First heard on the net, 2020. Retold in Rijeka, in 2023. Brought to the bonfires in Berlin and Orléans in 2024.
A Mouse Jiggler is a must-have for any work-from-home employees. It’s a device which you plug in to your computer. I put my mouse on the device and the device simulates mouse movements, which prevent the computer from going into sleep mode. The movement is irregular and simulates writing.
It gives me the chance to get a coffee or a snack while still giving the appearance of being busy. But also, in my job, I have the problem of my computer going into sleep mode immediately. I go through a lot of █████████ that have to be read carefully. But if I don’t move my mouse continuously while reading, my computer goes into sleep mode suddenly and I need to re-enter my password and find where I was in the text. So, before the Mouse Jiggler, I would need to move the mouse continuously while, at the same time, trying to concentrate on the text. This is very distracting. The IT department won’t allow me to change the sleep-mode settings ██ █ █████ ███████ ██████ ████ ███████..
I also used the Mouse Jiggler in a previous job where I worked remotely for an employer. This employer ran a lot of Bossware on employees’ computers. I had to talk to clients a lot on the phone and if I forgot to move my mouse during calls, my computer went into sleep mode and the time tracking for my work hours stopped and I got bad ratings in my performance review. Knowing that my employer tracked my performance through mouse movement instead of looking at work results demoralized me and I left the job.