General Chat

(This is an actual memo)

If a mouse fails to operate, or should perform erratically, it may be in need of ball replacement. Because of the delicate nature of this procedure, replacement of mouse balls should be attempted by trained personnel only.

Before ordering, determine the type of mouse balls required by examining the underside of each mouse. Domestic balls will be larger and harder than foreign balls. Ball removal procedures differ, depending upon the manufacturer of the mouse. Foreign balls can be replaced using the pop-off method, and domestic balls by the twist-off method. Mouse balls are not usually static sensitive, however, excessive handling can result in sudden discharge.

Upon completion of ball replacement, the mouse may be used immediately.

It is recommended that each service technician has a pair of balls for maintaining optimum customer satisfaction, and that any customer missing his balls should suspect local personnel of removing these necessary functional items.

Well I never knew that :-D :-D :-D

me neither :-D

Off to check >>>>>>>>>>>>> :-D

Have you got meeces Mr M :-D

No furry ones Mersey and the mouse on the computer hasn't got any balls :-S

This was an actual alert to IBM Field Engineers that went out to all IBM Branch Offices some years ago. The person who wrote it was very serious. The rest of us may find it rather humorous.

I have an almost word for word copy from back in 2007. The final para reads: Please keep in mind that a customer without properly working balls is an unhappy customer.

:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D alas I fear some individual will manage to read this in the way their puritanical mind interprets it ;-)

Many a mouseball is rendered near useless by the ingress of fluff! :-D

Seriously - it's not usually the mouse balls that cause problems but dirt and fluff on the two rollers that they contact with and turn to make the cursor go up and down or left and right.
This make the cursor to move unevenly.
Usually you twist the cover under the mouse anticlockwise and drop the ball out.
You can then use a small screwdriver or similar to carefully scrape the fluff off the rollers, drop the ball back in, replace the cover and everything should now operate smoothly.
But of course, modern mice are optical and don't suffer the same problem.

When mouses had balls, I was forever taking the balls out and de-fluffing them :-|

.....one of the problems with having cats......



Looking at the mouse in my hand now, it has hairs sticking out of it :-(

This has been around since at least 1989. It is unlikely that it was sent as a serious memo.