It was 38 years ago today that the U.S. Patent Office officially recognized an invention that would help make computers accessible to the masses. We are, of course, talking about Douglas Engelbart's "X-Y position indicator for a display system," more commonly known today as the computer mouse.

Hell apparently hath no fury like a Motrin mom scorned. It began innocently enough--a painkiller ad targeted to aching moms. But seems the spot touched a nerve in the ever-growing blogging mom community, drawing heat for claims that ibuprofen (brand name Motrin) could help cure the pain in the neck, not to mention back and shoulders, caused by carrying a baby in a sling, wrap or "schwing." [More]

The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision today ruled that the Navy does not have to consider the effect of sonar on whales when training with sonar off the coast of California. "The Court does not question the importance of plaintiffs' ecological, scientific and recreational interests, but it concludes that the balance of equities and consideration of the overall public interest tip strongly in favor of the Navy," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

International Polar Year--Why?When I first heard of the concept of an International Polar Year (IPY), I rolled my eyes and gave one off those stupid "this is a boring idea" looks I had learned from my teenage son. How could an idea hatched by a military officer in the 1880s have any use in our age of hyper connectivity?

There are some unusual things living in the world’s oceans: A "city" made up of tens of millions of brittle stars (relatives of starfish) living on the peak of a seamount (see photo to the left), or underwater summit north of the Antarctic Circle; a huge, 16-inch (407 millimeter) long by quarter-inch (10 millimeter) wide mollusk, Chaetoderma felderi, discovered deep in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana; and enormous bacteria in the eastern South Pacific that may help clean polluted ocean floors, a concept known as bioremediation.

WHAT IT WAS LIKE | November 10th 2008

On the eve of Veterans' Day, Emily Bobrow reviews two off-Broadway plays that let soldiers speak for themselves about their time in Iraq ...

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE

CATHERINE ST GERMANS | ON STYLE | November 7th 2008

Catherine St Germans reminisces about her lifetime dedication to Manolo Blahnik. "There is nothing sensible about Manolos", she writes. "Nor can I behave sensibly in their presence" ...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, Autumn 2008

What's scarier, a deadly snake slithering across your path during a hike or watching a 1,000-point drop in the stock market? Although both may instill fear, researchers disagree over the nature and cause of this very powerful emotion.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL | October 26th 2008

"John McCain's campaign serves macho Republican meals", writes a political correspondent for The Economist. This means "chunks of dead animals on sticks", reassuringly enough ...

From ECONOMIST.COM