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Ewww! Don't touch that mouse!

theage.com.au — Computer mouses found in cyber cafes have been ranked as the second most bacteria-infested items in a list of commonly touched objects.

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  • chrishill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0> 3. Bush hand straps - 380

    they have hand straps now?! I'm obviously not hanging out with the right girls...

    also

    "Quoting statistics, the spokeswoman said that while more than 77 per cent of people were aware of the importance of washing hands, only 47.9 per cent actually bothered to wash them."

    so, 52.1% of koreans dont wash their hands, and 23% of them dont have a clue that not washing your hands spreads germs? thats madness!

  • kazsymonds, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0Second after my penis
  • thenativeraver, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1what was that stuff martin sargent called? That stuff that detected jizz? they should try that out.
  • 7of7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5People worry too much. If they just stopped taking antibiotics every time they got a bit of anything, their body would be able to deal with sickness much better.
  • kolofon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I always wash my hands for a cleaner society.
  • Thorpe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I remember when I went to the library (didn't have Internet access in those days for me) and the mouse and keyboard was all sticky and was coated in a light brown dirt colour. Sure was disgusting. Thank goodness I don't go there anymore.
  • Pandaman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It reminds me of those keyboards/mice at the computer labs at college; they were disgusting.
  • ninakin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ 7of7 true that i don't take any meds and i have been sick once in the last 4+ years
  • Ginocide, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"Mouses"?
  • Strahd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"People worry too much. If they just stopped taking antibiotics every time they got a bit of anything, their body would be able to deal with sickness much better." -7of7

    I agree that our immune systems shouldn't be too sheltered. However, needlessly exposing yourself to an active bacterial colony can make you violently sick or even kill you. A stupid kid in my college bio class licked a petri dish with an active colony of a relatively benign bacteria (yes, believe it or not, 95% of bacteria are completely harmless; they live on your skin right now as a matter of fact), and he got so sick he had to be hospitalized.

    Frankly, it's not a bad idea to carry around a small bottle of that ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer. It could keep you from getting the flu or a terrible cold later. +Digg
  • aqualung, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Anyone know what "Bush hand straps" are?
  • Jubaju, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Mouses? What 4th grader wrote this?
  • matt1988, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Mouses!
  • 7of7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Frankly, it's not a bad idea to carry around a small bottle of that ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer. It could keep you from getting the flu or a terrible cold later

    I'm not saying that washing hands is a bad idea, and licking lab samples of bacteria is certainly a bad idea. However, unless someone sneezes a really infectious disease onto a mouse, you really should be terribly afraid of the bacteria in public computer areas. Just make sure to always wash your hands before you eat with them.
  • sparkmonkeyz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I am not really so sure about this whole article, but i can beet that they are the most infected thing in my school
  • doomhalflife3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0wow i always thought toilets were the worst
  • mogebier, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I wondered why I was getting sick all the time.
    I lick the mouses... er... mieces... er.... mousies..... every time I see one, no matter where it is.

    I have a mouse fetish.
  • OneZeroZeroOne, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Did you know that every time you flush the toilet, even if the lid is closed, it instantly sprays a fine aerosol mist of whatever was in the bowl over a fairly large area?

    Quit worrying about what's on the door handle because you've already inhaled whatever's there. Unless you've just wiped the motherload, I wouldn't worry too much.
  • jk_baller23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0What about the keyboard. I would think it would be worse then a mouse since you only use one hand while you use 2 on the keyboard. Anyway, makes me want to wipe down my keyboard, mouse, desk, etc. right now.
  • krg123, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1bush
    buss
  • davidhalsey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ 7of7 if all of society stopped taking antibiotics halfway though their recommended dose we would have an epidemic on our hands.
  • buss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1what really surprised me about those statistics is the concentration of germs on shopping cart handles!:
    Shopping cart handles - 1100 CFU per 10 sq cm
    compared to "just" 340 for Public toilet handles and door knobs.

    I wash my hands after using the bathroom, but I've never thought of washing my hands after grocery shopping! I was just out grocery shopping last night and I bought a chocolate bar, which I ate without washing my hands, i think i'm going to go vomit...thanks.
  • pkulak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Gee, good thing we have skin or all these germs could really make us sick. This is retarded; we're all turning into a bunch of Howard Hughs'.
  • emlprime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The antibiotic problem is one of escalation. It's the same with the gun problem and the car size problem. If some people use antibiotics and don't entirely kill their population, the germs that survive are the tolerant ones. Those germs are stronger and more resistant to antibiotics. (In the same sense that if larger cars receive less damage in accidents, it means people feel that the need to continue buying larger and larger cars to feel safe). I think @7of7's point is if none of us used antibiotics at all, some of us would get sick (some of us get sick anyway), but the germs wouldn't be as tough. I suspect antibiotics don't make things worse for the people taking the antibiotics, but it does make it worse for those who don't. It just makes things more expensive.

    Also, any system which requires users to be perfect...well I just don't see how that's ever going to work. Communism would work if we were perfect. So people who use anti-biotics are apparently also communists. ;op
  • Durrok, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0MICE PEOPLE. MICE! :p

    I only really wash my hands in the shower and after I drop the kids off at the pool.... I've had one minor cold in the last 6 months

    *shrug*

    I think a lot of it is mind over matter too. I'm not worried about getting sick and take care of myself, therefore I don't get sick. If I was worried about germs and the like and suddenly touched something that I thought was dirty... oh gee, look at that, now I have a "fever".
  • yukevster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah, I can hear Howard Hughses secreaming in hjis grave now.... "I told you so #twitch# , I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch# , I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch# , I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch# , I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch# , I told you so #twitch#, I told you so #twitch#, ......... ahhhh!
  • Kitsune818, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You mean I shouldn't eat that stuff I occasionally scrape off the mouse rollers??

    Seriously though.. what the hell is a Bush Strap??
  • clabbergrrl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well duh!

    I suppose next they'll be doing a study that you can catch a cold from a Karaoke microphone.
  • ConceptJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've always assumed that while the plural of the animal was "mice" the plural of the computer pointing device was "mouses".

    Of course, you could always go the approach used by Jinx the Cat when talking about Pixie and Dixie, "I hate those meeces to pieces." But then people might think you're complaining about the old Attorney General.

    Or you could join the crowd who think they are being trendy when they are, in fact, being stupid, and start calling them "mousii".

  • kb9vgr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0after readint th article i believe bush was supposed to be bus and i believe in korean s and h are togrther
  • wbgo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Actually, there are many times more bacteria found on your toothbrush than your toilet seat.

    As for washing after using the toilet, perhaps you people should try harder not to ***** on your hands?
  • scrapstyle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Mouses/Mouse, Persons/People... whatever though I prefer mice and people.

    I cringe at touching a white keyboard and mouse when they look grey and yellowish. I think my University goes to some lengths at cleaning them as it feels okay in my hands. I hate it when I get french fries from the drive through and decide whether to pick one up after all the stuff I've touched or not.

    I try to clean my keyboard and mouse monthly. I keep a small bottle of disinfectant in my car and my coat pocket.
  • bclinton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Considering that most people don't wash their hands after they use the toilet, I'm not in the least bit surprised. It's nasty. It's why I won't touch the doorknob in the restroom at work.

    So how do you enter the restroom?
  • norbiu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I can feel my hands get all sticky while using my personal mouse ... I can imagine what's going on in cyber cafes.

    PS: Keyboards have more bacteria than toilet seats.
  • ArmandoM, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Hah...I had an *English* teacher try and tell me that the plural of mouse if referring to a computer mouse is "mouses"...

    I didn't believe her...

    Neither should you.

    mice mice (m[imac]s), n.,
    pl. of Mouse.
    [1913 Webster]
  • Usobe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's a very good thing that most people in the US use home or office computers to get their "kicks" online!
  • Zippo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Technically, the correct plural form of mouse is "mouse devices", although I use mice.
    This doesn't surprise me a whole lot... I think cafes need to start providing (and enforcing the use of) sanitizing sheets... just to whipe down the keyboard and mouse after your done with it.
    There was a loser in my class a year ago who ate nothing but cheeze whiz on toast. After he dropped out, we had to santize his mouse... it was... disgusting.
  • ultimathule, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Considering that most people don't wash their hands after they use the toilet, I'm not in the least bit surprised. It's nasty. It's why I won't touch the doorknob in the restroom at work.

    So how do you enter the restroom?"

    Just kick the door.
  • TheSolomon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Plural of mouse is mice. The device was named because of it's similarity in appearance to an actual mouse, therefore the same pluralization rules apply. Just because the word can apply to an animal versus a computer device doesn't mean the computer device name gets special treatment. It's still the same word: mouse.
  • breadtech, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0good to know.
  • digigal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Bunch of hypochondriacs! Germs are all over the place, even on your skin. GET OVER IT!
  • bschweit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Seriously people.
    Bush hand straps = Bus hand straps? Was it that hard to figure out!!!
  • Biker803, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There was an almost identical story a few months ago about keyboards. Obviously you could apply the same idea to the mouse. Since it sits right next to the keyboard. The home office desk is getting more and more dirty all of the time. People need to make sure their hands are clean. Like, before they eat food, many people wash their hands (if they don't, they should). Same idea applys to the keyboard. You don't have to be as thorough about it, but I can't stand keyboards with crums and food and all of this other crap under the keys. Disgusting...
  • diggerphelps, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The article is wrong.
    The WORST thing you can touch in the world, bar none, is paper money.
  • mojaam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeh, schools computer labs/library computers are so greasy that you can actually see it with your eyes.
  • NicP, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0To all those that thing mouses isnt the plural of mice (when talking about a computer mouse NOT a rodent mouse):

    pl. mice or mous·es (mousz) Computer Science. A hand-held, button-activated input device that when rolled along a flat surface directs an indicator to move correspondingly about a computer screen, allowing the operator to move the indicator freely, as to select operations or manipulate text or graphics.
  • ClemsonDude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The Microsoft(R) Manual of Style for Technical Publications
    (ed. Amanda Clark, Microsoft Press, 1995, ISBN 1-55615-939-0)
    says: "Avoid using the plural mice; if you need to refer to more
    than one mouse, use mouse devices."

    Down with mouse devices, real men use trackballs.
  • TheKidd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mostof the bacteria was found under the mouse balls.

    couldn't resist
  • mikedpirone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Not surprised at all. I used to frequent a few internet cafes in the area when my friends and I would get the feeling to play some LAN games. Every time you touched one of to use mouses you could feel this strange greasy film on the mouse. It got to the point where I would use one of those moistened napkins on them before I would use them. Also to the guy who was wondering why the mouse is dirtier than a keyboard its because your hand usually spends more time on a mouse than it does on the keyboard, and you are only tapping the keys on a keyboard.
  • diggfanboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0@ TheKidd
    That is the funniest thing i have heard all day.

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