Hacker News Reader

Comment by patrickk | Hacker News Reader

You may be onto something here.

I remember reading somewhere that Bond gadgets become true after something like 30 years, however I suspect that this pace of development will be speed up dramatically as time goes on. Some examples off the top of my head: GPS - there's an old Bond movie with a analog 'homing device', weapons on cars, cars that can drive on the road and fly also, 'stealth technology' like in Die Another Day (in development).

Getting back to movie inspired OSs, the guy who designed the amazing gesture interface behind those in 'Minority Report' started a company and has prototype UI in development:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwVBzx0LMNQ

http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/futuristic-minority-repor...

View on HN

Yes. My post was inspired by a discussion I had with someone wondering who was incredibly passionate about helping ordinary non-computer literate audiences -- e.g. the Read/Write Web Facebook Login Fiasco audience -- understand the consequences of their actions when they use a computer. It struck me as interesting that it was Schematic that was able to take the ideas from a interaction system designed to be watched to one that was designed to be used.

The gesturing interface in MR does not solve the gorilla-arm syndrome problem. Gesture interfaces should be based on slight hand and face movement, maybe with voice cues.

makes L with fingers

Engage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jd1Ih8EUmw

haha I can easily imagine Steve Jobs dictating commands to his engineers like Captain Picard does on the flight deck:

"I want a device so amazing, so jaw-dropping that Jesus himself would want it. It's got to be like the iPhone only bigger, like the Mac OS X, except even more engaging. Make it so"

On a serious note though, working out the problems of fatigue from gestures is typical of a technology in it's infancy. The problem of RSI from using a computer mouse isn't resolved fully, for example.

Obligatory Hitchhikers quote:

"For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive — you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same programme."

Life imitating art and vice versa.

Sci-Fi has a great influence in developing new technology, as it's a great source of ideas. Take the moon landing as an example.

To follow on from the quote you gave above, the next stage is thought-control of machines. It's got it's own difficulties too though - it's very difficult to clear your mind to the degree necessary to control things:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyrd0uOuyms

> Life imitating art and vice versa.

Am I the only one that finds it tremendously amusing when life imitates comedy?

I wonder, how difficult would it be to detect whether a user of some sort of brain interface simply is or is not irritated by the particular on-screen thing s/he is looking at?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com