Dancing on glass?
 

Okay.... I have an optical mouse... and I love it... far more precise than the old prehistoric rollerball models... and since what I do requires absolute precision, I don't use a mouse pad. I get the best action out of this thing by simply working right on the desk surface itself.

Here's my dilema... I've fuckin' worn out the top of my desk. Literally. The finish is virtually gone. So.... now, what's next? Is there a mousing surface out there that DOESN'T suck? Mouse pads just don't do it for me.... I'm thinking of having my desktop surfaced in 1/8th inch plate glass.... and I'm wondering if anyone else has ever done this, does it work well, does it suck, would it be sticky, smooth,.... any thoughts here? SPEAK UP DAMMIT! :eek7

Well, i had a desk with glass... makes it nice for cleanup, but if i do recall, it kinda screwed with the optical mouse i had for a short period....... i went trackball... much better if you can learn how to use your thumb.....

that's kinda what I was thinking, is that the optics would refract too much in the glass and fuck things up....

shit.... i wonder if one side was coated with something flat if that would help...

3M Precise mousing surface

cool.... what's it made of, how big is it, does it come in a variety of colors, and where can I get one?

here you go: http://www.3m.com/cws/mousing.html

bleh... no good man... it's textured for the old style mouseballs... and it's the size of a mousepad... I need something like 18" x 24".... and smooth...

but thanx bro....

the thing is flat like a paper, i use it with an intellipoint optical and get better results than on my wood desk.
i think they also have a model with a silicon wrist rest

hmm, buy like 10 of these and put them together :1orglaugh
yup it's intended for ball mouses but feels good on optical too

the texture is not noticeable at all, now where did i put my 3Mcash ref code...

I used a peice of plastic that has a very slight grain on the surface for a long time. It's like the same kind of plastic you find on most laptops. It worked great until I got my cordless trackball mouse. The roller on top is the best!

Go to your local home depot and get yourself a piece of non-clear plexi-glass or arcylic cut. It sounds like thats exactly what you need. Personally I like the resistance of the mouse pad, it keeps the tracking more accurate.

A couple of suggestions ...

1.) buy a sheet of plexiglass, cut it to the size of the top of your desk, and tape/screw it down. Very durable, very cheap, and kinda cool b/c you can put little pictures under the plexiglass ...

2.) use a Wacom Digital notepad ... that's what I use for any of my precision work and it's out of this world :-) plus you don't need to worry about them getting worn out, I've had mine for 2+ years and it still looks brand new.

Cool.... good stuff here.... but about the plexiglass... does that actually work well? Cuz I just slapped a big chunk of glass down and the damn thing doesn't work at all... too much refraction.

hmmm.... might be needin' to make a trip to the store today.,.....

hmm.. that's a good question about the plexiglass, you might buy a small piece and test it out first ...

personally I'd recommend the wacom pad ... with the 500 pressure sensitivity levels, that thing takes photoshop to new levels.

Plexiglass works incredible for a regular mouse. Use a dark colored piece for the optical. Still try to find a tiny bit of grain on the plastic. It helps you be a little more precise. Plastic all the way though.

For real precision stuff, use the wacom. I have a digitizer board from http://www.acecad.com I bought it for $99 and it is great (specially for cleaning backgrounds on photoshop).

My mouse has no balls
and i have a glass sheet on my desk

you need a mousepad for that... :eatmouse

mousepads are the product of the Devil.

make sure you do this also:

control panel -> Mouse -> Pointer Options -> uncheck "Enhance Pointer Precision"


after i did that, i was rocking and rollin on online 3D shooting games...
that shit really fucks up the precision because the pointer acceleration changes with the speed of your mouse movement. i think its much better to turn it off..

:2 cents:

Yeah, that's always been off for me... well, at least since I switched to optical last year... :thumbsup

I have 3 sets of smokin' precision cursors that absolutely rock for graphic work.. and everything else is set up perfectly for smooth operation.... just need to find the Ultimate Mousing Surface and I will have reached Nirvana.... I do like the plexiglass idea.... if it works smooth... I'll hafta get a test piece first.... if it rocks, I'll cover the whole damn desk in it.... :smokin

hmmm.... I've been slappin' up all kinds of different materials on the desk today to see how they work....

I think I found it....

The best by far... goes along the lines of the plexiglass idea.. is the plastic floor mat under the office chair... it fuckin' glides across that shit man.... now if I could get one without the carpet spikes on the other side.... I think that'll do it. :D

Who sang that song "Dancin On Glass"? I have the chorus stuck in my head and for some reason it sounds like Motley Crue in my head.

couldn't tell ya bro... I had no idea it was a tune...

a fucking mirror under an optical mouse can't be a bad thing..... the glazed wood grain in my desk at home fucks with mine..

Man i thought i was the only one that burned a hole in his desk from the optical!!

I use a mousepad a friend got for me in Japan. Its a little thicker than a sheet of paper and has adhesive one on side, but so it is almost the same as using the old wood.

Nz

Mouse are for pussies.

I have a setup like Stephen J Hawkings.

Retnal scanners and a tube in my mouth.

oh, the opportunities that are knockin' here....

Nice catch, I left the door wide open on that one.


http://www.siccoproductionz.com/delta.html

Shamelessly stolen from Oprano.

wacoms are good but not a mouse replacer I use both and have them both plugged in/active all the time so that I can switch.

as far as te surface I taped down a piece of rough paper about a week ago and its still there. Ghetto, but effective & good for phone #'s too..

I have not read any of the replies so this may have already been addressed.


Several of the hotels I have stayed in lately have had desks with glass covers. The optical mouse does not work for shit on this directly. Get yourself a GFY mousepad and call it a day.

Single American cheese slices. Leave 'em in the wrapper. Generic cheese works just as well, but remember to change your cheese every day or your work station will smell like yeast infection after a week.

I love my laser mouse

love :angel
love :GFYBand
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