Solution in search of a problem

[altivo]

This is perhaps the dumbest piece of hardware I've seen in years. If you don't want your screen saver to turn on, just set it so that it doesn't come on. Why pay $20 for a USB gadget to fake a mouse twitch every few seconds? Have users grown so dumb that they don't know how to turn off a screen saver? And they don't realize that screen savers really aren't necessary with flat screen monitors?

Automated Mouse Jiggler

Comments

[zachary-geminus.livejournal.com]

I don't know if that's necessarily what it's primarily trying to prevent. I know with the computers in the office at work, if you're away for more than 5 minutes it logs you out of the system. So if you have to deal with something out in the dining room and then come back you have to log back into the system which can take upwards of another 10 minutes.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, that's how it's being marketed in this case. Security timeouts that I've had to live with usually were not prevented by mouse movement. You'd have had to actually click on something, or type something.

One place I worked we passed around a program that faked pressing the ALT key once every ten seconds. It did prevent the timeout, without actually changing anything on the screen.

[murakozi.livejournal.com]

I suspect the thing is intended more to keep you from getting automatically logged off of a workstation/network due to inactivity. Of course, that's a bad thing since those auto logoffs are usually there for security reasons.

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's the setup we have in my office. After 5 minutes of inactivity I have to log in again. It usually happens while I'm still sitting at my desk doing a bit of research in books. It's a pain to keep logging in but since I work on government-type stuff, I realize it's importance.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if people aren't buying this thing to stop their screensaver from kicking in.

[moth-wingthane.livejournal.com]

You should set yourself up as a consultant and charge users $30 to show them how to turn off the screensavers to save themselves the $20!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I suppose I should, except that my patience in dealing with the kind of people who'd hire me for that is much too thin. I'd get arrested for assaulting someone.

[darac.livejournal.com]

I believe the primary market for these devices is the law enforcement market. Say you suspect someone of some cyber crime. You burst in to their place of residence and get them away from the computer as quickly as possible (so they can't set anything off), then plug a mouse jiggler in so that the screen doesn't lock. You can also buy devices that allow you to seamlessly transfer power to a mobile supply so that you can take the computer to a forensics lab.

The whole idea is to leave the evidence as intact as possible. If the screen locks, you might not be able to regain access without a password that the criminal is within his rights to withold. You don't want the power interrupted because there may be some secret function during boot up that (for example) wipes the hard disk if you don't hold down the H key for three seconds.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Now if only they'd put that much effort into enforcing the "do not call" list rather than hunting down stray "porno freaks."

The thing must have been vastly overproduced if it was for the law enforcement market, since it's now appearing in surplus catalogs... for $20. I wonder what the FBI was paying for it? Probably $2000 apiece, I don't doubt. And it probably doesn't work with Linux. Advice to pornographers and hackers everywhere: Don't use Windows.

[megadog.livejournal.com]

In my experience, swapping a USB mouse usually requires a reboot for the 'new' mouse to be recognised.

[wolfgrowl.livejournal.com]

*lol* I want one

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If you're willing to pay the postage, I believe they'll sell you one.

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

So you're saying you don't want one for Christmas? *takes it back*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Thanks for the thought, but no thanks for the gadget. Someone else will appreciate it more I'm sure.

Island of Misfit Tech

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

At least they're small, so plenty should fit in the inevitable landfill that will be their final destination...

[linnaeus.livejournal.com]

I choose not to click on the link, because I prefer to think that "mouse jiggler" is some sort of euphemism.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

In some contexts it might be. In this case, that's precisely what the gadget is being marketed for. It looks like any run of the mill flash drive, but they say it moves the mouse by one pixel every so often to keep screen savers and automatic power savers from activating.

[corelog.livejournal.com]

As many people below have already stated, I believe the point of this is for corporate settings where IT has locked down the screensaver settings so you can't override them.

And yes, I know you've been in places where you required actual keystrokes to prevent a logoff, but not so much any more. In point of fact, when you have graphic designers and web wizards who build entire Flash arrays and marvelous graphics without pressing a single key on the keyboard for four hours, mouse movements are more reliable indicators of activity in the workplace than the keyboard.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I think you'll find that even in such cases, the mouse has to click occasionally. Mere movement isn't enough and with good reason. A speck of lint caught in the eye of an optical mouse, or the vibration of someone passing by, is enough to generate a "mouse movement." I've watched mouse cursors gyrating wildly with no one touching the mouse or desktop. It was always a cat or human hair caught in the optical eye, flexing to air currents or humidity. People who write security routines must be well aware of this.

[fandt4.livejournal.com]

You know, when I first read the link, i had this crazy vision of some sort of mechanical mouse holder, that flopped the mouse around physically.

I'm eh... I'm rather glad we haven't gotten to that point yet.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm sure we actually have gotten to that point, though a concrete example doesn't immediately leap into my mind. ;p

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Have users grown so dumb that [...]

The answer to that question is a resounding "yes" even when at this point already. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Why I refuse to work in tech support. Even being a librarian presents this issue far too often.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

The answer is, unfortunetly, yes.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

So it would appear. And other possible "need" for this device as described in comments here doesn't convince me either.

[soanos.livejournal.com]

Lolwut? o.O

This is just ridiculous. :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

My take on it exactly.

[jairus-greywolf.livejournal.com]

I would buy one of those for work since I do not have access to change my screen saver for security reasons. Not sure if jiggling the mouse would be enough but it's a real annoyance to log in after every 5 min of inactivity. Where I'm located at, it makes no sense from a security standpoint anyway.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You've just clarified something for me. You're talking about that configuration where the screensaver goes on and you have to enter your password to get back to the underlying applications, right? I've seen that used so rarely that I didn't even think of what a nuisance that would be. I do believe that can still be solved by a software solution, even if you can't actually install anything on the computer. Unless they have you locked out of being able to even run a non-approved application, anyway...

I just realized that I missed you at MFF somehow. And I did start out watching for a badge or something to help me recognize you. Probably I did see you but didn't know who you were, darn it.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

I have a better idea. Lay a book up against the spacebar so the timeout doesn't happen.

I tried this at work, I have experience ^^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Although if your machine beeps when keystrokes exceed the keyboard buffer capacity, that trick would drive you nuts (or at least, it would me) in short order.

[cozycabbage.livejournal.com]

Flat-screen monitors?
My old high-school had recently gotten an LCD monitor or two that they hung up in the office windows and displayed announcements all day. The screens have faded to a gross cyan colour, now.
I think the idea is that you don't want BRIGHT colours. I generally keep my monitor at 40%, unless I'm doing something that I want super-brightness for. 40% on this LCD is like 80% on my old CRT.

Also, do they have flat-screen CRTs? I think so, but I'm not sure.

Either way, I'm sure that device shouldn't cost more than $5, or maybe $10 if it's being sold expensively. I mean, you can get an 8GB USB drive for $20.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Cyberguys is a surplus seller primarily. Most everything they have is cheap, like 40% off the price of the same item elsewhere. My guess is that this gadget was considerably more expensive and hasn't sold well.

Are you sure those display monitors that faded were LCD? Not one of the other flatscreen television technologies? Some of those have turned out to have short lifespans of just a couple of years.