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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 ;)

7 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. Hyperbowl! by HeroicAutobot · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    The game that Taco mentions (with the bowling ball trackball) is Hyperbowl. It's a mildly fun game. (The more beer you drink, the more fun it becomes.)

    A windows version is available, but it doesn't include a trackball. For that, you need to buy the attraction version. (It's only US$29,995.00.)

    --
    I'm looking for a HEPA media filter for my TV. I'm alergic to reality shows.
  2. I'm a Slashdot kind of guy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

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  3. Laptops... by Rob.Mathers · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Thought your 5 year old laptop (you know, the kind that used to have a good trackball in it, not that eraserhead or touchpad crap) was heavy? Try it with a bowling ball instead of a 5 cm sphere!

    --

    My other sig is funny!
  4. SpamBot Mom says "Kids! Dinner!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic



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  5. 1st Page Narrowing Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Here's a page narrowing post for ya!

  6. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Tried that. Didn't work, and now my carpet is all sticky.

  7. Klerck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Is this the Klerck from SC?