Too much of a good thing.
Alec Cawley
it - much better than dragging that tail around. But it was a conventional
ball-based mouse, and playing with a colleagues optical mouse convinced me
that these had their advantages - particularly in not risking getting
gunged up - but not enough to go back to a corded one.
The only problem with cordless mice is that the mouse is battery powered,
so that it is inclined to go "sticky" as the batteries fail, then of course
to stop working completely. So you need to remember to keep spare
batteries. So I wanted a rechargeable mouse so that I didn't have to stock
batteries.
So when I found a rechargable cordless optical mous, I thought that was for
me. It arrived yesterday and I plugged it in today.
Unfortunately, it seems to have one big problem caused by combining all
these technologies. The optical system uses much more power than a ball,
and rechargeables hold less energy in a full charge than disposables. So
the mouse puts itself into power-saving mode after only about 30 seconds of
non-use - which is not very long when typing a document. So when you move
back to the mouse after a burst of typing, it has gone to sleep. A sleep
from which it can be awoken by any click, but sleep nonetheless. The
disturbance of a "dead" mouse and the necessity to click is just enough to
interrupt a train of thought.
I'll keep using it for a week or so, but it might not be a long-time
resident of my desk.
--
@lec Šawley
Stuart Baldwin
I decided that the cord was the least of my problems and I really
needed a wheel (I use one at work) and no bloody ball. When Maplin
did a special on Samsung optical wheel mice at a tenner a throw a
couple of months ago we stocked up. Does what it says on the box for
me but SWMBO is less thrilled with hers. It may be that she needs to
adjust her sensitivity.
--
Stuart Baldwin
James Follett
<al...@cawley.demon.co.uk> writes
>Unfortunately, it seems to have one big problem caused by combining all
>these technologies. The optical system uses much more power than a ball,
>and rechargeables hold less energy in a full charge than disposables. So
>the mouse puts itself into power-saving mode after only about 30 seconds of
>non-use - which is not very long when typing a document. So when you move
>back to the mouse after a burst of typing, it has gone to sleep.
I thought I was alone in finding it irksome switching neural networks
when bashing out text and then using a mouse to activate a function, but
other scribes have experienced a similar problem. The position of the
text on the screen is relatively unimportant when using a keyboard -- it
merely scrolls up the screen. But the position immediately becomes
important when reaching for a mouse, and the brain has to perform a
flip. Throwing a switch to bring in hand-eye co-ordination throws me --
it seems to break the flow of concentration. It was much the same
stopping to roll a new sheet of paper into a typewriter and line it up.
--
James Follett Novelist (Callsign G1LXP) http://www.davew.demon.co.uk
James Follett
<M...@indaal.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>In article <OZcT9pE$nWa9...@marage.demon.co.uk>, James Follett
><ja...@marage.demon.co.uk> writes of mice and men:
>>But the position immediately becomes
>>important when reaching for a mouse, and the brain has to perform a
>>flip. Throwing a switch to bring in hand-eye co-ordination throws me -
-
>>it seems to break the flow of concentration. It was much the same
>>stopping to roll a new sheet of paper into a typewriter and line it
>>up.
>And a few years before that, it was presumably having to stop and
>sharpen the quill pen.......
>
>An author's lot is not a happy one.
My wife owns an 18th Century word-processor, best explained in the
following repost to alt.usage.english about five years ago:
** Jane Austen's laptop word-processor **
On Wednesday I paid a visit to Jane Austen's house at nearby
Chawton in Hampshire. Unfortunately she wasn't in but a nice
lady in the front parlour selling souvenirs allowed us to look
around on payment of GBP2 each. It was very strange looking over
this modest little cottage where Miss Austen spent the last
years of her short life, and where she completely revised and
finally agreed to have published the most-read and best-loved
novel in the English language.
One of the many items on display that belonged to Miss Austen
caused me considerable astonishment. My mother-in-law died ten
years ago and among the odds and ends in her writing box, that
had belonged to her grandmother, was what we, including my
mother-in-law, had aways assumed to be a fan. A somewhat clumsy
fan because it consists of a swatch of ten thin rectangular
ivory panels held together with a single rivet. Each panel
measures approximately five-inches long by two-inches wide.
It isn't a fan, it's a late 18th- early 19th Century word-
processor. Paper was expensive therefore those who used a good
deal of it first composed their paragraphs on these wafer-thin
ivory panels before making fair copies on paper. Pencil could be
erased with one's fingertip, ink erased with a damp cloth. The
order of paragraphs or sentences could be changed depending on
which panels were exposed from the main swatch. Other advantages
were portability -- it could be carried in a pocket and used on
one's lap because the wafers were sufficiently rigid to make a
desk unnecessary.
The fan explains a paragraph in one of Jane Austen's letters to
her sister, Cassandra, which has always puzzled me, in which she
refers to `...the two-inches of ivory upon which I work...'
Out of curiousity I composed this entire post on the fan using a
pencil. The efficiency of the device is remarkable. Each of the
above paragraphs is written on an individual wafer. The post
actually started with the second paragraph with the opening:
`An item on display in Jane Austen's house at Chawton caused me
considerable astonishment...'
I moved it from first to second place simply by switching the
wafers around. Longer paragraphs were continued on the reverse.
I've taken to carrying the `fan' with me and jotting notes on
it. Although it's 200-years old, I think it'll last out my
lifetime. If it inspires me to write a tenth as well as Jane
Austen I shall be well-pleased.
End repost.
My comment about carrying it about for note-taking was an exaggeration.
For that I use a thin piece of wood about six inches square. The edges
have a raised lip to contain a layer of clay that has to kept moist for
inscribing with a stylus. This is known as cunnilingus writing and was
invented in Iraq, which is why most Iraqi men sport moustaches, and some
Iraqi women. You have to keep it wet so that every now and then you can
wipe it clean and start again.
As part of Turnpike's war against terrorism and compliance with UN
sanctions, cunnilingus does not appear in the TP lexicon.
Mike Fleming
> I thought I was alone in finding it irksome switching neural networks
> when bashing out text and then using a mouse to activate a function, but
> other scribes have experienced a similar problem.
My feelings exactly, and I knew I'd mentioned them in dl before -
looking back in Google, I find that I was saying I'd just gone to
FreeAgent in 1997, but hadn't loaded Win95 and didn't want to. Then I
said "At least Free Agent isn't too far behind DOS Snews in usability.
I find that being forced to use a mouse in a text application is a
real pain, so I wanted something with plenty of single-keypress
shortcuts." and my opinion hasn't changed.
--
Mike Fleming Coitum non dono
Lorry oil - because I'm worth it
Chris Hill
<snip>
>I thought I was alone in finding it irksome switching neural networks
>when bashing out text and then using a mouse to activate a function, but
>other scribes have experienced a similar problem.
I wouldn't call myself a scribe (except, perhaps, in the occasional
neophyte sense), but I know exactly what you mean.
>The position of the
>text on the screen is relatively unimportant when using a keyboard -- it
>merely scrolls up the screen. But the position immediately becomes
>important when reaching for a mouse, and the brain has to perform a
>flip. Throwing a switch to bring in hand-eye co-ordination throws me --
>it seems to break the flow of concentration. It was much the same
>stopping to roll a new sheet of paper into a typewriter and line it up.
My job sometimes requires me to do a lot of renaming of files and other
similar tasks. Rather than alternating between the mouse (for
highlighting files, pulling down menus, etc.) and the keyboard (for
typing text) I find it much easier and less tiring to learn the keyboard
shortcuts and do everything without the mouse.
--
Chris Hill
I get knocked down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
youare.w...@ntlworld.com
><ja...@marage.demon.co.uk> writes:
>
>> I thought I was alone in finding it irksome switching neural networks
>> when bashing out text and then using a mouse to activate a function, but
>> other scribes have experienced a similar problem.
Most functions have a keyboard shortcut, you just have to learn them.
--
NancyB
Chris Lawrence
> I find that being forced to use a mouse in a text application is a
> real pain, so I wanted something with plenty of single-keypress
> shortcuts." and my opinion hasn't changed.
Ah, you'd like PC-Pine then.
--
Regards,
Chris
Andy Botterill
<ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>My job sometimes requires me to do a lot of renaming of files and other
>similar tasks. Rather than alternating between the mouse (for
Would perl make it easier?
--
Andy Botterill
Chris Hill
<d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk> writes
Given my knowledge of perl - no.
Mike Fleming
Lawrence <ne...@holosys.co.uk> writes:
I'm happy with Agent now - IIRC, it was Paul Spencer who replied to a
comment of mine about single keypresses in Selm to say that Agent
would do that too.
You were running Agent under Wine, weren't you? Any particular reason
for changing (assuming, from the lack of information in your headers,
that you're using PC-Pine).
Chris Lawrence
> > Ah, you'd like PC-Pine then.
>
> I'm happy with Agent now - IIRC, it was Paul Spencer who replied to a
> comment of mine about single keypresses in Selm to say that Agent
> would do that too.
Furry nuph.
> You were running Agent under Wine, weren't you? Any particular reason
> for changing (assuming, from the lack of information in your headers,
> that you're using PC-Pine).
I was using KNode under Linux on my trusty old P166 laptop which died
during a thunderstorm a few weeks back so I bought a nice new 2.2GHz one
to replace it. I've got most of it running under Linux but there are
some things I've not cracked yet and so still need to use XP.
Tried Turnpike but after two hours of fucking around with it still
couldn't work out how to get it working properly without faking dial-up
connections for it to bind to the ISP info, so that came back off in
despair. Tried FreeAgent for a few days but found it too fiddly to use.
So I reverted to PC-Pine (which is Pine ported to Windows) because I'm
used to using it on Solaris. I've never used Agent under Wine but used
to run Turnpike 4.0x under Wine on the P166 with minimal problems
(mostly display corruption down to my crap configuration of Wine).
Now if I could find a simple Windows utility which downloads mail from
multiple POP3 servers and then makes them available locally via IMAP for
PC-Pine, that'd be a nice improvement. Turnbloat^H^H^H^H^Hpike pike can
do it but a simple utility would be nicer.
--
Regards,
Chris
Andy Botterill
<ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <c5HuuKAG...@plymouth2.demon.co.uk>, Andy Botterill
><d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk> writes
>>In article <2ABvKVAt...@chris-h.demon.co.uk>, Chris Hill
>><ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>>
>>>My job sometimes requires me to do a lot of renaming of files and other
>>>similar tasks. Rather than alternating between the mouse (for
>>
>>Would perl make it easier?
>
>Given my knowledge of perl - no.
You could use a shell script C , Bourne , bash. You must know a lot of
the standard shell that you use so all you have to learn are the program
flow commands.
--
Andy Botterill
Chris Hill
<d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <9Vw9fhAv...@chris-h.demon.co.uk>, Chris Hill
><ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>>In article <c5HuuKAG...@plymouth2.demon.co.uk>, Andy Botterill
>><d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk> writes
>>>In article <2ABvKVAt...@chris-h.demon.co.uk>, Chris Hill
>>><ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>>>
>>>>My job sometimes requires me to do a lot of renaming of files and other
>>>>similar tasks. Rather than alternating between the mouse (for
>>>
>>>Would perl make it easier?
>>
>>Given my knowledge of perl - no.
>
>You could use a shell script C ,
No I couldn't.
>Bourne ,
Nope.
>bash.
Uh-uh.
>You must know a lot of
>the standard shell that you use
Err... nope.
>so all you have to learn are the program
>flow commands.
Probably a bit more than that... Me hardware bloke. Me not understand
software. Me like click pretty icon. Hur. Me *like* pretty icon.
Andy Botterill
<ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>Probably a bit more than that... Me hardware bloke. Me not understand
>software. Me like click pretty icon. Hur. Me *like* pretty icon.
Ask yourself the following question what tasks do you do reasonably
often and are tedious/error prone. Write a script(s) to do them. Then
you can concentrate on hardware.
I do this because I don't like doing repetitive jobs.
--
Andy Botterill
Chris Hill
<d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <Zu6ExLAH...@chris-h.demon.co.uk>, Chris Hill
><ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>>In article <x0W19WAG...@plymouth2.demon.co.uk>, Andy Botterill
>><d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>>Probably a bit more than that... Me hardware bloke. Me not understand
>>software. Me like click pretty icon. Hur. Me *like* pretty icon.
>
>Ask yourself the following question what tasks do you do reasonably
>often and are tedious/error prone.
Vacuuming. Cleaning the bathroom.
>Write a script(s) to do them.
If that script involved a blonde, pneumatic, Scandinavian au pair then I
would happily write it.
>Then
>you can concentrate on hardware.
>
>I do this because I don't like doing repetitive jobs.
I don't do them often enough to warrant the effort.
Andy Botterill
<ch...@chris-h.demon.co.uk> writes
>>Ask yourself the following question what tasks do you do reasonably
>>often and are tedious/error prone.
>
>Vacuuming. Cleaning the bathroom.
If you get something automatic on that send it over here :) .
>
>>Write a script(s) to do them.
>
>If that script involved a blonde, pneumatic, Scandinavian au pair then I
>would happily write it.
chuckle
--
Andy Botterill
Mark Horsman
d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk says...
>
> If you get something automatic on that send it over here :) .
> >
--
Do unto others....
mark horsman
Andy Botterill
nm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>> If you get something automatic on that send it over here :) .
>> >
>I have. You can't afford her :(
>
I think that your misses with thwack you for that :) .
Best of luck with exchanging and moving.
--
Andy Botterill
Mark Horsman
d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk says...
The exchange should happen this week. The move date has been set for 13
Sept. which is horribly close. I'm going to Belfast, I might just stay
there for a while!
Mark Horsman
The exchange should happen this week. The move date has been set for 13
Sept. which is horribly close. I'm going to Belfast, I might just stay
there for a while!
--
Mike Fleming
Lawrence <ne...@holosys.co.uk> writes:
> Now if I could find a simple Windows utility which downloads mail from
> multiple POP3 servers and then makes them available locally via IMAP for
> PC-Pine, that'd be a nice improvement. Turnbloat^H^H^H^H^Hpike pike can
> do it but a simple utility would be nicer.
Hamster, http://www.tglsoft.de/
http://ianhoare.free.fr/hamster/hamagent.htm or
http://lightning.prohosting.com/~tbates/gravity/oldhamster.html
for instructions which you should be able to adapt.
Andy Botterill
nm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>In article <OxvqsUA+...@plymouth2.demon.co.uk>,
>d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk says...
>> In article <aksns2$471$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>, Mark Horsman <mark@horsma
>> nm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>> >In article <sTKC05Ar...@plymouth2.demon.co.uk>,
>> >d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk says...
>>
>> >> If you get something automatic on that send it over here :) .
>> >> >
>> >I have. You can't afford her :(
>> >
>> I think that your misses with thwack you for that :) .
Before anybody from the english department complains.
>>
>> Best of luck with exchanging and moving.
>>
>Pah!
>
>The exchange should happen this week. The move date has been set for 13
>Sept. which is horribly close. I'm going to Belfast, I might just stay
>there for a while!
That's not nice leaving your misses to do it.
>
--
Andy Botterill
Mark Horsman
d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk says...
> In article <aktb69$g1$2...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk>, Mark Horsman <mark@horsma
> nm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
> >The exchange should happen this week. The move date has been set for 13
> >Sept. which is horribly close. I'm going to Belfast, I might just stay
> >there for a while!
>
> That's not nice leaving your misses to do it.
<g>
At least I wouldn't be blamed for getting it wrong.
Andy Botterill
nm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
[moving]
><g>
>At least I wouldn't be blamed for getting it wrong.
>
Hmm It has its good points.
However your favourite armchair may get lost along with anything that
you liked and your misses didn't.
I moved into a new (to me) house this friday.
(split infinitive intended :) )
--
Andy Botterill
Mark Horsman
d*@plymouth2.demon.co.uk says...
> In article <aktkn4$u77$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk>, Mark Horsman <mark@horsma
> nm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>
> [moving]
> ><g>
> >At least I wouldn't be blamed for getting it wrong.
> >
> Hmm It has its good points.
>
> However your favourite armchair may get lost along with anything that
> you liked and your misses didn't.
She's done that already, except for the things I've smuggled into the
loft :)
>
> I moved into a new (to me) house this friday.
Good. Enjoying it?
>
> (split infinitive intended :) )
>
Quite right too!
Stuart Baldwin
If you could write a book about how you manage that, you'd make a
fortune!
--
Stuart Baldwin
Mark Horsman
ne...@boxatrix.demon.co.uk says...
Alec Cawley
Eh? What infinitive?
--
@lec Šawley
Matthew Malthouse
>
> The exchange should happen this week. The move date has been set for 13
> Sept. which is horribly close.
And a Friday.
--
A web site is the high tech equivalent of a dog marking a lamp post.
- Matthew Paris
http://www.calmeilles.co.uk/
Stuart Baldwin
I think he means 'to me' (as in "to me, or not to me?"?) but forgot to
split it...
--
Stuart Baldwin
Andy Botterill
<al...@cawley.demon.co.uk> writes
>Andy Botterill wrote:
>
>> I moved into a new (to me) house this friday.
>>
>> (split infinitive intended :) )
>
>Eh? What infinitive?
>
I used a similar version of the top sentence and I got my english
corrected by James.
--
Andy Botterill
Andy Botterill
anm.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>> However your favourite armchair may get lost along with anything that
>> you liked and your misses didn't.
>
>She's done that already, except for the things I've smuggled into the
>loft :)
A good clear out is good. So long as nothing important gets lost.
>>
>> I moved into a new (to me) house this friday.
>
>Good. Enjoying it?
The move is hard work. I have very little furniture but it still is hard
work. The house is near to Godalming so I can walk in there in minutes.
>>
>> (split infinitive intended :) )
>>
>Quite right too!
Waits for grammar comments.........
>
--
Andy Botterill
Alec Cawley
> On Sun, 01 Sep 2002 21:40:32 +0100, Alec Cawley
> <al...@cawley.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>> I moved into a new (to me) house this friday.
>>>
>>> (split infinitive intended :) )
>>
>>Eh? What infinitive?
>
> to me house?
The verb is "moved", and is in the past tense. "To" in that sentence is a
dative ?participle? qualifying "me". Presumably, the infinitive he thinks
he split is "to house", split by the "me" - but house is (in this case) a
noun, so cannot have an infinitive.
I *think* - but would welcome correction from those more knowledgeable -
ther "to me" is a perfectly sound adverbial phrase wualiofying the
adjective "new".
--
@lec Šawley
Steve Barlow
wrote:
>
>Wo.
>Do
>In
>If
>Pa
Regularly posted closing material is considered a sig,
so this is too long.
--
Steve Barlow
Roger Hunt
<st...@steve-barlow.fsnet.co.uk> writes(snip regularly posted closing material aka sig)
>
>Regularly posted closing material is considered a sig,
>so this is too long.
Absolutely right! About time somebody pointed that out.
(snip sig)
Er, please excuse me for pointing this out, but you appear to be
deficient in the sig separator department to the tune of one. <G>
--
Roger Hunt