It was just another ordinary Tuesday in the IT support office when a ticket popped up that made everyone pause and double-check if they were still awake. The subject line read: “My mouse isn’t working—it’s actually a potato.” Naturally, the entire floor buzzed with curiosity and a few chuckles, wondering if this was some prank or a new kind of tech protest.
The user, Sarah from accounting, described her problem with absolute sincerity. According to her, she had been using this “mouse” for a couple of weeks, and things just seemed off. The cursor wouldn’t move smoothly, and clicking sometimes caused… well, no clicks at all. Determined to fix it herself, she finally found out why: the mouse she had been trying to use was, in fact, a medium-sized russet potato.
Confused but intrigued, the helpdesk technician called Sarah for a quick video chat. When she appeared on screen, there it was—a perfectly ordinary computer on her desk, but next to the keyboard sat a large potato with a cord humorously taped to it. Sarah explained that her real mouse broke, and in a rush to keep working, she grabbed the nearest thing that felt right to her hand and just started trying to “click” it anyway.
The technician politely walked her through the basics: a potato, no matter how ergonomic or organic, is not designed to control a computer. With a gentle smile, he guided her to find a proper mouse—luckily, the office was generous with spares. As a small joke, the technician offered her a free “upgrade” to a wireless mouse, promising it wouldn’t require any rooting.
By the end of the call, Sarah was laughing at her own honesty and the absurdity of trying to interact with a starchy vegetable as a cursor controller. The whole ticket became a favorite around the office, reminding everyone that sometimes, helpdesk work isn’t just about solving serious issues—it’s about reading between the lines when users get creative in their own, unexpected ways. And yes, the potato was retired with honor, destined to become nothing more than mashed potatoes or fries later that day.