The computer mouse has turned forty, and the grey haired rodent is still going strong.

Like most good things it was envisioned in California during the sixties, when hoards of hippies roamed the countryside in VW buses. Californians wouldn't be Californians if there was no party involved, and a day of celebration is planned to mark the anniversary.

The first mouse was demonstrated on December 9th 1968 by Douglas Engelbart and it was built by Bill English. During the event, English demonstrated the rodent's prowess in text editing and stunned the crowd.

Even 40 years on, the design team claims the full potential of the mouse is just starting to be realized, and that it can be put to even more uses.

More here.