krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) (04/08/89)
Several people have raised objections to mice with the legitimate complaint
that they are fast typists and don't want to remove their hands from the
keyboard to hit the mouse.
There is a solution which I actually use if I have to do a lot of typing.
I put something hard (like a book) on the floor, stick the mouse down there
and use my feet. Admittedly, you have to be barefoot to get the most use
out of this idea, and the fewer buttons the better.
You were born with four limbs, not two. Why not use them?
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Soon: 408/987-7309 / "I'm so heppy I'm mizzabil!" -- Krazy Kathascall@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (John Hascall) (04/09/89)
In article <9642@claris.com> krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) writes: >Several people have raised objections to mice with the legitimate complaint >that they are fast typists and don't want to remove their hands from the >keyboard to hit the mouse. >There is a solution which I actually use if I have to do a lot of typing. >I put something hard (like a book) on the floor, stick the mouse down there >and use my feet. Admittedly, you have to be barefoot to get the most use >out of this idea, and the fewer buttons the better. >You were born with four limbs, not two. Why not use them? If I took off my shoes my office-mate would beat me :-) Besides, who has enough toe-dexterity to double-click? Something I recently found out: on my VAXstation I can use CTRL/SHIFT/arrow to move the mouse and CTRL/SHIFT/SELECT to click, not the handiest key-sequence but it is real nice when you want to move something exactly horizontally or vertically. (How did this topic ever get in this group?)
Devin_E_Ben-Hur@cup.portal.com (04/09/89)
[comments about mice being a pain for good typists] [comment about using feet to manipulate mouse] Even better. I've seen a prototype of a cylindrical trackball mounted just below the spacebar on a keyboard. This is a rotating cylinder that slides from side to side. You use it like a mouse or trackball (a mouse is just an upside down trackball, ya know) with your thumbs. Your fingers never leave the keyboard. Ever wonder why there 4-8 keys allocated per finger but only one BIG key for TWO thumbs? I first saw this invention about a year ago... wonder if it will ever make it to market... Devin_Ben-Hur@Cup.Portal.Com ...ucbvax!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!devin_ben-hur
fischer@iesd.dk (Lars P. Fischer) (04/09/89)
>There is a solution which I actually use if I have to do a lot of typing. >I put something hard (like a book) on the floor, stick the mouse down there >and use my feet. Admittedly, you have to be barefoot to get the most use >out of this idea, and the fewer buttons the better. Hmm. I once saw a control *pedal*. Cute. And fast. I can see it now, using Emacs: Hit "left-pedal v" to scroll up, "right-pedal v" to scroll down, etc :-). /Lars -- Lars Fischer, fischer@iesd.dk, {...}!mcvax!iesd!fischer Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -- Arthur C. Clarke
pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) (04/10/89)
Please! You have the right to bear arms, but not to bare feets. :-)
Pete
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Trenton, NJ 08690 Voice: 1-609-586-4800jcbst3@cisunx.UUCP (James C. Benz) (04/14/89)
In article <9642@claris.com> krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) writes: >There is a solution which I actually use if I have to do a lot of typing. >I put something hard (like a book) on the floor, stick the mouse down there >and use my feet. Admittedly, you have to be barefoot to get the most use >out of this idea, and the fewer buttons the better. >You were born with four limbs, not two. Why not use them? Get real. Or better yet, send me some of the drugs you're using. Seriously, if it takes this kind of comedy to defend the mouse concept, there is obviously something wrong with it. I'll bet you play the harmonica and a bass drum with the other foot and a pair of cymbals strapped to your knees while you type too. -- Jim Benz jcbst3@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu If a modem University of Pittsburgh answers, UCIR (412) 648-5930 hang up!
lynch@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Tim Lynch) (04/22/89)
My sewing machine using a foot pedal to control sewing speed. You can hang the pedal from the side of the machine's cabinet and work it with your knee if you're so inclined. I remember reading about a fellow who hooked up his control key to a foot pedal. I once had an Ann Arbor terminal with a Meta key -- I considered doing a similar thing with both the control and meta keys. It would have made EMAC's really fly. And don't people use their feet when they play the piano? Not to mention drums.
bagpiper@oxy.edu (Michael Paul Hunter) (04/22/89)
In article <9642@claris.com> krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) writes: >Several people have raised objections to mice with the legitimate complaint >that they are fast typists and don't want to remove their hands from the >keyboard to hit the mouse. > >There is a solution which I actually use if I have to do a lot of typing. >I put something hard (like a book) on the floor, stick the mouse down there >and use my feet. Admittedly, you have to be barefoot to get the most use >out of this idea, and the fewer buttons the better. > >You were born with four limbs, not two. Why not use them? A better solution is to use a head mouse. A head mouse is an optical device that has a component on the monitor and one on your head...by detecting head movement it controls the mouse. You can control the buttons through a blow tube or thumb buttons. disclaimer: I have never used one...just thought they were neat. I think I originally saw them in an apple film about hardware and software for disabled people. The military is also using a similar idea for a night flying aparatus. The head gear can be used to target objects on the ground.... I think that there was an article in avionics in the last few months. Mike
krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) (04/24/89)
From article <30064@tiger.oxy.edu>, by bagpiper@oxy.edu (Michael Paul Hunter): > In article <9642@claris.com> I write: >>There is a solution which I actually use if I have to do a lot of typing. >>I put something hard (like a book) on the floor, stick the mouse down there >>and use my feet. Admittedly, you have to be barefoot to get the most use >>out of this idea, and the fewer buttons the better. > > A better solution is to use a head mouse. A head mouse is an optical device > that has a component on the monitor and one on your head...by detecting > head movement it controls the mouse. You can control the buttons through > a blow tube or thumb buttons. disclaimer: I have never used one...just > thought they were neat. > > I think I originally saw them in an apple film about hardware and software > for disabled people. > > The military is also using a similar idea for a night flying aparatus. The > head gear can be used to target objects on the ground.... I think that > there was an article in avionics in the last few months. I have played with these on occasion. They're hard to get used to. The one I saw had a button which mounted under the space bar on a Mac keyboard. I've talked to one person who used a retinal tracker for a few months. (You look at a position on the screen and the cursor goes there.) His biggest complaint was that it blurred the line between what was real and what was on the screen. More than once, he tried to move papers on his desk with just his eyes. -- Jeff Erickson Claris Corporation | Birdie, birdie, in the sky, 408/987-7309 Applelink: Erickson4 | Why'd you do that in my eye? krazy@claris.com ames!claris!krazy | I won't fret, and I won't cry. "I'm a heppy, heppy ket!" | I'm just glad that cows don't fly.