Discovery of the day

[TimberWolf]

Have also tried the mice on the window and they don't work on glass with light coming through.

You can do away with the mouse mat altogether with a laser pointer shone directly at the mouse’s light receiver, and can do so from some considerable distance. This is useful if you are a long way away from your PC or cannot afford a wireless mouse or a mousemat.

You need to be accurate though, and since I get mostly only vertical movements with this method, I have to revert to a mousemat or almost any other kind surface to hand at all for horizontal movements.

[Alf W]

It has hitherto lead an unremarkable existence as a minorly amusing nicknack that's never left my office since my son bought it for me. Now I have discovered it has powers, unbounded opportunities present themselves.

[Clippy]

http://www.glowmat.com/

Get yours here.

So Alf, is the advertising spiel true?
"Once you have one, you will want to take it with you everywhere..."

Where's the most un-usual place you have taken your Glow Mat?

[Alf W]

http://www.glowmat.com/

Get yours here.

[AtW]

Now I know who stole my photon-slowing-device.

threaded

[Alf W]

It has been checked and double checked as I've got two optical mice on the go at the moment and neither work. One's a full size one and one's a mini laptop one. They're both Microsoft ones though so I might need to widen the sample.

It must be something to do with the light coming back drowning out the reflected light from the mouse. Have also tried the mice on the window and they don't work on glass with light coming through.

Feck me I'm bored today!

[snaw]

I have a luminous drinks mat on my desk at home and have just discovered that an optical mouse doesn't work on it when used as a mouse mat. How weird. Why's this then?

Have you plugged it in?

[hyperD]

I have a luminous drinks mat on my desk at home and have just discovered that an optical mouse doesn't work on it when used as a mouse mat. How weird. Why's this then?

Because the ambient temperature has fallen drastically today, you have inadvertently created a Bose–Einstein condensate cloud under your mouse. Unfortunately, the mouse mat atoms have collapsed into the lowest quantum state of the external potential, at which point what you are seeing is the results of quantum effects on a larger scale in action.

Threaded

[TheFaQQer]

An optical mouse works by tracking the light reflection of the light produced by the mouse itself. The luminescence of the mat is probably drowning out the signal produced by the mouse so the reflection is lost in the general brightness that its' receptors are getting.

Quite possibly.

your mouse is upside down

More likely.

[Churchill]

I have a luminous drinks mat on my desk at home and have just discovered that an optical mouse doesn't work on it when used as a mouse mat. How weird. Why's this then?

It's the photons, they've phucked it!

[Spacecadet]

your mouse is upside down

[KathyWoolfe]

I have a luminous drinks mat on my desk at home and have just discovered that an optical mouse doesn't work on it when used as a mouse mat. How weird. Why's this then?

An optical mouse works by tracking the light reflection of the light produced by the mouse itself. The luminescence of the mat is probably drowning out the signal produced by the mouse so the reflection is lost in the general brightness that its' receptors are getting.


Sorry - if I'm right I apologise for being so brainy so early in the morning. If I'm wrong then I retract my apology.

[DimPrawn]

You need service pack 3 for this to work. It is a hardware/driver fault.

Or switch to Linux.

HTH

[Alf W]

I have a luminous drinks mat on my desk at home and have just discovered that an optical mouse doesn't work on it when used as a mouse mat. How weird. Why's this then?