Assignment1-clarkm

Human Computer Interaction- Although Neal Stephenson tells us that "In the Beginning was the Command Line," #bubblec('HCI started with punched cards used for programming automated looms in the late 19th century', 'is that your opinion or someone elses? What makes you do this claim?'). #bubblec('Modern HCI aims to mold the computer to emulate existing human mental models of a task', 'what is modern HCI? What about, e.g., MS Office or Maya, what do they emulate?'), rather than molding humans to conform to #bubblec('computer standards', 'what are computer standards? What exactly do you mean? The underlying structure, novel ways of doing and thinking, or standards as defined by Microsoft or the Apple Interface Guidelines? -- what I mean is: When possible, try to avoid using phrases or undefined pointers. Instead, describe what you mean in your own words'). In some cases, analogies from analog technology are extended to the digital world, and in some cases they are replaced. So a digital camera imitates the shutter click of a mechanical camera, while a cell phone is no longer required to imitate the ringing of a traditional telephone. Other technologies outgrow their analogy as well. The computer file system was based on the idea of an actual file cabinet, and the icon for the file manager in the earliest Windows was exactly that. Microsoft Bob, which was a failed attempt to create a friendly user interface, tried to use an architectural structure to the file system, creating a virtual memory palace of rooms and hallways where users could store their files. Modern file systems rely less on the user imposing an ordered hierarchy on their files for retrieval, and instead use desktop search to retrieve files. The current interface to the Mac file system shows the physical storage devices attached to the computer, and a handful of "places" where documents might be found, and then prominent links to search for files by name or by attribute such as the date they were last opened, or whether they are movies or audio. This #bubblec('evolution', 'Is that good? Bad?') is a direct consequence of the development of relational databases and faster hardware. #bubblec('Now the computer is able to quickly perform a function which used to be left to the user.', 'what function(s) do you mean? -- again, try to describe important concepts rather than use keywords.')
Since taking the cognitive science class at CU, I have been interested in the art of human memory in the age of Google, as ancient systems for strengthening human memory are replaced by keyword searches into relational databases.