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Trackball 50 Years Old

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the spherical-insanity dept.

GRW writes "Rachel Ross in a Toronto Star story called The mouse that soared, writes "Fifty years ago, a team of engineers in Toronto turned a simple bowling ball into one of the most influential gadgets of our time. The trackball they created would grow into a mouse." "Tom Cranston and a colleague, Fred Longstaff, thought up the trackball idea while working on a Lake Ontario military project called the Digital Automated Tracking and Resolving System (DATAR)."" I played a bowling game in Boston once that used a bowling ball sized trackball to run a ball through a bizarre 3D bowling lane. I thought a regular trackball messed with my wrists ;)

3 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. Imagine... by SerialHistorian · · Score: 4, Funny

    It would be cool if they still made trackballs with 16-lbs bowling balls... a couple of my cow-workers are perfectly lined up right now...

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  2. Freakin Torontonians by Screaming+Lunatic · · Score: 5, Funny

    The carpal-tunnel in my wrist thanks you.

  3. 50 years old by Zen+Mastuh · · Score: 4, Funny
    = 50 years worth of hand cheese.

    I hope someone cleans that thing up soon.

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