many of us will have to use our computers even when it's summer. Getting sweaty and frustrated, but you have to get the work done or that last level played. Why not cool your mousing hand down with something as unique as BreezePad. DIY all the way baby!"

Better Solution?

[FlipmodePlaya]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/keyboards /6afa/

Re:Better Solution?

[someguy456]

At $16 for an optical mouse, it's not bad at all. Perhaps I'll be getting one the next time my mouse dies. Any idea on how loud the fan is?

Re:Better Solution?

[Predius]

Got both their mouse and gamepad. I can't tell when the mouse is on or off unless my hand is on it to feel the breeze. Haven't really done any super hardcore gaming since getting it, so can't comment on it's abiltity to help when gaming or visiting those... moist websites.

Re:Better Solution?

[ottothecow]

the next time my mouse dies

Maybe you wouldnt have that problem if you didnt buy a $16 mouse in the first place ;)

Re:Better Solution?

[yourruinreverse]

"Hey geek, does anyone even know you exist?"
"Yes, in fact I have many fans."

Re:Better Solution?

[Anonymous Coward]

clicky [thinkgeek.com]... not sure about that though, a friend of mine bought the nyko airflow gamepad and it broke (fan stopped working and the right analog control is messed up) after like a week.

Re:Better Solution?

[utahraptor]

I have to say, after having that mouse for 3 months with it slowly becoming worse to unuseable at the end, that it is the worse mouse ever. The noises the fan makes is like the buzzing of an angry hornet. You have to hit it gently to get it to stop. Eventualy, after hitting it too many times, the optics gave out.

Re:Better Solution?

[martingunnarsson]

Perhaps this should give people a clue that violence is not always a good way of fixing things...

Re:Better Solution?

[buck_wild]

Violence is such a strong word. I prefer to call it 'Percusive Maintenance'.

Summer is coming?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, it's about time Slashdot started breaking some real news like a season starting. Anyway, if you don't have AC, I pity you and your computer.

When?

[xintegerx]

They didn't give a date.

Re:Summer is coming?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey now, that's awfully Northern-Hemisphere-centric of 'em! :)

totally insensitive

[big daddy kane]

you insensitive clod I live in Antartica!

Re:Summer is coming?

[ottothecow]

While the other lamp-oriented reply may have been aimed at humor, I bring a serious suggestion:

In order to do some renovation, I had to clear everything out of a room, so my gaming computer is sitting in a basement room (right next to kitty litter and the washing machine) where it can be rather cold (minnesota here). The first time I went for a gaming session, I had a desklamp on the table and turned it on. As I felt its warmth an idea popped into my head and now whenever I am using that computer for s

Re:Summer is coming?

[teklob]

I agree, slashdot would be a so much worse without the Anonymous Coward first post sex story trolls :P

Re:Summer is coming?

[Pope]

Fans work very well, and cost much less in electricity costs. Don't get rid of the humidity, I'll give you that! :)

not a good idea

[Anonymous Coward]

sounds like a good way to get RSI, you should allways make sure you hands/arms stay warm, better a bit too warm then too cold

Why correct spelling is important

[Compact Dick]

better a bit too warm then too cold

Are you sure it's not the other way around? ;-)

Re:not a good idea

[Anonymous Coward]

Is this the Goldielocks mouse pad ? First too warm, then too cold, then too warm, then too cold. Ahhh...just right!

Re:not a good idea

[Ctrl-Z]

Well, assuming that the function of heat is continuous, the Intermediate Value Theorem [wolfram.com] tells us that it will be just right at some point between too hot and too cold.

Re:not a good idea

[ChrisMaple]

No, I PREVENT injury by warming up properly.

Gotta take care of the mouse hand.

[mikeophile]

For some of us, it represents half our love lives.

Re:Gotta take care of the mouse hand.

[sburnett]

Only half?

Re:Gotta take care of the mouse hand.

[Bobman1235]

Only half?

He must be ambidextrous.

Re:Gotta take care of the mouse hand.

[The Infamous Grimace]

Well, if you use only one hand, give your other hand a shot. It's a unique experience.

Like gettin' some strange? =)

(tig)

Re:Gotta take care of the mouse hand.

[SensitiveMale]

For some of us, it represents half our love lives.

At least, it is sex with someone you love.

Re:Gotta take care of the mouse hand.

[maxbang]

I'm Jewish, you insensitive clod!

is this really necessary?

[quelrods]

"See that's what you have to do, come up with some really great idea and never have to work again. Like that guy, that invented the pet rock."

Down we go!

[mwilli]

Slashdotted in a whole 3 minutes!!!

Wow

[a CanofPropane]

Wow... thats really sad... Im am really glad that my house has central AC and I wont need to be worried about needing to make one of those

Re:Wow

[cookie_cutter]

Well, its not just temperature. There's always a little bit of sweating (especially with the nervousness of online gaming) and the fact that plastic doesn't readily absorb water makes it difficult for the water to just evaporate into the air, hence the wetness.

By having a forced air cooling system with ventilation, the palms can stay dryer.

Lingo!

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, at first I wasn't interested, but your snazzy "DIY all the way, baby!" lingo got me interested. Let's have a look.

Oh... server's down?

Obligatory /.ing joke

[rock_climbing_guy]

Well, my mousing hand will survive longer than their web server!!!!

Re:Obligatory /.ing joke

[FrYGuY101]

More obligatory Slashdot jokes:

Yeah, but does it run Linux?
Imagine a beowulf cluster of those!
I for one welcome our new climate-controlling-mousepad overlords.
In Soviet Russia, Mousepad cools YOU!

1: Slap fan on mousepad
2: ???
3: Profit!

Sadly, I can't figure out any way to work in either hot grits, or Natalie Portman.

Well that depends

[Daath]

YOU try taking 5.000.000 hits on YOUR hand in a couple of hours. :)

Hehe...

[AkaXakA]

Just leaves your hand in perfect shape for the other good use... ..sax.

What? You were thinking something else than Saxophone? You dirty minded /.'er... ;)

Re:Hehe...

[Haydn Fenton]

I was jus gonna say, if you didnt know what it was about, the whole story would sound like masturbation to me...

• "Getting sweaty and frustraited"
• "Summer Is Coming"
• "Will Your Mousing Hand Survive"
• "DIY all the way baby"
• • 
    
    ..but then again i'm a /. geek, right?

Re:Hehe...

[moviepig.com]

Just leaves your hand in perfect shape for the other good use...

So, you'll need a mouse that not only cools your palm but also shaves it.

Spell checker

[AVryhof]

Perhaps the slashcode's submit script should have a spell checker.

An even better option...

[henriksh]

An even better option, for all the mice haters out there:

Ratpoison [sourceforge.net].

Or you could just buy a cat.

Slashmirrior..

[deggy]

When will slashdot start providing an automatic mirror for personal pages that it links to. The poor guys servers probably don't know what's hit them!!

Re:Slashmirrior..

[bradkittenbrink]

When will slashdot start providing an automatic mirror for personal pages that it links to. The poor guys servers probably don't know what's hit them!!

never [slashdot.org], didn't you know? slashdot is perfect the way it is.

Re:Slashmirrior..

[pantherace]

Otherwise, what would all the people who post "It's /.ed" have to do with their days?

Try...

[Cyno01]

one of these [xoxide.com] (the second row)

Sweaty and frustrated?

[xyloplax]

RSI has never been more enjoyable.

Wannabe

[spellraiser]

Many of us will have to use our computers even when its summer.

Excuse me, but just what kind of a geek are you ??

what are you talking about?

[MasterB(G)ates]

It is almost winter must be had to watch 3D movies with only one eye eh Northern Hemispherians?

What Mouse?

[chickenwing]

You use the mouse? I'd rather have cooling for my foot peddles.

I like the idea of a cool stream of air blowing up my pants...Oops, did I say that out loud.

Re:What Pants?

[rueger]

Pants? You wear pants? ...Oops, did I say that out loud?

This looks like one idea...

[Adlopa]

whose time has come [boysstuff.co.uk]

Getting sweaty and frustraited...

[st0rmshadow]

Mousing? Is that what you internet perverts are calling it now?

Warming

[dicepackage]

I live in Michigan and the Winters here can get fairly cold. Does anyone know if there is any type of heated keyboard/mouse out there. I have searched relentlesly but haven't been able to find an actual heated keyboard/mouse.

Re:Warming

[SmackCrackandPot]

You obviously need a mouse wookie [furtasia.com]

Re:Warming

[Cyno01]

Just increase the voltage, it should warm em up. :p

Re:Warming

[patrixmyth]

I have a heated keyboard and mouse (touchpad anyway); It's my P4 laptop computer.

It would also keep my legs warm if I actually kept it on my lap, and it puts out enough heated air from the side vent to use as a hand-dryer/blow-dryer. Thanks Intel!

Re:Warming

[billcopc]

Underachiever!

You're not recycling that energy nearly enough unless you've got an Athlon XP2800 laptop. Buy now and Dell will include a voucher for a free ambulance ride to the hospital for your 2nd degree thigh burns

Re:Warming

[sitary]

I've been looking for one too. I wore gloves with the fingertips cut off this winter because my hand was so cold. Anyway, I found this website today: www.theheatedmouse.com [theheatedmouse.com]

The truly l337...

[djcreamy]

....use nothing but a keyboard

Well, it survived...

[No Such Agency]

My mousing hand survived Quake, Quake 2, Half-Life, Counterstrike, a smattering of non-FPS games, and (so far), America's Army. However, when it's released, Half-Life 2 may turn out to be the final nail in my carpal tunnel, cooling or no cooling.

Wimpy computers

[andy_shepard]

What kind of pathetic little computers do you use that your computer room isn't hot year round?

Re:Wimpy computers

[Realistic_Dragon]

AC beats computers (by cooling).

Electricity company beats AC (by huge bills).

Computers beat electricity company (by cracking the customer database).

It's a whole new game for the summer folks!

Drysol is the answer

[cookie_cutter]

Its basically an industrial strength antiperspirant that plugs your pores. Its great for those with overactive sweat glands.

(Yes, this means there is a cure for ball-sweat)

My brother uses it and now has dry hands year round. Just reapply once a week before bedtime. The stuff can really burn the first couple times you use it.

In Canada its available without a prescription at any drug store. Just ask for it at the Pharmacist's counter.

Other alternatives include iontophoresis (don't buy the unit, just build one yourself with some aligator clips, a resistor and a bunch of 9V batteries in series).

Surgery is also an option for overactive sweat glands, but I'd say the risks outweigh the benefits in that instance.

Re:Drysol is the answer

[Fnkmaster]

Other alternatives include iontophoresis (don't buy the unit, just build one yourself with some aligator clips, a resistor and a bunch of 9V batteries in series).

I'm sorry, did you just recommend I put an alligator clip, a resistor and a bunch of 9V batteries in series with my balls to cure ball sweat? You sir are a disturbed man.

Re:Drysol is the answer

[YU Nicks NE Way]

I don't see anywhere that the original poster said it would cure ball sweat. In fact, I saw him mention it as an alternative for ball sweat, and, you know, I do think that wiring up my balls with a couple of alligator clips and a string of 9 V batteries probably would make them sweat.

Your mileage may vary.

Re:Drysol is the answer

[Trogre]

Its basically an industrial strength antiperspirant that plugs your pores.

Uhh, isn't that really bad, health-wise?

Firstly, the obvious: If you're sweating, at least one part of you is probably over-heating, and needs to cool down somehow.

Secondly, perhaps not so obvious:
If your sweat glands are operating, but have nowhere to dissipate, there's going to be an accumulation of all sorts of chemicals (salts) in the clogged area, which can produce nasty health problems later on.

Kind of like the reason anti

Re:Drysol is the answer

[cookie_cutter]

Well, for any number of reasons, some people just have overactive sweat glands in certain regions that just keep pumping out sweat regardless of being too hot or not. That's why he uses it for his hands. Putting this stuff on your whole body would be a bad idea. Your body would lose some of its cooling ability no matter where you use it however, though even athletes use anti-perspirant deodourants.

As far as he knows, in his research of the products, nothing has been mentioned of overaccumulation. I'd beli

Re:Drysol is the answer

[M. Silver]

Kind of like the reason anti-persiprant deodorants are bing phased out in some places - they've been lined to breast cancer.

And Bill Gates is going to send me $25 if I forward this email, too. Uh huh.

Read what the American Cancer Society [cancer.org] has to say on that subject.

Stop smirking...

[sonamchauhan]

> And Bill Gates is going to send me $25 if I forward this ...
Don't assume the OP was talking about stuff in your inbox.

Here: two studies so far... [newscientist.com].

One of the chemicals mentioned in one of the earlier studies (parabens) was removed from many consumer products only in the past few years.

Here's a more critical look at both studies.
link [breastcancercare.org]

Re:Stop smirking...

[Rob Simpson]

I couldn't access the New Scientist one, but the latter site merely mentioned parabens (Drysol just contains an aluminum salt, like normal antiperspirants, but stronger), and using antiperspirants on skin that has been recently shaved. (I'm guessing there's a joke there about slashdotters and hairy palms...)

Re:Stop smirking...

[sonamchauhan]

The New Scientist link works for me.

I was shaving this morning, and took a close look at the ingredients of my shaving gel -- "Nivea for men" "Sensitive" shaving gel -- "Chamomile & Vitamin enriched". However "Methylparaben" and "Propylparaben" are listed as ingredients.

I thought back to the studies: parabens found in tumour tissue... shaving nicks getting the chemicals past the skin barrier. Granted, men don't "wear" shaving gel through the day like women do with deodorants. But this gel is going in

Re:Drysol is the answer

[Ctrl-Z]

I don't see anti-perpirants being phased out around here. In fact, it seems much more difficult than it used to be to find non-anti-perspirant deodorants. I don't use anti-perspirants (but I do use deodorant!) because they irritate my skin.

IANAMD, but I believe that many anti-perspirants contain an aluminum compound; aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's and breast cancer. That may a bit of a stretch though. I'm not sure what people who wear tin-foil hats made of aluminum should do.

I bought one...

[Anonymous Coward]

...and it blows.

Better idea

[drsmack1]

What if they just made a hovercraft mouse? Smooth scrolling and forced air - the perfect hack!

Oblig...

[CGP314]

Summer Is Coming; Will Your Mousing Hand Survive?

Must... Resist... Lame... Masturbation Joke.


-Colin [colingregorypalmer.net]

Re:Oblig...

[Jonny 290]

Well, you failed.

Re:Oblig...

[CGP314]

Well, you failed.

::sigh::

I know. That's the joke.


-Colin [colingregorypalmer.net]

I will make me one of these...

[dark-br]

Check it out [overclockers.com]

dupe

[najt]

This is a dupe [slashdot.org]...

use the search luke

Serious problem for some users

[fo0]

Many slashdoters may think this is a joke, but it is a serious problem for some users. I had a friend at college who's hand would sweat so profusely that he had to put a rag over his mouse to keep it from shorting out. No joke!

Re:Serious problem for some users

[Spoing]

1. Many slashdoters may think this is a joke, but it is a serious problem for some users. I had a friend at college who's hand would sweat so profusely that he had to put a rag over his mouse to keep it from shorting out. No joke!

Sure that was "sweat", sunshine?

Re:Serious problem for some users

[cookie_cutter]

Read my post about Drysol and Iontophoresis :)

subliminal hit

[quetzalc0atl]

>sweaty and frustraited
>cool your mousing hand down..

riiiiight...thats something that one dude shouldn't say to another dude

mice are bad news

[Anonymous Coward]

A lot of RSI injuries are mouse-related. I don't believe an ergonomic setup should include a mouse type device.
Myself, I use a Kinesis Classic (it's $200, but worth every penny) and stick to the shell whenever possible. If your windowing environment supports keyboard shortcuts (as any good one should) then you don't even need a mouse. There are exceptions, but even then there's usually a better, less injury-prone device to use (frex, graphic artists are better off using a tablet).

As the title says...

[AstrumPreliator]

Slashdot Is Coming; Will Your Server Survive?

zerg

[Lord Omlette]

Huh, I can definitely see what they're saying, I get made fun of all the time for having sweaty hands.

However, the lede made me think of summer and electricity. When the weather gets warmer, I'm planning to turn my comp off at sunrise and not turn it back on until it gets dark out. When this year's repeated blackouts happen, I don't want to feel guilty about it, you know?

forget mice. use a trackball.

[herrd0kt0r]

using a mouse requires movement of the entire upper extremity.

using a trackball requires movement of yr thumb.

it's much more efficient, and now i have MUSCLES, something i never could've gotten, using a mouse. of course, only my thumb is awesomely rippled, but hey, it's a start.

Re:forget mice. use a trackball.

[Morganth]

One of the great RSI myths is that trackballs are better for you than mice. Repetetive movement of your thumb directly causes harm to your wrist in much greater degrees than does movement of a mouse, especially a properly designed mouse like the Quill [quillmouse.com].

The second myth is that wrist rests are good for you, which they are not, under any circumstances. By resting your wrist on a pad, you are forcefully reducing bloodflow, and asking for trouble. Your wrists shouldn't lay on ANYTHING.

Re:forget mice. use a trackball.

[Feanturi]

using a mouse requires movement of the entire upper extremity.

It does? My right arm rests on the armrest of my chair. The base of my palm rests on the edge of my desk (or could rest on a gel pad for those so inclined), so only my fingers and thumb tend to be moving as I mouse about. Wrist movement is very minimal. I hate trackballs because then I am using mostly the thumb instead of spreading out the work. 5 digits working in harmony offer much better control than 1. Any of your fingers including the thum

Anybody Who Visits /.

[Anonymous Coward]

Is almost certainly "sweaty and frustrated" by definition.

Dupe

[Judg3]

Japala already submitted the exact same thing a year ago [slashdot.org].

Not to mention his user info shows about 5 comments posted from him, most concerning mouse pads. Talk about a self-promoter

Re:Dupe

[squaretorus]

The real issue here is journalistic intergrity. When I pick up my copy of the Guardian and see a review of the new Aston Martin or the little Audi I know the company involved schmoozed the journo to within an inch of ejaculation and lent them the car for the weekend to take their mistress off to Tuscany with.

This pisses people off - but they know the auto section is a big money spinner for the paper and mainly just treat it as a big ad suppliment.

Slashdot has NO journalistic integrity. None. No editorial

Re:Dupe

[squaretorus]

Its not so much that I'm more likely to think it 'a good thing' if an independent party submits - more that it is more worth my time seeing if I DO think it a 'good thing' because of the independent approval already garnered.

Car reviews happen because the car was sent for review - not because the reviewer has 'something to say' or because the car is particularly newsworthy.

Self submits are similar. No disrespect to your fine submission - better than yet another 20 daily SCO stories anyway!

No worries

[TerryAtWork]

Just get one of these!

http://static2.stileproject.com/rnd/img/grap14.j pg

Amazing

[tarballedtux]

Instead of building that mousepad, maybe he should have patented that transformer with DC output. --tarballedtux

Will my mousing hand survive?

[dougmc]

... probably. It almost didn't survive Diablo 2, which should have been renamed `carpal tunnel syndrome in a box', but it did, because I just stopped playing -- it was just too hard on my mouse pointing finger. Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click Click ...

Now I'm just more careful about what I play :)

Who...

[adamofgreyskull]

Who is Summer?? PICS?!

Do It Yourself?

[npsimons]

DIY all the way baby!

Oh yeah, that's about as do-it-yourself as a ricer putting an 'R' sticker on his Honda Civic to make it go faster (yes, I look down on ricers and case modders and overclockers. losers).

Easier solution, requiring no soldering

[serutan]

A much simpler way to keep your hand from overheating is to grasp and lift an ice-cold refreshing beverage at regular intervals. Low-tech approach, but it works for me.

Re:slashdotted already

[beeplet]

But if they used that as a reason to subscribe, everyone would be signing up... and suddenly it would be false advertising.

Re:dupe

[devilspgd]

Speaking of dupes, you're far from the first person to mention it's a dupe.