“Machines that fit the human environment, instead of forcing humans to enter theirs, will make using a computer as refreshing as taking a walk in the woods.”
Mark Weiser
Introduction: Summary
Main Points in The Computer For The 21st Century:
- “Personal computer” is a misplaced idea
- Ubiquitous computers come in sizes suited to tasks
- Architectural trends will assist ubiquitous computing
- Network, software and OS support will evolve
- The obvious security and privacy issues must be resolved
In the dawn of the 21st century we are witnessing a computer revolution. In The Computer For The 21st Century by Mark Weiser, he discusses our relationship with technology and how technology should exist within the world. One of his beliefs was that technology made a huge step when it becomes invisible. But we know that has not happened yet. The key word to look at, is progress. When we see the progress and become aware of it, we can then focus on other goals. Weiser also takes challenge in virtual reality and introduces the term “embodied reality” as more accurate term. Another topic that Weiser believed in was the similarities between multiple scales and devices were to modern laptops and tablets of today. The main comparison he talked about was how we would a tablet or laptop differently than a post-it note. Weiser believed that these devices will become more appearing in modern life as the paper note found in an office.
Democratizing technology: pleasure, utility and expressiveness in DIY and maker practice
Technologies have always shaped our structure between societies. Going even further than technology: DIY, hacking, and craft have recently drawn attention in HCI and CSC. In the article, Democratizing Technology: Pleasure, Utility and Expressiveness in DIY and Maker Practice, is written by four Canadians who are in reputation for the Computer Human Interaction. The authors of this article are professionals who come from the background of university professors and makers themselves. This article summarizes the product of a large series of studies that the authors conducted. They made many observations regarding the DIY, hacking, craft, and making cultures influence in industrial infrastructure. The layout of this article demonstrates informative anecdotes that help support their observations and reasoning. One example that I enjoyed in the article was about the man who classifies himself with the “Steampunk Practitioners” community. With this idea, most makers, DIY’ers, and hobbyists would classify themselves. Many people used to make things all the time, but with the industrial revolution came this general consensus that specialization is the only way. Meaning that if someone made a product that has been already created, then there would be no point in making one yourself. Making a product yourself allows unlimited customization and often the materials would be a lower cost.
Modern Technology vs UbiComp Goals
The society has been dramatically changed with the evolution of technology. Due to the convenience and efficiency provided by technology, our lives have improved significantly. Relating this idea to Weiser, over the years he persuaded many about his concepts about computing UbiComp. Many of these concepts have been created into modern technology. For an example, Wireless Sensor Networks, Wearables, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Internet of Things. Putting this in mind, we can see that our modern technology reached Weiser’s beliefs and the beliefs of the four Canadian authors of Democratizing Technology. The idea of Ubicomp, the technological evolution resulted in many benefits to our society.
Technology With Democratized Practice
The term democratization of technology refers to the process by which access to technology rapidly continues to become more accessible to more people. New technologies and improved user experiences was created by new user demanding products that are affordable and user friendly. Also, ubiquitous computing enhances the social process of urban development. This would be the role of UbiComp as infrastructure in these activities, becoming highly important and has the potential to exhibit many potential negative and positive effects. What technology would meet these expectations from UbiComp? I think that the Cloud exemplifies these expectations that Weiser described for UbiComp. Cloud in the modern technology, surrounds the web, it has revolutionized the way data is delivered through access of computation. With many networked devices around us, information and data is truly at our fingertips. In the future, Cloud could eventually create even richer data types. This would allow us to communicate the past and present phenomena. The Clouds capability of security and privacy are alarming, they take an enormous caution considering appropriate social protection.
Human computer interaction portfolio 