Mouse Co-Creator Dies

In our meeting with the co-creator of the mouse in the 80s, Doug Engelbart, was quick to mention William English as the person to create the first mouse device.  I have placed many posts about our interaction with Doug Engelbart in this blog, see the tag below.

The co-creator of the computer mouse, William English, has died aged 91.  in the BBC

The engineer and inventor was born in 1929 in Kentucky and studied electrical engineering at university before joining the US Navy.

He built the first mouse in 1963, using an idea put forward by his colleague Doug Engelbart while the pair were working on early computing.

It would only become commonplace two decades later, when personal home computers became popular.

Mr English's death was confirmed to US media outlets by his wife.  ... " 

Thumbnail Trackpad

Have not seen a new idea on the pointer space for some time.  A prototype.  In CWorld:

" ... Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a tiny wireless trackpad that can be worn on a thumbnail.

Called NailO, the prototype trackpad is similar to the stick-on nails sometimes used as a fashion accessory. It attaches to the user's thumb and can be controlled by running a finger over its surface.
The researchers say an advantage of the device is that it's discrete. Running a finger over a thumbnail is a natural activity, so most people wouldn't notice this as a deliberate action to control a device. ... "