Mouse action - seeing or feeling!

@petersum (4522)
United States
July 23, 2012 2:58pm CST
I'm facing a problem with my mouse just now. The cable is probably going to break soon if it hasn't already. Every so often, the mouse direction reverses - up becomes down, left becomes right, etc. I don't know how that happens, but the strangest thing is, I don't notice it much! So obviously my eyes following the cursor on the screen override the movements of my hand. Do you think that is normal? Is your vision stronger than muscular movements? Is the computer reprogramming our brains?
3 responses
• United States
24 Jul 12
LOL! I do not think that the computer is reprogramming our brains, although I guess anything is possible. I think that you are focused on what you are doing on the screen, so you are concentrating on that rather than on what movements your hands are making. Your mind is automatically correcting when your movements are not getting the desired effect, so the pointer goes where you intend it to go. If you were focusing on your hand movements rather than what was on the screen, then I suspect you would have a different outcome. I have experienced this with video games. Many games are configured for the controller to move a certain way to get the desired action, but there are some games that automatically reverse that configuration. If I am focused on playing the game, then I do not notice. If I am trying to tell someone how to do something (and therefore focused on the movement of the controller/joystick rather than the game), then it sometimes gets confusing.
• United States
26 Jul 12
ROTFLMAO! Now that would be something to see ... then again, maybe not! That actually is a valid point, though, especially with graphics these days. I have played some off-road racing games for a couple of hours, and all the bumping and jumping done on the screen makes me feel a little weird when I try to move around afterward ... kind-of like I haven't gotten my "sea legs", even though I am still on land and have never left it.
@petersum (4522)
• United States
24 Jul 12
Game controllers are beyond me! Too many buttons to remember. But games do strange things to you too. I like those motorcycle racing games which only need a mouse to control. But why do I still "lean" when cornering? Real life habits die hard as I haven't rode a bike in twenty years!
1 person likes this
@petersum (4522)
• United States
25 Jul 12
I better stay clear of boats in games - I wouldn't want to throw up with virtual sea sickness!
@alberello (4752)
• Italy
23 Jul 12
Well, I start to point out that, you probably have the optical mouse (the one without the "ball" below, for instance), I would say now diffused to 100%. I know from experience that the arrow on these devices, "crazy", if the surface on which the mouse slides of different colors. the color must be uniform. In addition to this hypothesis could also be the mouse itself reached the end of its life. The mouse, even wireless ones are fairly inexpensive. For this I suggest, if this is the problem, before you spoil your view with your "mouse effect", replace the device.
@petersum (4522)
• United States
23 Jul 12
Yes, it is indeed an optical mouse. And the surface is actually my thigh - although it does work better over my shorts than directly on my hairy legs! I do have several backups standing by but they are all wireless types that currently lack batteries. Obviously, I'm going shopping tomorrow! I'm just confused how my eye/hand co-ordination is still maintained.
• United States
24 Jul 12
LOL @ "the surface is actually my thigh" Now that is a new and inventive form of a mousepad that I had not encountered before!
• United States
23 Jul 12
I don't think our brains our being reprogrammed. It's actually long been known that our brain automatically filters out extraneous distractions and will sometimes see what is meant, even with mistakes. You might try to uninstall and then re-install your mouse and update drivers. That may take care of the problem for you. I always do that first before running out to buy a new peripheral and at least 75% of the time, it works and I don't have to spend money.
@petersum (4522)
• United States
23 Jul 12
I'm not using Windows so there is no installing or uninstalling, or drivers! Linux is much more sophisticated than Microsoft's toy systems. You could be right, our brains often "do what I mean, not what I say!"