I took advantage of Google Checkout’s $20 off $50 offer at Buy.com and got myself a Logitech G5 Laser Mouse (OF DOOM™) for only $35 w/shipping. While I liked my old Logitech MX700, which had much cordless fun, I got tired of the battery issue. It came with rechargeable batteries, but those are pretty much at the end of their lifespan. I’d been using my Energizer rechargeables, but I can’t use the Logitech base station to charge those, so I’d have to swap em out every 2-3 days, which was just plain annoying. Enter the G5.

This mouse is sweet. I’ve got it set to 800 DPI right now, but it can step down to 400 and 2000 DPI as well. I think it’s got other custom resolutions too. It’s got two less buttons than the MX700, but I don’t really mind as I didn’t really use either of those buttons (and one of them commonly got in the way). The sides are nicely textured and it’s possible to adjust the DPI on the fly from the mouse itself (though I’ve been playing with reassigning those buttons to other functions).

A few oddities: It’s got a strange fabric covered cord. I’m not sure what the point of it is, but I guess it looks/feels nice. The oddest thing has to be the weird ass weight cartridge (or ass-weight cartridge to some). It’s a small orange cartridge that has slots for ~10 circular weights that come in a handsome metal tin. There are 1.7g and 4.5g weights. You’re supposed to put them in the cartridge and slide that into the mouse to give it the heft and balance you like. I find such a thing strange and confusing. The mouse feels fine without any weights. All responsive and shit. But, since it comes with these adorable little weights, and their metal case really is so nice, I feel compelled to use them. So I stuck in four of each of the weights to give it some heft in an even manner.

Now here’s the best part: This mouse works with my SNES mouse pad. I have longed for an excuse to use this thing. LONGED. Alas, for many years, it was not to be. With my MX700, which is an optical mouse, the grey plastic repetitive surface proved too much for it’s little tracking engine to handle. Since I wasn’t about to ditch a mouse over a mouse pad, I sadly put away my grey nostalgic mousing surface. But my salvation is here at last! The tracking abilities of this laser mouse are far superior to its predecessor and I am thusly brought into the land of grey plastic mouse pad majesty!

In other news, picture restoration is going well, but slowly due to my disgusting and chronic laziness. Kitten pictures have returned, with various other pictures to follow! I’m even writing descriptions and grouping them and naming them this time! Amazing!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must descend into a dark pit of eternal despair I had thought I’d left behind long ago.