StreetScooby 5 #1 June 25, 2014 Ok, I'm looking for some advice here. Been at a new job for about a month now. There's a guy who sits close by who I can only guess has been the victim of bad mechanical mouses in the past. He works hard, with his mouse, and constantly picks it up and clacks it down, to make it move and stuff. But, it's one of these light-based mouses, and it's pointless for him to do it. And, he does it all day. When he leaves his desk, the place becomes much quieter. Also, he is one of the few people (around 20) in this space who doesn't have a mouse pad. This is starting to drive me nuts. Yes, it bothers me. I'm curious, how would others here deal with this situation. Should I just go get him a mouse pad and leave it under his mouse (I'm in the office much earlier than him)? What happens if he just throws the mouse pad away? What next? All feedback and comments welcomed. We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiquita 12 #2 June 25, 2014 I would say, get a mouse pad and keep it in your drawer. Then figure out a way to casually mention to him that with a light based mouse that they don't function like the old roller ball ones did (which, if he had one it probably would just need a good cleaning, which you could have done before he gets to work) and that a mouse pad might make it easier for him. Then you could say something like: I just happen to have an extra mouse pad if you would like give it a try to see if it helps. Maybe he just doesn't realize that a mouse pad could make all the difference. The trick would be to figure out how to say it so that he would want to try it and not get defensive. I'm surprised no one complained to the boss about it. The place I used to work had people that had no issues complaining to the boos, and usually about much smaller and less annoying things :-/"Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #3 June 25, 2014 Quote The trick would be to figure out how to say it so that he would want to try it and not get defensive. I'm usually not that good at such things...We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #4 June 25, 2014 Corporate life. I hate it, I find reasons to go out into the field to get away from it. I swear, some days it's WORSE than Office Space. A friend of mine does that at work with his mouse, usually when he's pissed off at the system for not working properly. Of course, he is the server admin, so I can't even tell him to call the guys who can fix it, cause it's him! "I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LuckyMcSwervy 0 #5 June 25, 2014 Could the mouse need a new battery? I catch myself doing the left and shake and I'm not even realizing I'm doing it until I shake it harder and then I remember the battery is low. Change the battery, life is good.Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #6 June 25, 2014 Optical mouses need batteries? These are plugged into our machines...We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #7 June 25, 2014 Quote Of course, he is the server admin, so I can't even tell him to call the guys who can fix it, Yeah, I don't know where this guy is in the hierarchy... Gotta be careful here. Really leaning towards just getting a mouse pad and leaving it under his mouse. He's one of those types that picks up on unspoken things. As long as he doesn't think I one of those unspoken guys who'll shoot you... We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #9 June 25, 2014 He'd just get another one... We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #10 June 25, 2014 I'd flat out ask the guy if there was something wrong with his mouse. (Because, you know, maybe there actually is.) My guess is he's going to want to know why you're asking him. Mention you hear him moving it on his desk, it's kind of distracting and you're wondering if maybe you could help both of you out by fixing it. Maybe all it needs is a mouse pad.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #11 June 25, 2014 Amazon superglue He's one of the guys in the office I could easily do this to, and he would get a kick out out of it. Would just be a pain in the ass to remove it from the desk."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,390 #12 June 25, 2014 The only optical mouse I ever used *required* a special pad. It had a shiny, metallic surface with a cross-hatch pattern on it. I detest mice; Trackballs are the proper pointing device, with trackpads a distant second."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LuckyMcSwervy 0 #13 June 25, 2014 StreetScoobyOptical mouses need batteries? These are plugged into our machines... I'm sorry... I missed that part. I plug one part into the USB drive and the mouse is wireless but there's the little laser thing underneath. My reading comprehension sucks when I'm tired. Sorry.Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davjohns 1 #14 June 25, 2014 Explain it to him. The old style mouse with a ball in it sometimes go stuck. This one doesn't. Meanwhile, the optical mouse needs an appropriate surface to reflect the laser for it to work properly. Give him a mouse pad. He's a guy. Don't try to figure out his emotional state. Explain the physics and move on. You don't have to tell him he is driving you nuts. Just help him fix his problem.I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet.. But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nataly 38 #15 June 25, 2014 Bring a mouse mat. Don't sneak it in... Try a bit of humour: take it out in front of him and make a huge song and dance about it: "BEHOLD!! I got thee a mouse mat - TA-DA!!!!! Your mouse-problem is SOLVED!!!" If he looks puzzled, explain that you watched him struggle with the thing and you thought all he needed was a mat to make it work properly - like you are being kind and thoughtful and that you want to make his life better. Get him a fun or a personalised one he is likely to keep. He will see it as a gift - that can be harder to reject than one you casually leave on his desk... He may genuinely appreciate the gesture (as opposed to seeing it as criticism)."There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #16 June 25, 2014 Maybe the mouse just needs a blow job. Seriously If there is dust or other flotsam on the desk... sometimes the little window where the laser is get crap in there.. and needs to be blown out. A good mouse pad will help prevent having to give the thing a little loving breeze. Look at it this way.. at least you do not have to play with mouse balls anymore. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davjohns 1 #17 June 25, 2014 I should have been a mouse.I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet.. But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #18 June 25, 2014 If you get him a mouse pad he just might respond by getting you a set of ear plugs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewGuy2005 51 #19 June 25, 2014 An optical mouse won't work well on the typical desktop surface. I works by "seeing" the movement. If the surface it is on does not have the proper visual contrasts, it won't sense any movement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kawisixer01 0 #20 June 25, 2014 lol I think you have a pet peeve that you have noticed and now that you've noticed you are hypersensitive to it. Mine is the sounds of people eating. For some reason the sounds of people chewing on food is like nails on chalkboard to me. I work in a snack chip factory so it's pretty common for people to grab a bag of chips off the factory floor and be chomping on it in their cube. I literally have had to get up and leave the office because I was about to blow my top. Another one is the disgusting habit of clipping nails in the office. There are a couple of people you could set your watch to that clip their nails, drives me crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #21 June 26, 2014 Quote Explain it to him. No, that is definitely not going to work. Where I work, "perception is reality" is a fundamental principle, and these people take themselves very seriously. Quote Give him a mouse pad. Yep, that's about where I'm at. And he's going to show up at work with the mouse pad under his mouse. Quote Don't try to figure out his emotional state. I am not that good, not even close. Quote Explain the physics and move on. Ah, this guy takes himself seriously, and rightfully so. He's actually picked up on this. Very impressive to me. He only clacked his mouse today when I walked by... I'm still going to get him a mouse pad, and he will definitely know where it came from Quote Just help him fix his problem. It most certainly is not his problem... We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #22 June 26, 2014 Quote Try a bit of humour: take it out in front of him and make a huge song and dance about it: "BEHOLD!! I got thee a mouse mat - TA-DA!!!!! I would literally be fired if I did that, probably that day, most certainly the next day.We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #23 June 26, 2014 Quote If you get him a mouse pad he just might respond by getting you a set of ear plugs. Wink Now, this is the kind of answer I'm looking for here. What consequences can I expect when I take my upcoming action? Absolutely spot on here. If he did that, I would definitely wear them in such a manner that we both knew the situation. And that would be politically acceptable. +1We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #24 June 26, 2014 Quote If it's being used on a monochrome desktop it can act all screwy. This guy's desktop area is impeccably clean. The company has a "clean desk" policy, and he clearly follows well defined rules, and others, too.We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #25 June 26, 2014 Quote lol I think you have a pet peeve that you have noticed and now that you've noticed you are hypersensitive to it. +1000 Quote Mine is the sounds of people eating. +1000 Quote I literally have had to get up and leave the office because I was about to blow my top. I have long refused to eat lunch at work with other people. I'm lucky because the street expects everyone to eat at their desk. Back to the refusal, it's partly because I'm deaf in one ear, and I cannot keep up with a multiple person conversation in a noisy background. Even worse, my brain "fills in the gap" and I walk away thinking to myself - did he really say that. Much worse is when I actually ask someone "did you really say that". Then as icing on the cake, if they are making noise when they eat, I literally have to excuse myself, and that leaves an indelible mark on the relationship. Quote Another one is the disgusting habit of clipping nails in the office. I did that once many years ago. Someone commented on it, and I've never done it since. To this day, my wife will tell me to go clip my nails because they're "too long".We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
