I love watching the old “Home of the future” films and thinking about the ideas they came up with. Sometimes, I am pleasantly relieved.
Many of the “Future Interfaces” I have seen are flashy mash-ups of current metaphors mixed thoroughly with mystery meat (to add mystery). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Meat_Navigation
http://honeybrown.ca/Pubs/BumpTop.html
My PC already organizes my files better than I organize my desk. I guess everyone forgets the time before Align to Grid was added in Windows. The only plus I see is the addition of physics to the computing experience.
http://www.tactile3d.com/tac.php?opt=overview&subopt=docs
Where did I put that bash script to close the Velociraptor cages?
http://asktog.com/starfire/
Sorry Tog, but Starfire also fits into this category. I admire many things about the Starfire concept. It has the document centric approach, complete integration with all systems, interoperability of programs, big honkin’ screens, and much more. But, where are the giant lists of verbal commands available to the user? Where is the letter “I" on that keyboard? This system would require as much training as a jet aircraft. (That might not be a bad thing.)
I still would advise anyone interested in feeling depressed about where we are in mainstream computing to watch it and read Alchemi’s blog entry afterwards (http://alchemi.co.uk/archives/hum/2_past_projecti.html).
But, don’t take my word for it. (Geordi La Forge)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4750948381745911864
MSR TaskGallery
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=455297590267492017
interactive desktop 3D handelprojector handeled projector
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8100222800051574872
2010 vision
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2711786759085611061
Andy Wilson @ Microsoft Research
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3304682858126153303
Linux XGL
http://www.msdewey.com/
No explanation necessary.
