There is nothing quite so frustrating as a jumping mouse. I’m not speaking here of the warm-blooded variety of which there are several. I’m speaking of those semi-animate critters whose long tail is actually an electrical cord which ultimately plugs into a port on your computer. THAT sort of mouse!
Usually they are docile sorts of creatures, eager to do your bidding. But occasionally they run amok. You’ll be typing (or keyboarding or whatever the current buzz-term is) along, perhaps copying a passage from something else and not paying attention to the computer screen. When, finally, you do pause to take a look, you find that you’ve not typed a thing for quite a spell. But you know you did. So where is it? And come to think of it, where is the damned cursor?
Often, you’ll find the words buried within other words several paragraphs earlier. Now those former lines have become gibberish and your most recent pearls of wisdom are fast evaporating from consciousness. It’s more than annoying. I was sure that it wasn’t just me… but what was it? A virus? A worm? A bot gone mad? So, without much hope, I looked it up. (Good ol’ Google!)
This is what I found: According to a survey, mouse jumping around is often related to faulty hardware including mouse, USB port, and cable. In addition, an outdated device driver, improper touchpad settings, mouse pointer, and even malware are responsible for cursor jumps around. YIKES! That sounded way complicated, but for less than the cost of an inexpensive lunch, I replaced my mouse and (so far): problem solved!
As an added bonus during my Google search, I found out that there is a warm-blooded furry creature also known as a Jumping Mouse. The meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius) is the most widely distributed mouse in the family Zapodudae. Its range extends from the Atlantic coast in the east to the Great Plains west, and from the arctic tr ee lines in Canada and Alaska to the north, and Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, and New Mexico to the south… The most interesting characteristic of the meadow jumping mouse is its saltatorial powers. Quimby states that there is large disagreement, dating back to 1899, as to how high the jumping mouse can actually jump. In 1899 Preble documented that the meadow jumping mouse can jump six to eight feet when disturbed, and in some instances it may be able to jump further.
And there’s more, much more. I’m so glad my jumping mouse could be unplugged. I don’t know if I have a chair or stool high enough to stand on to avoid an eight-foot jumper of the furry variety!