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Hardware

The Most Powerful Mouse in the World 212

Posted by CmdrTaco from the takes-a-kicking-and-keeps-on-clicking dept.
Seumas writes "Check out the Durapoint stainless steel industrial mouse which has bee thrown off a five-story building, submerged for hours, run-over by an 18-wheel truck, beaten with a hammer, used as a hockey puck, thrown across a room and stepped on countless times. It's even theft-proof. Even the pentagon is considering using it. At $279, it isn't cheap -- and it sure isn't an ergonomic wonder, but it might be your ticket if you do your computing strapped to the underside of a Mac truck." If only it had 3 mouse buttons!
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The Most Powerful Mouse in the World

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  • It's stainless steel, dude. Unless you're a mutant, semen and pine-sol won't touch it.

    If only someone would make computer cases out of stainless steel, maybe with a little chrome. Coolermaster's aluminum cases are pretty, but they could be even better...


    ---
  • I had a chance to use a Durapoint at a chemical plant once. It is definitely solid and *heavy*. At the time I remember thinking the thing must be tough to damage. If you're thinking it's a pain to use, you're right. Definitely not for fine graphics work. It took a nontrivial amount of pressure to move the mouse.

    (Saw someone mention a ball, there is none. The rubber disk on the top is how you move the pointer.)
  • I like that comment. :)

  • When Fry's Electronics and Micro City first showed up in Southern California, they were selling printer cables and mice for 50 cents each. Some time later I was over at a friend's house and he started having trouble with his mouse. He then unplugged it, threw it in the trash, and reached over into a box to get a new one in the original packaging. He had bought 20 dollars worth of mice and figured it wasn't worth cleaning them anymore.
  • Ok, we've got a stainless steel mouse, so when do we get a stainless steel rat?

    Apologies to Harry Harrison...
  • At my university we have had these mice for several years now. They are used at internet cubes, which consist of a cube in which a monitor is installed, a keyboard and this mouse. You can't touch the monitor or the pc itself though.
    They are meant to be used by visitors who want to have a go with internet and are seldomly used by students who want to go to a site quickly and forgot their laptop.
    Fact is that initially they worked fine and didn't get dirty at all. After a while, though, it wasn't what they promised at the website. Seemingly being used by hundreds (or rather thousands) of people is too much for them. They kept failing to move the cursor and clicking wasn't everything either.
    So, we wound up with these cubicles with either a failing mouse or just shut down. They aren't used anymore today. So much for the indestructable mouse!
  • So,

    What's it like working for Larry Ellison?

  • >Don't know about the rest of the world, but
    > that's >what everyone in the Midwest calls a
    > 18-wheeler.
    > A semi-truck.
    > A Freightliner, Peterbuilt, Kenworth, >GM/Volvo...A big-rig.

    "An articulated lorry"

  • Hmmm I think Fafhrd and his little grey buddy would fall into the category of (excellent) fantasy, not sci-fi!
    Sean
  • For $279 you can buy an awful lot of cheap mice in the event one gets broken.
  • I've seen similar mice installed in shopping malls for ad driven free Internet kiosks. Half of them are ripped apart by stupid people who scrap at them with keys.

    It's my belief that NOTHING can stand the craziness of the public. :)

    Calum

  • Considering that it's almost ten years *over* the projected lifetime and about one-tenth the projected maintenance, I'd say mir is pretty damn tough.
    No, I'm not Russian....

    ...
    Yes, I know I ramble and my spelling isn't quite up to scratch. If you wish to complain,
  • For that kind of money, you're not going to get one that has all those features AND is that durable. This isn't designed for people to use on their desk. This isn't designed for people browsing the internet. This is for places where you have to have a PC in a hazardous environment. We're talking forklifts moving around, sparks flying, excessively high temperatures, caustic chemicals, piles of dirt and grease, etc. I don't think anyone makes a mouse that can take that sort of punishment AND have the "nice" features you seem to be demanding. And if they did, I bet it'll cost more than this one does.

  • ...is whether it survives my kids or not. Give that mouse a run with my 5yo and 9yo, and see if it keeps in clicking... they kill mice better'n cats.

  • If only Microsoft would harden its Intellimouse Explorer using metal, and would fix the defect where the wires in the cord break when its tugged on, then that would be bad ass.
  • The wire doesn't look like anything special.
    Where is the steel conduit? Is it fireproof?
    Maybe they can run over it with a truck, but
    can a pocketknife cut the cable? Can the DB9
    connector crack off a piece of epoxy? How does
    it act with a 7.62 round fired into it?

  • I wish I could hide from the law inside an automated fast-food kiost.
  • So what's this little guy's pressure point?

    Molten Lava? (I can just see the terminator's dying wish as he's melting away, holding his pet mouse in the air... now there's a tear jerker!)
  • I use this mouse in my system. It has an iron monitor(demagnetized) Lead case (has to be nuke proof) and a keyboard made out of stainless steel. Its portable, fits right in the back of a Semi.. and weighing in at 15 tons, it only costs about $12/pound.

    Seems like the mouse is a bit excessive, maybe the government needs to look into console only apps..

    ------------------------------------------
    If God Dropped Acid, Would he see People???

  • If you're refering to the AWD Subaru Outback, they're made about 25 yards to my left in Lafayette, Indiana. =) But yeah, we're still a japanese company.

    Sotaku
  • If the mouse is being run over by a car, won't the laptop it's pluged into be run over too? I mean, the mouse is a small target, but the laptop, should be easy to hit. :)

  • Bet it wouldn't stand up to long term vibration. The connectors used to attach the lead are just normal square-pin headers (look at the photo), with no additional strain relief. These connectors don't have enough contact pressure for reliability, and in extreme cases (motor-racing) they'll walk their way clean off the pin.

    Some years ago I used to instrument power presses. Getting strain gauge signals out through connectors on shop-floor tooling was alway a PITA.

  • Anyone remember the Tom and Jerry show? No matter how much Tom tried to kill (and eat) Jerry, that elusive mouse managed to escape unharmed.

    Seems strinkingly similar to this, no? ; )

    Check out this link [geocities.com] for more information about the two animals that couldn't get along.

    -BBoy doodles
    C is for cookie

  • i spy a conspiracy, the government has one more thing that they can write off, to hide the costs of their secret programs.

    big brother, WE are watching YOU
    moohoohahahahahahahaha
  • If one was to do their computing strapped to the underside of a Mac (sic) truck, would they really need two mouse buttons?

    (end comment) */ }

  • Why? Why? Why????

    If you're using a mouse in a dangerous enough situation that you'd need it to be designed this stupi... err, durably, wouldn't you also need a similarly designed computer, protected in the same way? I mean, come on!! What's the deal here? Would someone please explain to me the rationale behind this doohicky? As Enron states, Why???

    --

  • I see it's an industrial mouse, but is it actually a mouse? Based on the diagram (quick glance...didn't read through it too quickly) it looks like a pointing sticks that you'd see on a laptop. So it just sits there, and you put your finger on the button to move it around.

    Personally, I wouldn't see too many people using the thing. While it is burly, working with those kind of pointing devices is work that can only be done for a while without getting frustrated. But I guess if durability is a concern, it'd work for that.

    But really: If durability were a concern, wouldn't you worry more about your keyboard? Your computer can function fine without a mouse, but without a keyboard you're S.O.L.

    Actually, now that I look at it a bit more, it looks a lot like my garage door opener ;-)

  • I once saw a mouse that could change its own ball: see mpeg movie [impressive.net]
  • Ah - the company would have to be a new mouse if it got damaged, whereas 'loosing' a user would actually cut spending (no wages).

    Richy C. [beebware.com]
    --
  • The world's most powerful mouse? Does it have SMP going or something? All SCSI/100 inputs? Perhaps it is actually a Beowulf cluster of mice? Does it run Linux? If not, can I put Linux on it? I want to be able to hack into my super-powerful mouse.

    ...............
    SUWAIN: Slashdot User Without An Interesting Name

  • It is a tough mouse (Score:5)

    by sys$manager ( 25156 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @07:08AM (#565039)
    I know someone who has a machine shop with high speed milling machines. The machines use an oil/water emulsion coolant sprayed on the tool, which creates a fine oil mist in the air. The oil mist mixes with dust and makes this ultra sticky crud that gets in everything and doesn't come off, no matter what you do.

    This mouse has been working fine in this environment for 3-4 years, along with a similar keyboard with a stainless steel case and rubber membrane keys. I can't keep a ball mouse working at my house for 6 months.
  • ... But what about the LEAD!!
  • Starship Troopers, the War Craft remix :-)
  • Big square metal box, sharp 90 degree corners - looks like carpal tunnel syndrome just BEGGING to happen if you ask me.

    +++++++++++++++++++++
  • Different objects (mouse vs. desk) would have different terminal speeds. The terminal velocity is not only dependent on the speed of an object but also the density of the air through which the object moves.

    That's why science teachers pay so much for that glass cylinder with the feather and the penny in it. To think... they could have spent that money on this mouse.
  • It makes sense for the pentagon to want this 279$ mouse. It'll go great along w/ the 1000$ toilet seats and 300$ ink pens ;-)

  • Who knows which professional gamers may switch! TheCPL [thecpl.com]
  • What good is a mouse that can be run over or flung down 5 stories? where is the computer in all this mess. I mean yeah ok its cool to take out your anger on but its not really usefull.
  • "used as a hockey puck"

    Game on!

    Thanks for letting me back in. Hope fully I don't get modded right out the door.
  • Yes, if only /. could instinctivly know when each of the billions of pages on the WWW had some new info. How often do YOU go looking for bullet-proof mice?
  • So, this "mouse" is obviously quite tough, but that sure looks like a conventional serial cable coming out of it. What's the point of having an indestructible mouse if the cable is still subject to kinking or yanking?
  • What if someone steals the PC? Or the keyboard? Or cuts the cable out of frustration (is the cable replacable?)?

    "We got a mouse, now all we need is a computer, monitor, keyboard, cables...."

    Capt. Ron

  • This is in no way a mouse. Its not even a trackball.

    The closest thing to this is an old-skool 2 button game pad.
  • Now there's a great idea, we could have true 3D mice with accelerometers (With enough sensors you could detect rotation as well as lateral 3D movement). Imagine playing a flight sim (or Descent etc.) with a mouse which you could pick up off the desk and fly around like a kid with a toy plane!

    We'd need to combine it with some kind of wireless technology, both so that the wire doesn't get ties up in knots and to make it even more indestructible (As well as the rolling mechanism getting gunged up or the button mechanism breaking I've seen mice fail because their leads break internally)
  • No ball. It's pressure operated. But suprisingly, Microsoft makes an EXCELLENT USB optical mouse. Maybe they should ditch their OS divsion and concentrate on hardware and games.

  • Re:Why? (Score:4)

    by JatTDB ( 29747 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @08:00AM (#565054)
    The mouse is made to be used in hazardous environments, the kinds of places that would kill your average mouse within a few days, if not hours. So, let's say an average lifetime of 5 days in these environments for one of your mice. That's 365/5*$20=$1460 a year. Quite a bit more than $279. Actually, using your $20 average mouse price, if your environment could kill 14 mice a year, then this mouse saves you money.

  • If they made a USB interface to the thing, the second button would work wonderfully on a Mac. My IntelliMouse Explorer's second button works just fine on my USB-upgraded 8600. No more hunting for the control key.
  • How could they forget the bubble gum test? Seems like the perfect mouse for a public terminal, but they didn't subject it to bubble gum? Geez...huge oversight.
  • ...need gramma chicken.

    - A.P.

    --
    * CmdrTaco is an idiot.

  • But I Thought (Score:3)

    by dmatos ( 232892 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @06:56AM (#565058)
    The most powerful mouse in the world was susceptible only to Limberger cheese... That's right, here he comes to save the day, MIGHTY MOUSE is here to stay.

    Personally, I always thought Speedy Gonzalez was *way* cooler than Might Mouse. Yeeha! Yeeha! Andele! Andele! Ariba! Ariba!
  • Terminal velocity? It would the same if you bolted the mouse to a desk and tossed it out the window. Galileo and his famous experiment, you see... Perhaps you were meaning the amount of force generated on impact? F=mv

  • Why does the pentagon need this? (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What, is it hardened against a nuclear attack or something? Or is it just another excuse to bilk the U.S. taxpayer?
  • It can take falls. Being run over. Nuclear attacks. BUT, can it take being used by most pc users out there? I'm betting our secretary can have it disabled in 2 weeks.
  • "...run-over by an 18 wheel semi-truck..."

    WTF is an 18 wheel semi-truck? Is it, like, half a truck or something? Why didn't they just use a 9 wheel truck?

    ----------------------------
  • Well...it's still more ergonomically correct than the original iMac hockey-puck mouse.
  • > I wouldn't say my boss has a temper, but I'm
    > still digging out the shrapnel from the wall
    > from computer equiptment that upset my boss.

    Erm, which would you rather encounter unexpectedly: a high-speed air-borne mouse made of plastic, or a high-speed air-borne mouse made of titanium?
  • I think a $1000 toilet seat with buttons and USB support would kick ass.
  • People usually get killed if this equipment doesn't function correctly in a combat situation- our people.

    Replace the unit is what some would suggest. In combat, you usually don't have the luxury of swapping out parts like that (and unless it's USB, it's NOT going to be hot-swappable either so that means a reboot of most OSes...) In combat, failure is largely NOT an option.
  • I've used one of these things, and even for the limited time I had to use it (1-2 hours) my wrist and fingers didn't recover for a day or so. It's sort of like a trackpoint on a laptop, but extremely stiff. Granted that my admin/programming efforts required a lot more mouse usage than the average worker would do.

    Very good for use in difficult environments; factory floors, chemical production, very dirty environments, etc. Not my first choice for anything else though.
  • A Sigint system does.

    A Sigint system is a computer with a GUI, etc.

    While I agree that the previous poster's analogy is a bit broken, there are definite reasons why this is a useful thing (and not overpriced either). If you've never dealt with the stuff, you wouldn't understand. I have.

  • http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/enclosur es/professional/pro_towers/index.htm

    They aren't stainless steel, but they are heavy gauge steel and there is an option for a chromed one. Not cheap, but quality hardware usually isn't.

  • Re:What about the computer (Score:3)

    by Svartalf ( 2997 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @12:17PM (#565079) Homepage
    Picture a typical "industrial" situation. Noisy. Messy. Loads of vibration and contaminants in the air, etc. Standard computer equipment gets KILLED in this world. You usually find embedded and hardened PCs in this world. An ordinary mouse or trackball would die rather quickly in this world. This one wouldn't.

    A military, or more appropriately, combat situation will be at least 10 times worse conditions than the industrial setting.
  • Drop it from 6'. Repeat for at least 1000 cycles.

    Submerge it in water.

    Submerge it in oil.

    Subject it to vibration approximately equivalent to 70g's worth of acceleration.

    Subject it to dust, dirt, and mud.

    Subject it to discharges of gunpowder and explosives (Nearby, not ON it...).

    Won't last long, will it?

    This mouse will under those conditions.

    People need to realize that this stuff is not going to always be operated in office or home like conditions. It's going to be subjected, in most cases, to evil conditions that will kill your home or office equipment outright- that's what combat presents. That's why having "milspec" stuff can often mean you've got superior parts. In combat, failure of your equipment is not an option.
  • . . . bee[n] thrown off a five-story building, submerged for hours, run-over by an 18-wheel truck, beaten with a hammer, used as a hockey puck, thrown across a room and stepped on countless times . . .

    This mouse needs a better name. How about "Rasputin?"


    See you in hell,
    Bill Fuckin' Gates®.

  • After all, that is what he asked for...
  • DUH... They have to spend our $$ on something.

    And then they can use their $1,000 tools to install these critters in a most useful place...

    I can just see it now -- a $100,000/yr mailroom clerk, sitting on a $1,500 toilet seat, using a $10,000 server with a $279 mouse, surfing p0rn.

    ...prays the silicone potting material completely seals the unit so it can be easily cleaned...

  • i use a $25 optical mouse but our pentegon brass needs to look into buying $300 bricks they think will work better??

    and no one finds military intelligence an oxymoron?

    sheesh!

  • A Grizzly "suit" (sort o' like a shark suit...)- who'd have thunk...
  • The computer "shouldn't" have to be quite so rugged. Provided you do not require a lot of disk swapping, etc, it can be put into a standard industrial enclosure. The mouse, OTOH, must always be acceptable. As for where you can find an actual computer similarly ruggedized, look on a CNC machine someday. These computers are designed to resist vibration, heat, cold, oil, water, smoke, and all the other hazards of industrial environments. I can't tell you where to find a desktop in similar trim, however, there are companies specializing in industrial controlls like Fanuc [fanuc.com] and Hitachi [hitachi.com] who might be able to put some kind of solution together for you, depending on what your situation is.

  • It's not a mouse. (Score:3)

    by AJWM ( 19027 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @08:45AM (#565104) Homepage
    Just a very, very short joystick.
  • Both the main case and the monitor of a computer can be protected from a hazardous environment. Let's say you're working in a cabinet maker's shop, and there's tons of sawdust. Put the case and the monitor inside of a filtered cabinet, with a window to see the monitor. You still need to have input devices exposed to the harsh environment.

    If someone constructs keyboards and mice for harsh environments, and the rest of the computer is removed from those environments, you can still have a very durable system.

    Other places I can see this being used:
    On the back of a Hummer in the middle of nowhere
    A machine shop
    Okay, I'm out of ideas now, but you get the picture.
  • "It might be your ticket if you do your computing strapped to the underside of a Mac truck."

    So does a Mac truck only have one wheel? ;-)

    (Should be Mack truck, BTW...)

    cya

    Ethelred [macnews.de]

  • LOL...

    Hmmm...wonder how durable this Compaq Mouse is...okay, this Microsoft Mouse, damn.

    Hey, betchya these Dell Laptops are pretty durable....nope.

    *scans office for other things to drop out window*

  • Did it "pass Russia"? (Score:5)

    by Ektanoor ( 9949 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @07:30AM (#565117) Journal
    A truck in California, a fall in Sweden? Bring it to us in Russia. If it survives then they can certify it for real and claim as the real thoughest mouse... Meanwhile it is only a though mouse...

    I would like to see it pass -50, dropped into the coffee mug, being mistakenly taken for the ashtray, occasionally plugged into the power socket, then being kicked by one though sysadmin in Quake. And being sadistically tested by dozens of users - "Though yeah? Let's see then.."

    Once I saw how canadians brought a though truck into a Siberian town. A big bright shiny Kenwood. The Kamaz looks as a tiny family car in front of it. Russian mechanics looked at the american monster and warned that it wouldn't hold up too long. Canadians answered that they have Kenwoods working in similar climatic conditions in their North... Two weeks, BHAM! The main axis turned into a small mound of steel sand. And the guys got stucked in their base without supplies... Well five guys in a whole filled Kamaz. Running 80-120Km/h through the Taiga, frozen river beds at -50 they brought the supplies to the canadian group... A whole trip of over 300Km through Siberia...

    So, while it is not "Russian certified", it's only though...


  • Just to help people out, re-read 'though' as 'tough'.

    ~Cederic is not criticising, he wishes his Russian was as good

  • What, is it hardened against a nuclear attack or something? Or is it just another excuse to bilk the U.S. taxpayer?

    I doubt it would survive a nuclear attack. It would be a good thing for controling systems in a tank or on a ship. It would be a shame to lose a battle due to a close mortar round causing a regular mouse to fall off the table and break.

    In this case, the cost is probably justifiable.

  • It's stainless steel, dude. Unless you're a mutant, semen and pine-sol won't touch it.
    Mutant Pine-Sol???

    --
    Game over, 2000!

  • Anyone can make something bomb proof, truck proof, etc, but who's going to use it?

    Some likely uses are warehouse/industrial, auto shop and military. A regular mouse wouldn't stand a chance in those environments.

  • I bet Troy Hurtubise could use that in his project [www.nfb.ca].

    Karma karma karma karma karmeleon: it comes and goes, it comes and goes.
  • User? There`s millions more where they came from.
  • Even the pentagon is considering using it. At $279, it isn't cheap

    You see the problems with pricing conservatively? If they'd asked for $500, the Pentagon wouldn't have given a second thought and placed a bulk order for 10,000.

    My last mouse cost $20. I can't imagine for a second that I'd get through 14 mice in my lifetime.

    Rich

  • Pvt: Sarge, I can't make it!
    Sgt: What is it soldier?
    Pvt: These pains in my wrist, they're too much!
    Sgt: MEDIC!

    Has any of the services awarded a purple heart for carpel-tunnel, yet?

    --

  • Your mouse doesn't need to handle grit, dust, sand, shell fillings, water, sweat, urine, blood, hair, flesh, clothing fragments &c. A mouse used in a tank or on a ship would. Think about it.
  • ...it might even survive an X-Windows crash!

  • The Most Powerful Mouse in the World

    Don't try to put that one past me! I've seen Mighty Mouse, and this thing aint nothing compared to him!. Why it doesn't even have a cape!

  • I wouldn't say my boss has a temper, but I'm still digging out the shrapnel from the wall from computer equiptment that upset my boss.

  • it's optical...the only moving part is the mouse wheel and they make them without those....

    Smear mud all over the bottom and see how well it works. Now, simulate combat conditions (think falling derbris) by whacking it with a hammer. After that, if it still works, tell me where you bought it, I want one.

  • I guess this could be an input device for public terminals. This mouse may not be vandal proof but it may be vandal resistent.
  • That's not entirely true. For example, if my brain were miraculously removed at this exact moment in time, due to the configuration of my office chair I would slump forwards and my head would doubtless impact on the keyboard, resulting in something like:

    bhnhruty

    Notice that this is not only an incorrect spelling of "arriba," but it is also an incorrect spelling of much simpler words, such as "a", "I", "it", and complex words like "triskadecaphobia". So, I'm afraid that your post isn't entirely correct :)
  • Hah! I'm laughing out loud about the response an accelerometer would give when dropped off of a five storey building, or run over by a Mack truck!
  • Suppose your Navy Destroyer is hit with a missile or a bunch of wackos pop off a couple hundred pounds of C4 next to the hull. Think a Logitech or MS Mouse will keep working? I know that the computers will keep running, all of those things are on shock mounts. Have you seen the over-enginered flat panel displays the DoD buys?

    But the mouse? Will it keep running? You need something...stout so that you'll be able to keep inputing.

    Just because it's not the kind of mouse that most people need on thier desk...The Military and heavy industry has other needs that many geeks just don't get.
  • Scene: A simulated battle field using automated targets rigged with a version of laser tag that hurts. Only this time the human combatants don't have guns, they just swing these "mice" around, clubbing the targets to death. One warrior is obviously having problems with his helmet and almost gets clubbed by another.

    Commander: What's the problem soldier?
    S: It's my helmet sir
    C: Give me a look

    The exchange distracts another soldier who is subsequently hit by a drone. As she collapses, she loses her grip on the spinning mouse which flys through the air and mostly throught the soldier's head, obviously killing him.

    C: MEDIC!

  • Ouch (Score:4)

    by TheFlu ( 213162 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @07:00AM (#565189) Homepage
    ...thrown off a five-story building, submerged for hours, run-over by an 18-wheel truck, beaten with a hammer, used as a hockey puck, thrown across a room and stepped on countless times.
    The mouse may survive, but what about the user?

    Penguins love mice. The Linux Pimp [thelinuxpimp.com]

  • But I'm not likely to throw my mouse off of a five story building or hit it with a hammer.
    What's needed is information on how it handles my day to day mousing activity.
    How does it stand up to being squirted with semen and then cleaned off with pine-sol?
    --Shoeboy
  • Mighty Mouse? Speedy Gonzalez? Wimps.

    Danger Mouse [dangermouse.org]! (He's the greatest!)

  • Don't know about the rest of the world, but that's what everyone in the Midwest calls a 18-wheeler.

    A semi-truck.

    A Freightliner, Peterbuilt, Kenworth, GM/Volvo...A big-rig.
  • This mouse is going to be PERFECT for my new underwater oceanic frozen hammer and truck manufacturing plant!

    Did I mention that we get supplies via non-parachuted air drops?

  • I'm Sorry, But (Score:4)

    by dmatos ( 232892 ) on Tuesday December 12, 2000 @07:02AM (#565211)
    isn't this more of a crappy joystick than a mouse? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the defining characteristic of a mouse that you move the device to move the cursor?

    This chunk of metal had a button on top that you push to control the cursor speed and direction, similar to those awful joysticks you find on laptops. Plus, it comes with all the holes necessary to bolt the damn thing to the desktop. I'm pretty sure you couldn't move it around then. Geez, I was expecting some rugged optical-mousing technology. Colour me disappointed.
  • For the International Space Station.

  • Not the most powerful mouse in the world (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    In fact, I believe that I own the most powerful mouse in the world. I am a huge fan of Quake III, and regularly play online and attend LAN parties. In order to gain a competitive edge, I have overclocked my Microsoft Intellimouse and my serial port. I find that with the overclocked UART, I get finer control over my mouse movements and can move the mouse faster and more accurately. The benefits of my overclocked mouse have been demostrated by the vast improvement in my Quake II abilities.

    I am currently working on a project to overclock my monitor, in order to get a few more valuable frames per second in Quake III.

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