The effect has to be adjusted slightly to be used in a UI context. If it is changed so that the item nearest the mouse cursor snaps to the cursor, then suddenl

The effect has to be adjusted slightly to be used in a UI context. If it is changed so that the item nearest the mouse cursor snaps to the cursor, then suddenly you'd be able to precisely and easily select an item from a group of tightly-packed items. So the UI advantage might be that you can see a lot of items, but can precisely select any of them. Also, for UI purposes, it might be beneficial to remove the "springy" effect on the items. When the mouse isn't moving, the items shouldn't be animating. In other words, the animation should be driven by mouse movement, with no elasticity.