Human-Computer-Interface
"Calm down, it will be okay." - Pep
Interfacing with a computer was scary the first time...of course that was 25 years ago, and computers have since become part of our daily lives. Almost as if they have become more friendly and inviting, unlike Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey who traps his creator Dave within the space station with his creepy line, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Dave" (yeah, I know I'm old). Today, if my computer doesn't boot up as fast as it is supposed to I get a little antsy and start worrying something is wrong with it, almost like it is my child; when it does boot up I check it for viruses and run all of the programs that are designed to keep my computer safe while it's hooked to the internet.
The way we interface with computers has also changed. Almost every one of us has a smart phone in our pocket, purse or man-bag (as my husband puts it). We all carry around mini-computers every day and are not scared of them. In fact, most of us depend on them for everything. I use my phone to keep up with life, the weather, the news, school and many other things. Hell, it even wakes me up in the morning!
We also read differently on our mini-devices. We don't turn a page, or shake the phone to change pages (unless directed). Instead we scroll down the pages on our screen much like Manovich acknowledges when he says "scrolling through the contents of a computer or World Wide Web page has more in common with unrolling [a scroll] than turning the pages of a modern book" (84). This metaphor struck me because I am a Rhet/Comp major and it reminds me of the great Aristotle and his predecessors Socrates and Plato, the father and grandfathers of Rhetoric (respectively).
The scroll went out (physically) a very long time ago, however it was one of the easiest ways to read because one could just unroll it and read as he went. The scroll has made a MAJOR comeback because of computers, they're just electronic now instead of being written on papyrus and rolled up for safe-keeping. Hard drives are (or were the last time I saw the inside of one) like a miniature brain and every time we close a document the hard drive rolls it up and puts it away just as you would a scroll.
Music ownership and manipulation is another thing that has been changed drastically by computers and the internet. I hate buying electronic versions of things because:
- What if your computer crashes?
- What if you forget your computer?
- What if you LOSE your computer??
I NEVER use iTunes (or allow anything Apple in my house for that matter). Windows Media Player is where it's at for the albums I have burned to my hard drive. The one good thing about having your music backed up on the computer is that you have a back up if you break/lose your mp3 player or the CD itself. I hate not having physical things. I can get almost all of my text books online, but I don't want to because I like having an actual book. You can't write in the margins or highlight with a downloaded book without some painstaking maneuvers and running out your ink and paper for your printer. Sharing something with someone from iTunes is pretty much impossible if you let it be the primary music player on your computer. Sharing music among friends and family is not piracy because you're not making any money off of the artists work without their consent, but iTunes takes that way too seriously.
All in all the technological revolution has helped the world become more than just a place we live, we are all connected in one way or another.
I agree with the your last statement. But for me, it's like the internet has opened up a whole new access to reality. Because we are all connected, we can't begin to imagine the mindsets of people who weren't/aren't. They live in a vastly different reality.
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