On Sat, Jun 07, 2003 at 02:07:29AM -0700, Paul Johnson wrote: > On Fri, Jun 06, 2003 at 12:27:37PM -0400, Nori Heikkinen wrote: > > i'd like your opinions/feedback about what kind of ergonomic setups > > you use at home and in the office. as i mentioned a couple of days > > ago, i've been issued a laptop at work, and i can barely use it for > > the wrist strain. > > Best way to solve wrist strain with any computer is to position the > keyboard and mouse or the laptop in a manner that keeps your wrists as > straight as possible, and avoid resting your hands on the keyboard. > > If you're using a mouse, keep your wrist fairly straight, and try to > use your whole arm to move the mouse. Using your wrist alone is just > begging for carpal tunnel syndrome; just your forearm for tennis elbow. Ah, mice... another oddity of fashion... I ditched mine for a trackball and find that a great improvement. I can control the pointer with small movements of one finger, I don't need a large clear space to use it in, making precisely-located clicks is easier as the pointer doesn't joggle when you press the button, I can find a convenient place to leave it next to the keyboard so it's less awkward switching between input devices in GUIs. The finger movement required is similar in magnitude to that required by a laptop's track pad, but the tracking is much more precise and controllable. The trackball I have, a Trust Ami Track Dual Scroll, is a sort of elongated dome shape that fits into the palm of the hand, with the ball at one end and paddles on either side for left and right buttons. The thumb operates one paddle, the little finger the other, and the first finger rests on the ball. (Middle button, right behind the ball, is a little awkward.) It is symmetrical, so just as easy to use with either hand - an important feature which many pointing devices lack. Its only disadvantage is that its mechanical operation makes it vulnerable to finger grease. Unfortunately, the only optical ones I've seen have been highly asymmetrical, which is no good. I suppose I could always do a gut transplant though. And what is a trackball but an upside down mouse that was invented first? Fashion is an odd thing... -- Pigeon Be kind to pigeons Get my GPG key here: http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x21C61F7F
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