Maybe the MIMO only works with color and I keep using colour. 

I kinda love it how we keep mixing the use of the US and UK version of color and colour

Do me a favor, knock it off! 

nudone, did you try using different USB ports?
Ha!  Just kidding...don't you hate that??

I'm also souring on a lot of this touch stuff.  I've now spent considerable time with every tablet on the market, tried the latest smartphones, I have a Wacom, etc.  Touch technology is simply mediocre.  It's convenient for certain applications, even preferable, especially for simple things like browsing the web at a coffee shop, or simple applications that require just a handful of controls (ereaders, reading in general).  But as a general interface, it's just mediocre.
The mechanical precision and ease of the mouse is still the best, it's that perfect balance of digital and mechanical.  We all know how much better it feels to plug in a mouse to your laptop.  It's always, "ah!  much better!".

This reminds me also of the degradation of audio quality now that cellphones are the predominant communication tool.  Back when phones were landlines, the audio quality through that copper connection was excellent.  i remember being a teenager and being able to whisper quietly in the phone, and every breath, every little sound was crystal clear.  Now, we have to yell through our shitty plastic earpieces, or through our fancy screen phones with awful mics, and who knows how much quality is in those wireless transmissions.  All that technology, and in the end, the very basic use of the phone (talking) can be viewed at having gone backwards, quality-wise.  I have to concentrate so much more now with cell phones just to be able to listen and hear things properly.  I hate it.  I don't even like talking that much anymore because of that specifically.

I'm never one to hold onto old-fashioned technology for nostalgia's sake, but these last few years, I am becoming that way it seems.  Maybe it's just me, but I respond much better to mechanical technology that digital.  I like gears, metal parts, levers, buttons...mechanical devices feel much more human.  There's something very unsatisfying about touchscreens, wireless anythings.  If you remove the convenience they offer and just think about how it feels to you, you'll feel how unsatisfying it is.

Bobby Fischer's last words were:
"Nothing is as healing as the human touch."

I would agree. The more we move away from that with our technology, the less satisfying it will be to use.  I'm sure things will be much more convenient and progressive, but we're going to lose that feel-goodedness about it.

As for touchscreens, yep, they are pretty crap at the moment. I imagine they will remain so for another 10 years - until flexible and "softtouch" screens are available (or whenever that will be).

Ahem...




You don't need to understand Korean to get the point there, but they're already here.

What would you call a display that's like paper? Displayper~! (Bought the domain a while back.)

You don't need to understand Korean to get the point there, but they're already here.

Oh, I've seen those, they're everywhere aren't they - I've got a giant one that I use as a shower curtain. (Well, maybe I will have by the time I die.)

Displayper? Maybe. I assume we'll just be calling it e-paper when it arrives.

A lot of the cheaper Android Tablets use Resistive too. I've tried a few and you have to use a stylus (old bit of plastic) to get the best response from them.

Heheheh. Now that IS impressively old-school.

I must have explained things badly. I can reboot fine, it just doesn't make any difference to the MIMO. I can never really predict what will be required to make the screen work.

To compound the problem, my new computer isn't perfect. It will bluescreen a few times a week. I thought leaving gmail or google reader open were the cause but that pattern was broken yesterday.

And so, I am really close to just thinking f*ck all this computer sh*t. If the problems get any worse I'm just going to call it quits and find another line of work. I haven't the will to send this new machine back, it took over a month to arrive, and I'm determined to run it after having to return the previous machine.

Anyway, I'll try again with the MIMO at the weekend, probably. But, honestly, I'd be happier if the pc would just stop bluescreening.

The new pc is from a different supplier, who tested the machine with a 24 hour over clock burn in before sending it; which makes me think I won't find any problems with it like bad ram.

The old AMD 4800 based machine never bluescreened but had the same issue with the MIMO. If things did get bad I'd go back to using that machine.

I think the MIMO has trouble because I've got two graphics cards. I'll test that theory out by removing one of the cards. But even if that is the problem, there is little I can do to rectify it. I'm definitely not going down the path of buying new graphics cards.

Okay, okay... OKAY!!! Whilst watching my computer boot-up over the next few days I shall also be punching myself in the face several times. This should be enough to prepare me for when everything goes wrong again.

Currently the MIMO is working. Yes. Yes, it is. I don't believe it's an hallucination (I do accept I might be so delirious I'm imagining everything - including typing this post).

So, why is it working?

1) I've updated the motherboard bios.

2) I've updated the DisplayLink driver (I say updated, but it is the same as one I installed before).

3) I've removed auto log on with my account. So the system pauses (at the logon screen) with only one monitor active until I log on.

I'm assuming the bios update has helped the most - but it could simply be the log on pause. Whatever, I don't wish to experiment to find out what it is - as it might all stop working again.

It's working better than ever. No flashing screens or USB failed connections. Oh, I've just remembered something that might be important:

4) The MIMO is connected to a USB port on one of the DELL 20" monitors (I assume this is a powered USB port). This is the port that was working before I started complaining at the beginning of this week. Also, the MIMO does NOT work when connected directly to the motherboard USB ports; this arrangement rolls into a cycle of USB dis/connect attempts.

Now, if i can get past the next week without any bluescreens I shall be absolutely euphoric.



I will also create some new WinButtons layouts. I first thought that 30 to 40 buttons would the right amount (or even more) but I now think it's way too many. Keeping layouts to around 20 buttons or less will, hopefully, be easier to remember.

Or, perhaps, it simply requires more training when using the larger button arrangements.

You can run several instances of WinButtons (by giving it a -f filename command-line parameter for a specific file, and -t xxx -l yyy for a specific desktop position) that are positioned side by side so you have quicker response when switching apps in a context-sensitive config (less buttons to redraw), and because of less screen updates, there's less distraction for the user.

Right, didn't know that. That sounds like a better way of switching layouts. I shall attempt that when I do the new layouts.

Did you ever try connecting both of its USB inputs?

The 7" model only has 1 input, and only 1 connector on each end of the cable (that are each in their sockets), for what I know, so, what both USB inputs?

The MYMO had two USB cables IIRC. So I was a bit surprised that the MIMO only had one. I think Chris has the 10 inch screen?..

No. The MIMO that I have is a 7", bought directly from the MIMO web site. It's a MIMO Touch2. It wants 1.0A from a USB connection and comes with a double-headed connector (I use only one with no problems).

I was going to buy the 10" but I'm glad that I did not. The 7" does all that I need without being too cumbersone.