Not having any options annoys me. Believe me, if it were possible to go 100% mouse free on the computer without having to deal with the same issue, I'd be all over it. All this is because there is no way to hit the little buttons and doodads on websites via keystroke. I don't even WANT to have to use a mouse in the first place.
It started when I needed a new mouse. After buying two wireless mice (mouses?) which I had to return, I gave up on finding one that actually works and got a good old fashioned wired mouse. Nothing fancy, it has a cord and two buttons and a wheel (I won't go into the wheel rant, I promise).
10 years ago I bought a similar mouse. The box it came in was just a little bit bigger than a mouse. It had room inside for the mouse, the floppy disk that had the 'special' software that allowed the scroll wheel of the mouse to function, and a little manual that instructed me how to install the software. After using a variety of tools to break into the box, including fingers, a razor knife, scissors, and a pair of pliers, I plugged the mouse into my computer. It didn't come with a disk, because operating systems now are smart enough to know how to make the scroll wheel work. There were 6 twist ties in the box.
Since the mouse has worked for a couple of weeks without any issues, I figured that it was probably safe to ditch the box. Think back to the part about the mouse I bought 10 years ago... It was a nice little rectangular box that did a wonderful job of storing little doodads in for several months. This "box"... wow. Not only is the volume almost enough to contain my laptop, it weighs substantially more than the mouse it contained. I know for sure - I weighed them both.
AND... AND!!! It is not actually a box!
No, you see, once the twist ties are removed from the mouse, releasing it from one of the odd-shaped inserts, the box comes apart into several pieces, none of which are in any way usable to contain anything ever again! The only thing holding them together was the mouse they contained. You know, kind of like your pants hold up your belt, which holds up your pants...
So now I have a 3.75 ounce mouse that works, in addition to 3.5 ounces of useless cardboard (it has no continuous chunk large enough to do anything with), a little vinyl circle that was stuck to the inside of the plastic "window" (anybody have an idea what it's there for?) and 1 ounce of plastic. Plastic, which I must add, does not have a recycling number anywhere on it, so must be disposed of into the landfill. Yes, there is enough of a flat area to make a little bus pass holder, but I really don't NEED another bus pass holder, since I only use ONE bus pass, and reuse the holder that I made from another chunk of useless plastic.
WHY? Why, as a consumer, must I deal with more packaging than product? I'd be willing to hazard a guess that more fossil fuels went into creating the package for this mouse than I wasted in the 3 trips by car to get a mouse that actually works.
The excuse I hear most often is that it reduces shoplifting. I thought that's what those little electronic/magnetic screechy tags were for. You know the ones... they make the doors of the building freak out and make sounds as though there is a good old fashioned air raid happening? I KNOW there was one on this box, because the doors spazzed out so loudly when I tried to leave that my ears rang for an hour after the cashier re-swiped the box across the magnetic pad to make it NOT look like I was trying to steal a mouse. So no, it's not to reduce shoplifting.
At this point, I'm not sure the "play" button on Youtube videos is worth it anymore. :(
It started when I needed a new mouse. After buying two wireless mice (mouses?) which I had to return, I gave up on finding one that actually works and got a good old fashioned wired mouse. Nothing fancy, it has a cord and two buttons and a wheel (I won't go into the wheel rant, I promise).
10 years ago I bought a similar mouse. The box it came in was just a little bit bigger than a mouse. It had room inside for the mouse, the floppy disk that had the 'special' software that allowed the scroll wheel of the mouse to function, and a little manual that instructed me how to install the software. After using a variety of tools to break into the box, including fingers, a razor knife, scissors, and a pair of pliers, I plugged the mouse into my computer. It didn't come with a disk, because operating systems now are smart enough to know how to make the scroll wheel work. There were 6 twist ties in the box.
Since the mouse has worked for a couple of weeks without any issues, I figured that it was probably safe to ditch the box. Think back to the part about the mouse I bought 10 years ago... It was a nice little rectangular box that did a wonderful job of storing little doodads in for several months. This "box"... wow. Not only is the volume almost enough to contain my laptop, it weighs substantially more than the mouse it contained. I know for sure - I weighed them both.
AND... AND!!! It is not actually a box!
No, you see, once the twist ties are removed from the mouse, releasing it from one of the odd-shaped inserts, the box comes apart into several pieces, none of which are in any way usable to contain anything ever again! The only thing holding them together was the mouse they contained. You know, kind of like your pants hold up your belt, which holds up your pants...
So now I have a 3.75 ounce mouse that works, in addition to 3.5 ounces of useless cardboard (it has no continuous chunk large enough to do anything with), a little vinyl circle that was stuck to the inside of the plastic "window" (anybody have an idea what it's there for?) and 1 ounce of plastic. Plastic, which I must add, does not have a recycling number anywhere on it, so must be disposed of into the landfill. Yes, there is enough of a flat area to make a little bus pass holder, but I really don't NEED another bus pass holder, since I only use ONE bus pass, and reuse the holder that I made from another chunk of useless plastic.
WHY? Why, as a consumer, must I deal with more packaging than product? I'd be willing to hazard a guess that more fossil fuels went into creating the package for this mouse than I wasted in the 3 trips by car to get a mouse that actually works.
The excuse I hear most often is that it reduces shoplifting. I thought that's what those little electronic/magnetic screechy tags were for. You know the ones... they make the doors of the building freak out and make sounds as though there is a good old fashioned air raid happening? I KNOW there was one on this box, because the doors spazzed out so loudly when I tried to leave that my ears rang for an hour after the cashier re-swiped the box across the magnetic pad to make it NOT look like I was trying to steal a mouse. So no, it's not to reduce shoplifting.
At this point, I'm not sure the "play" button on Youtube videos is worth it anymore. :(
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