3 ms·

Everybody seems to be stuck on hand gestures and arm movement for the future, but while this looks cool I wonder just how comfortable it is to keep you arms wav

by fjabre 16y ago

Everybody seems to be stuck on hand gestures and arm movement for the future, but while this looks cool I wonder just how comfortable it is to keep you arms waving about like that for hours on end. Also, it's hard to argue that 3D is always superior to 2D when presenting information. In some cases 2D is more than sufficient. I also wonder why there isn't more talk about Brain–computer interfaces. It seems to me that the most natural UI is one that can be navigated just by thinking. It might be little Borg-like but I can't imagine HCI going in any other direction long-term. *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interface http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interfac...

gojomo 16y ago
The way things are going, the first mass-market UI that can be "navigated just by thinking" will probably require users to think in mandarin.
inimino 16y ago
Physical inactivity (sitting at your desk all day moving only your fingertips) is implicated in many of the health problems most hackers are likely to suffer from and eventually die from. I think many of us would welcome the opportunity to stand up and move around a bit while still getting our work accomplished, even if it wasn't the only interface we used. BCIs, on the other hand, would mean you can potentially finish that software module, or at least read your email, while simultaneously going for a run ...as long as you don't run into a tree or the road.
- donw 16y ago
  I'm going to vote for no on that; at least for me, running takes a lot of focus, to the point where ditching the iPod helped me become a stronger runner. I had always run with music before, but I found that if I focused on the run itself, I could push myself harder. Weightlifting and climbing work the same way, in my experience, and I can't imagine that my limited martial arts training would have been any better if I had something else to focus on other than not getting punched in the face. Our society is obsessed with trying to do everything at once, rather than giving full focus to each activity in turn. Personally, I'd rather that technology reduce the busy work, so that we can focus more directly on each activity, rather than trying to amalgamate them together all the time.
Groxx 16y ago
I've generally thought that too, gestures (especially when your arm is involved) are hugely tiring if you have to do them for a long time on anything larger than an iPhone. And 3D imposes extra thinking. Subtle 3D could work - we have minimal already, with layered windows and shadows and "3D buttons" - but nothing drastic. And my hopes too are for brain interfaces, though I think I've got a pretty good idea of the difficulty inherent in that. I can hope, right?

by fjabre 16y ago

gojomo 16y ago

The way things are going, the first mass-market UI that can be "navigated just by thinking" will probably require users to think in mandarin.

inimino 16y ago

Physical inactivity (sitting at your desk all day moving only your fingertips) is implicated in many of the health problems most hackers are likely to suffer from and eventually die from. I think many of us would welcome the opportunity to stand up and move around a bit while still getting our work accomplished, even if it wasn't the only interface we used. BCIs, on the other hand, would mean you can potentially finish that software module, or at least read your email, while simultaneously going for a run ...as long as you don't run into a tree or the road.

donw 16y ago
I'm going to vote for no on that; at least for me, running takes a lot of focus, to the point where ditching the iPod helped me become a stronger runner. I had always run with music before, but I found that if I focused on the run itself, I could push myself harder. Weightlifting and climbing work the same way, in my experience, and I can't imagine that my limited martial arts training would have been any better if I had something else to focus on other than not getting punched in the face. Our society is obsessed with trying to do everything at once, rather than giving full focus to each activity in turn. Personally, I'd rather that technology reduce the busy work, so that we can focus more directly on each activity, rather than trying to amalgamate them together all the time.

Groxx 16y ago

I've generally thought that too, gestures (especially when your arm is involved) are hugely tiring if you have to do them for a long time on anything larger than an iPhone. And 3D imposes extra thinking. Subtle 3D could work - we have minimal already, with layered windows and shadows and "3D buttons" - but nothing drastic. And my hopes too are for brain interfaces, though I think I've got a pretty good idea of the difficulty inherent in that. I can hope, right?