> I got a nifty fathers' day present from grandson Chris. It's a Logitech optical mouse. This thing is like getting out of a Model T and driving off in a Cadillac. There is no ball. It has a red light underneath that detects motion. What it does with that information is a mystery to me, but I know it's the best mouse I ever used. It never skips, and probably won't ever need cleaning. It also has some cool features like a little wheel on top that scrolls from anywhere on the screen. Press down on the wheel and it brings up a little on-screen menu of mouse tricks. Naturally, it is programable and has a normal right click button. Why didn't they have stuff like that when I was a kid? What will they think of next!
> Howard

An optical mouse is definitely A Good Thing. I just wonder what's taken them so long. I've had one working perfectly since '93, but when I tried to get one for a gift, I was told that they weren't made anymore. Anyway, the mousepad that came with it has a black grid on a white background printed on it, so presumably the red eye (mine has four) uses the same technique (or one related) as Sherlock Holmes used to calculate how fast his train was travelling, namely timing the interval at which telephone poles passed his window.

jul"that'll be 2093, he-he!"ian