Remembering Douglas Engelbart, Inventor of the Computer Mouse

Douglas Engelbart, 88, passed away this week at his home. Although Engelbart's name has likely escaped you all these years, his contribution to technology has been right at your fingertip on a daily basis...

On December 9, 1968, researcher and inventor Engelbart, along with 17 members of his research team at Menlo Park, presented a variety of inter-related technologies to the audience at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco.

During the 90 minute presentation, Engelbart and his team demonstrated one particular unassuming device that would change forever how you and I interact with information...

Engelbart, you see, was the inventor of the computer mouse.

Here's a roundup of posts from Technorati-listed blogs, with more on this incredible man's journey that led the rest of us into a more tech-friendly existence....

Tech blog GizMag recounts how Engelbart's demo of the computer mouse also provided a glimpse into remote videoconferencing over his home's archaic modem.

Entertainment and culture blog Open Culture provides even more insight on Engelbart, including an embedded video of his "mother of all demos" and pictures of his first mouse.

The Huffington Post has more about Engelbart's background and life, and mentions his contribution to the creation of the Internet itself.

Engelbart's invention was enormous, considering that in the age of digital information, he provided our primary method of interacting with everything online. Not exactly the printing press all over again — instead, something more fundamental even than that for all of us.

Engelbart's invention is akin to inventing how we flip each page.

Written by: Steve Woods

Source: Technorati