Mouse turns 40 years

The well-known computer mouse will complete its 40 years of journey on this 9th of Dec-2008. The first known publication of the term “mouse” as a pointing device is in Bill English’s 1965 publication “Computer-Aided Display Control”.

On December 9, 1968, Douglas C. Engelbart and the group of 17 researchers working with him in the Augmentation Research Center at Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, CA, presented a 90-minute live public demonstration of the online system, NLS, they had been working on since 1962. The public presentation was a session in the of the Fall Joint Computer Conference held at the Convention Center in San Francisco, and it was attended by about 1,000 computer professionals. This was the public debut of the computer mouse. But the mouse was only one of many innovations demonstrated that day, including hypertext, object addressing and dynamic file linking, as well as shared-screen collaboration involving two persons at different sites communicating over a network with audio and video interface.

Since the age of Windows operating system (and also Mac OS), the mouse has become part of computer. The technology era is further making developments with Touch Screen technologies, which may turn the mouse into a history!

Picture on top: The first computer mouse, held by inventor Douglas Engelbart, showing the wheels that make contact with the working surface.

Picture on bottom: Current computer mouse (my brand continues to be Logitech!)

Links:

– BBC News – Logitech says its factory in Suzhou, in western China, has produced the firm’s billionth computer mouse.

– The First Mouse Demo.

Not exercising – Whats your excuse?

Are you prone to putting off exercise? BT tells you how to get started without those unnecessary delays that hamper progress

Your friends have hit the gym but there’s something that’s stopping you? If you are busy justifying your excuse by saying — everyone has reasons why they can’t start, then there must be enough reason why you need to overcome your excuses and hit the treadmill instead. Understand that it’s never too late! Here are some easy tips to overcome those exercise excuses:

NOT ENOUGH TIME:

Start with breaking your exercise regime into smaller segments. At home, just multitask. You can try and do crunches while watching television. If you have a long day at work then try to adjust your schedule — get up half an hour earlier to walk. Make it a non-negotiable routine and stick to it. Tell your friends not to plan any gettogethers during that hour.

SLOW AND STEADY:

Everyone gets excited about a workout, especially at the beginning. But remember to take it slow and steady. Start with a comfortable amount of activity and add a little more each day.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY:

Don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion; you should always be able to carry on a conversation. If a body part aches, make sure you tell your instructor the next day itself. Keep going though. If you’ve got minor aches, take it easier the next day but don’t stop altogether. Gentle movement helps sore muscles recover.

IT’s NOT WORKING:

If your month-long regime has not shown any positive results, then perhaps you haven’t found the right kind of exercise yet. Focus on adding more lifestyle exercise to your day.

RECORD IT:

Use your diary to record your thoughts and feelings around exercise—they can help you find a way around your exercise demons. So, what’s stopping you? Get going.

Source: Times of India (Bangalore Times Supplement) 19-Jul-2008

World AIDS Day – 01-Dec-2007

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005, of which more than half a million (570,000) were children.

Wearing the red ribbon is a powerful symbol of your support for people living with HIV.

The theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008 is “LEADERSHIP”. This theme will continue to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.” To know more about the theme, click here.

The Yahoo! India Red Ribbon is a small effort to spread a message against AIDS. As a Yahoo! India user, all you need to do is type your name and message and be a part of the giant Yahoo! India Red Ribbon, which will be displayed at the Exhibition Grounds (Pragati Maidan, New Delhi) on December 1, World AIDS Day for everyone to see. Click here to visit the Yahoo! India Red Ribbon website.

AIDS Movies – Philadelphia, Phir Milenge, My Brother Nikhil – these are some of the movies that tackled the AIDS theme.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, or UNAIDS, is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV epidemic. UNAIDS’ mission is to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to HIV and AIDS that includes preventing transmission of HIV, providing care and support to those already living with the virus, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV and alleviating the impact of the epidemic. Five major components make up the role of UNAIDS:

• Leadership and advocacy for effective action on the epidemic
• Strategic information and technical support to guide efforts against AIDS worldwide
• Tracking, monitoring and evaluation of the epidemic and of responses to it
• Civil society engagement and the development of strategic partnerships
• Mobilization of resources to support an effective response

AIDS – I am aware, are you?

01 December is Worlds AIDS Day. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections in humans resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The late stage of the condition leaves individuals prone to opportunistic infections and tumors. Although treatments for AIDS and HIV exist to slow the virus’s progression, there is no known cure. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. This transmission can come in the form of anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.

Please read more at Wikipedia.

SELF MASSAGE

Disclaimer: I am not the author of above 2 images. I just got it as a forward message in my mailbox and found it interesting to be shared in my blog.