Comments on: Cursor crawl: a postmodernist afflication http://cultureby.com/2006/01/cursor_crawl_a_.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:43:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Grant http://cultureby.com/2006/01/cursor_crawl_a_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5176 Grant Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:36:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=779#comment-5176 Robert, possession, that's it. I'll see if ThinkPad recommends priests in the area. It's the least they can do! Thanks, Grant Peter, Ok, so it's not possession, it's that sensational new software that writes books for you in the background with spare processing power. This is thrilling news, because there is no realistic hope that I could do this on my own. Thanks, Grant Robert, possession, that’s it. I’ll see if ThinkPad recommends priests in the area. It’s the least they can do! Thanks, Grant

Peter, Ok, so it’s not possession, it’s that sensational new software that writes books for you in the background with spare processing power. This is thrilling news, because there is no realistic hope that I could do this on my own. Thanks, Grant

]]> By: Peter http://cultureby.com/2006/01/cursor_crawl_a_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5175 Peter Wed, 01 Feb 2006 07:51:22 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=779#comment-5175 Grant -- Cursor crawl can indicate that your laptop/desktop is in fact doing stuff other that what you want it to be doing: What you are witnessing with the cursor are your prior instructions for the cursor to move, and its very slow response to these instructions, due to the machine's preoccupation with the other stuff it is doing. Some of this other stuff might be well and good (eg, maintenance tasks), while some of it may be the malevolent actions of spyware, et al. Under Windows OS you can identify and (attempt to) kill any other processes via Control-Alt-Delete (press all 3 keys together). I don't know the equivalent (if one exists) under the Mac OS. -- Peter Grant –

Cursor crawl can indicate that your laptop/desktop is in fact doing stuff other that what you want it to be doing: What you are witnessing with the cursor are your prior instructions for the cursor to move, and its very slow response to these instructions, due to the machine’s preoccupation with the other stuff it is doing. Some of this other stuff might be well and good (eg, maintenance tasks), while some of it may be the malevolent actions of spyware, et al.

Under Windows OS you can identify and (attempt to) kill any other processes via Control-Alt-Delete (press all 3 keys together). I don’t know the equivalent (if one exists) under the Mac OS.

– Peter

]]> By: rkleine http://cultureby.com/2006/01/cursor_crawl_a_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5174 rkleine Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:13:46 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=779#comment-5174 Grant -- You are not alone! My Toshiba (an Tecra M2, or so proclaims a label on the underside) exhibits sportic episodes of cursor crawl. Upward, upward crawls the cursor. Like a homing pidgeon locked onto the appropriate magnetic field, the cursor slides ever so slowly toward the top of my screen. Like a deamon I strive to hold it back via the eraser tipped pointer device nestled among the g, h, and b keys. Oddly, the crawling cursor exerts considerable force. I can barely hold it back from its screen-top destiny. Weak me. Why does this happen? Are our machines possessed? Is there some pattern I inadvertantly tap onto the touch-pad that tells the cursor it is time to migrate? Grant — You are not alone! My Toshiba (an Tecra M2, or so proclaims a label on the underside) exhibits sportic episodes of cursor crawl. Upward, upward crawls the cursor. Like a homing pidgeon locked onto the appropriate magnetic field, the cursor slides ever so slowly toward the top of my screen. Like a deamon I strive to hold it back via the eraser tipped pointer device nestled among the g, h, and b keys.

Oddly, the crawling cursor exerts considerable force. I can barely hold it back from its screen-top destiny. Weak me.

Why does this happen? Are our machines possessed? Is there some pattern I inadvertantly tap onto the touch-pad that tells the cursor it is time to migrate?

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