Review of the Logitech G5 Mouse

If you're looking to buy a new mouse, especially one with a lot of features, chances are you are split between Logitech, Razers and Microsoft's Habu. I've been using this mouse for a good 2 years now and it has delivered on all aspects and I have never had a single problem with it.

First off, the feel of the mouse is very comfortable. A lot of my friends have Razer styled mice and I have to say, you have to have some kind of messed up hand to still call those comfortable. It seems to me that Logitech went out and got feedback from people, whereas Razer did their testing exclusively in a wind tunnel. Look, I know you want the mice to look cool, but my fingers do NOT curve upwards. I would rather keep my joints intact than have a stealth fighter mouse and leprosy.

When will mice designers realize we're not Michael Bay when we're looking to buy a mouse? I don't need a transformer; I need a functional mouse dammit. Seriously, why is their a wing on this mouse?

Really Microsoft? This one is too easy.

Aside from the shape of the mouse, the G5 also comes with detachable weights. That's right. You can adjust exactly how heavy or light you want your mouse to be. They have weights from 4.5g upwards to 10g I believe, and the even come in a nice steel case so you never lose them. The mouse is optical so it pretty much works on any surface and you will never get that jumpy mouse glitch like when you're using optical mice.

As for buttons, the mouse has just enough features without being crammed enough to resemble an f-22 cockpit (maybe that's part of the theme for that they were going for in the sidewinder). You can increase your sensitivity between 3 levels, and there's a tiny light to tell you which one you're on. The scroll wheel works well and just feels perfect without being too loose or too prominent. The one thing I don't like is the fact that it does not have a forward button, only a back.

As to the physical aspects of the mouse, the smooth, teflon like plastic soles on the bottom have held up well, despite 2 years of not using a mousepad. I'd like to mention as well that the cord is really sturdy and is wrapped in a really tough, black threaded material that has kept my cord from being tangled up and coiling together.

If you do intend to buy the G5, just make sure you don't install the proprietary drivers. They're really not worth the hassle in my opinion and despite programmable keys, there's not much more function you gain.

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How to Set the Recycle Bin to Skip and Immediately Delete Files

If you don't know what a recycling bin is and don't want to deal with emptying it all the time, then you can set it to immediately delete items. Right click on your recycle bin and click properties.

Also, does it really matter whether we call it the recycle bin? As I was writing this, I realized I called it the trashcan. Those bytes aren't being recycled. They're getting chucked away. It's not like my crappy AOL 7 program is going to one day get recycled and manifest itself into something crappier, though I'm not sure if anything can get any worse than AOL products. Anyways....

Select the radio button and hit apply.

Why anyone would do this, I have no clue. I've come across several people who do this and I ask them their reasoning. Their reply is always that it's somehow "convenient". Right, because digging through deleted files and spending half an hour trying to recover the right version of a file is so "convenient". Oh well, time to teach you noobs how to recover permanently deleted files.

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Changing Windows 7 Taskbar to Look Like Vista

Windows 7 sure has a lot of great features, but you know what they say about old habits. Most of us are used to the thin taskbar that has been around since windows 95. Even though it looks cool when windows 7 first debuted with an icon only taskbar with stacking, in actual practice, it's not that handy. Function always trumps form, especially when you're considering an operating system, where users need to get things done quickly.

Here's how to get the thin taskbar back. Right click on an empty patch of your taskbar and click properties.


On the screen, click use small icons. Also, if you would rather the programs not collapse into each other, set the taskbar buttons value to "never combine".

Here's the finished taskbar.

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