Last year I bought the Logitech Revolution VX to use with my Mac Mini setup. I chose the VX over the MX due that I have small hands.
The VX was a breath of fresh air after using older bulkier versions and wired versions of Logitech mouses. I spend long hours behind the computer, mostly surfing/reading, editing photos and coding websites. I comfortable mouse is important for me.
Then last month suddenly the left button started acting up, when I wanted to change a file name I normally click once on it to edit the name, but every time I clicked the file it registered a double click and opened the file instead of just making the file name editable. I thought at first it as the Logitech software, LCC, that handles Logitech hardware on Apple. So I uninstalled it and tried USB Overdrive, but the problem persisted. In short my VX had a defect left click exactly like mentioned on the Logitech forum.
Logitech Marathon Mouse M705
After some quick research I decided that the Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 would be my next mouse.
Mostly because it has about the same build as the Revolution VX and long lasting batteries. The Marathon was just released in Europe last month so luckily one or two store already had in stock. The current mouse stock at the moment of my purchase really left no other choice then the Marathon as there wasn’t anything new nor did they sell Revolution VX anymore.
The Marathon feels more sturdier in the hand then the VX, compared to it the VX rattles a lot more then the Marathon. The buttons are dark plastic which is more nicer then the chrome look on the VX. Also the Marathon body has a more matte finished plastic that feels nice in the hand.
The only con of the Marathon is the normal click-to-click scrolling to hyper-fast scrolling button. It is situated just above the scroll wheel, so it feels like a bump under the finger when scrolling. They could have made it that button sticks out a little less.
And last the Marathon uses the Unifying receiver, it can be paired with up to six compatible Logitech mice and keyboards. Plus it so small sized it can nicely fit with the latest Apple keyboards.
I don’t use LLC anymore but now I use SteerMouse. It works flawlessly, only the 4th and 5th button, the back and forward button thus must be programmed to work as such in web browsers, in my case Firefox; CMD Right Arrow and CMD Left Arrow. Make sure you don’t have LLC or other mouse management app installed at the same time, they interfere with each other.
Long term expectation
After using the mouse daily now for almost a month I expect it will start having same hardware issues as I had with the VX. The right button doesn’t feel sturdy and already is very sensible on click, so it will were out fast and overtime start doing the same thing as the VX.
Logitech gives a three year factory warranty if I’m not mistaken. I lost the purchase receipt of the VX but I’m planning on calling their customer support soon to see if they will replace it considering it’s a known issue with their products. I hope they do because the VX is not a cheap mouse and I had expected it to last longer than two years.
To be safe I already put the Marathon receipt together with all my other hardware receipts and I’m even saving the box to be sure. Because I’m not planning on shelling out 60 euros again next year on a mouse.
But all in all I’m happy with the Marathon it works well, thanks to the fact it uses two AA batteries it feels just heavy enough. And it has the same ergonomic build as the VX to minimize pain in the hand after long hours behind the computer.
“The Lost Symbol” is the latest book by Dan Brown, bestselling author of “The Da Vinci Code”. The Lost Symbol had some high expectations and in my opinion it surpassed expectations. This book is controversial, not as much as The Da Vinci Code, Da Vinci Code directly questioned the Catholic church and all it stands for. In a world where a grand part of the people are Catholics the Da Vinci Code hit a big nerve.
Robert Langdon is back and racing against time solving symbols to save his mentor and friend who has been brutally kidnapped by a fanatic who is totally of his rocker. and meanwhile we learn a whole lot about Washington D.C., makes me want to take at trip there soon.
I don’t know if religious people or the Vatican will feel ‘attacked” for lack of better word. But reading The Lost Symbol I felt Dan Brown learned from his experience with the Da Vinci Code and made sure to to try keeping the facts strait although I’m sure people will question those facts. Sure the book is still a fiction story otherwise nobody would read it. But it is a fictional story based on some real facts.
But for pure reading pleasure this book is a home run, I couldn’t put it down. I spend two whole nights reading those 500 something pages. What makes it more fun to read is how the iPhone, BlackBerry, Twitter, Google all get mentions in the book.
Now if you haven’t read it yet and don’t want to be spoiled stop reading now.
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The Lost symbol focuses on the Freemasonry and their secrets. Robert Langdon doesn’t consider the Freemasonry as anything as a threat or anything but basically just as a brotherhood who celebrate life by meditating on dead as I put it in my own words and understanding. All over the world there are brotherhoods and sisterhoods of the Masons and Eastern Star, even in Aruba for example. I’m pretty sure their rituals aren’t anything at all as the one described in the book. On Aruba they mostly focus on charity work, e.g. donating money if I’m not mistaken.
In the book the Masons are guarding an old secret believing to contain The Ancient Mystery. As the story in the book goes The Ancient Mysteries will bring enlightenment and understanding to the one to find it. Now off course this is the fiction part of the story..partially.
For a couple of years already I have been reading a lot of new age books. The Lost Symbol isn’t all fiction when it talks about that we humans are not consciously aware, if we are honest we live in a materialistic age where money is the main factor to happiness or what we believe is happiness. A lot of books have treated the topic of humans becoming enlightened and that our minds are real powerful and that we barely use it to the capacity that is possible.
Summing it up
In the first chapters when Noetics Science is being explained I could already see where the book was going, page after page I kept waiting for the ball to drop and finally on page 408(UK Edition) it is revealed “December 21 2012″. According to Mayan Calendar that is the day that a shift will happen. A lot of scholars, amateurs, basically everybody have their opinion on what the Mayan predicted that will happen. In all cultures this date comes back. Most people believe it will be the end of the world, others that it will be a cosmology happening and others believe that the humans will become enlighten and aware of the meaning of life.
As for an end of world, Armageddon or Apocalypse I don’t believe that will happen. I mean have you looked at the world recently? Does it look like we need supernatural help to finish off the world? And Apocalypse doesn’t mean the end of anything and I quote Wikipedia:
Apocalypse (Greek: Ἀποκάλυψις Apokálypsis; “lifting of the veil” or “revelation”)
Ironically enough in “The Lost Symbol” the Masons are protecting what they call “The lost word” and I was baffled that the lost word stands for nothing less and more then the plain old Bible, the Torah, etc.
If one thing is true in this world is how badly the Bible has been miss used and miss understood. People have done atrocities during centuries in the name of the Bible or it’s equals. People always forget that ancient scriptures shouldn’t be taken literal.
In any case this book is still just that a fiction book. I just found intriguing that a lot of actual subjects are used, especially as to the spiritual world. We are in an age that a lot of people don’t or stopped believing that there is more to life then we are aware of. And it brings on questions that has kept us busy for centuries; Is there life after dead? Do we have souls?
We all have opinions and I guess this book will bring on some discussions. But I guess the Vatican can’t be mad this time as with The Da Vinci Code, because it just made the Bible interesting to read.
But for one thing I’m really wondering what, if anything happens at all in year 2012. But I’m pretty sure it won’t be the end of the world. I leave you with a few Wikipedia links:
It is nice to have some topics to theorize over and read more about, keeps ones mind busy.
After some quick research I decided that the Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 would be my next mouse.
