From Gary: "AFTER AGONIZING DELIBERATION, here is my book list. Please share widely!"

Required Reading:
Fab: The Coming Revolution on your Desktop - Neil Gershenfeld 
Computers as Theatre - Brenda Laurel

Pick one of Sherry's books:
The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit - Sherry Turkle
Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet - Sherry Turkle (it was on our list last fall)
Evocative Objects: Things We Think With - Sherry Turkle
The Inner History of Devices - Sherry Turkle

Pick on of these two:
The New Media Reader - Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort
The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology - Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman

Optional Reading:
Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices (VOICES) - Dan Saffer
Designing Interactions - Bill Moggridge
The Social Life of Information - John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid

And two LAST MINUTE additions to the optional reading list:
Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms - Richardson
The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint - Tufte

Like many other professors, Dr. Stager has a strong connection to books as a primary educational resource. Unlike the others, he's more heavily "connected" on the Web.  Here's a list of resources we're relying on this semester (some are members-only access):

• Our primary discussion room (not BlackBoard) - http://groups.google.com/group/hci771b
• Epistemological Pluralism and the Revaluation of the Concrete - Turkle and Papert
• Our syllabus for this semester
• Gary's Education blog on Huffington Post
• My dashboard on Diigo (bookmarking site)
• Gary's wiki where our book discussions will be posted
• And his personal blog (if you like that soft of thing)
  

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Computers as Theatre - Brenda Laurel 

I've worked my way through about 1/2 of the book. I find the metaphor of a theater stage, audience, etc. used to define the computer's interface to be a stretch...and difficult to relate to even with a bit of my own theatrical background.

Notice the date of publication/revision of the book...1991 & 1993.  This means the book was probably written in 1989 - 1990 with updates in 1991 - 1992.  Hmmm--what was the state of computer interfaces at this time?  Most operating systems were still reliant on the command-line interfaces and just getting into the graphical interface. Unix and other major/mainframe operating systems had adopted the X-Windows/MOTIF interface, the Apple II series (and early Macs) were using their classic graphical interface, and Microsoft was still pushing Windows 2.x/3.x in an attempt to respond to this new interface approach -- all of which were hanging off of Xerox PARC's early efforts with their STAR system developed in the early 80s.

http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taouu/html/graphics/starscreen.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Windows_3.0_workspace.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Apple_Macintosh_Desktop.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:X-Window-System.png

The book also makes some references to games in these times, and while the graphics and interfaces were engaging, most of the game controls were simple point-and-clicks and would still often allow for the user to interact with the game via keyboard.  Her "adventure-gamer" remark brings back images of twisting little passages and dwarf bodies disappearing in a greasy black puff of smoke in the command-line game of Adventure.

While Laurel's technical remarks are a bit dated, the book is still mostly relevant since the author doesn't get bogged down into the graphical interfaces and features too much.  In fact, she approaches a rather interesting concept when (in 1991) she mentions the idea of the interface as a virtual world and having the user "act within a representation", even though she doesn't mention avatars and graphical users, she's reaching out to this idea.  The author comments briefly on a Apple Guides (think of a cross between the MS Office dog and Quest Atlantis) as a push forward for a personification of the computer interface--questing more than operating a computer.

Moving forward about 15 years we're looking at Avatars being the "actor" in the computer interface. For those of you that have designed items within Second Life, you notice that even though we are creating a box or other shapes, the avatar remains "involved" with the creation. Within other 1st/3rd person games/worlds, the user has taken his/her place in the environment (stage) and in many cases acts out the actions rather than just giving the computer cryptic commands.

Personally, I think this author has pointed out an interesting metaphor, but failed to fully engage the potential audience. Her references to Hamlet's Ophelia and the impact of her fall is lost on those not familiar with the story or even this genre of literature. Her graphics are less that useful and don't add to the learning of the materials.  The chapter seemed a bit disjoint--moving between technology, history, theater, and HCI/User design while reading a bit like a research paper (too many "posits"). But, chapter 4 shows promise...we'll see if things pick up a bit!

--cj
Also, a nice write up - http://www.gameology.org/reviews/review_computers_as_theatre_by_brenda_laurel

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The Game Design Reader - Salen & Zimmerman

A quick comment about “The Game Design Reader” book ...

I started reading this massive book over the weekend. The "intros" are interesting in that they are themed overviews of a collection of various chapters from the book. Each intro has its own objective and they sometimes reference some of the same chapters/articles covered in other intros, but viewing them in different ways and pointing out different key messages. In general, the articles in the book range from gamers journaling their experience the first time they picked up a certain game (e.g. Doom 3, Breakout) to articles dealing with classical learning theories and gender challenges.

For those of you that didn't get this book, here are 4 online copies of the almost 3 dozen articles (the book is over 900 pages):

The Definition of Play - page 122 (http://tinyurl.com/55akw5)
Shoot Club - page 156 (http://tinyurl.com/5cz6f)
Complete Freedom of Movement - page 330 (http://tinyurl.com/6a6fx8)
Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades - page 754 (http://tinyurl.com/4avykw)

--- So ... on to the first review ---

Intro #1, "The Player Experience" (pp 2-7) ...

These 4 articles (above), and 3 others, were reviewed and presented in a 5-page "intro" article entitled "The Player Experience - What kinds of play experiences do games provide?" by Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman (the book "authors" or reviewers). This intro dwelt on the gamer's experience -- it opens with the statement that "Games have often been hardwired to the pleasure center of a gamer's brain, turning play into an act of nearly religious devotion." The author's premise is that game designers (and those that study gamers) need to understand the "intensities" of gamers. Each of the 7 articles covered in this intro reflect on what the gamers feel (or should feel) when they play.

Eyeball and Cathexis (Sudnow) - The drama and addiction of the author learning and mastering one of the earliest arcade-style games, Breakout (a derivative of the infamous "Pong" game), he expands on the emotions he felt as he attempted to master the simplistic, yet challenging hand-eye-coordination game. (If you are of the generation that was also addicted to Breakout in the arcades, you would enjoy this article....still waiting for it to become available on the web.)

Game Analysis: Centipede (Rouse) - The reviewers looks again at the drama of Centipede as referenced by the article. They point out that Rouse indicated that tension was a key to successful games. Yet I think they missed a key point in their overview...Centipede, like many other old-style arcade games were never-ending. You could complete a phase or wave, but the game continued restarted the event and would get harder-and-harder. This never-ending tension-building, heart-pounding effect is what the drama was really about.

Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics (LeBlanc) - A more academic chapter, the reviewer points out that LeBlanc is interested in the "emotional content" of the game driven by the games rules and mechanics. I think the reviewer overlooked a key aspect of this chapter...how conflict leads to climax with the help of uncertainty and inevitability of the games. Analogous to "the rising and falling action of a well-told story", games need a narrative that leads the game player through varying levels of intensity/tension to build in a sense of accomplishment. The author of the chapter gives several great ideas of how to build the tension-accomplishment pair -- negative feedback, escalation, fog of war, etc.

Shoot Club: Doom 3 Review (Chick) - The reviewers changes angles a bit by avoiding the drama of the game and looked at the drama and intensity of the anticipation of the game and the gamer's intensity around the social aspect of sharing knowledge of the game. The intensity of the exploration and newness of the games drives its own drama, not the actual drama of the game play. Trevor's hyperactivity around the newest release of Doom 3 and then his almost complete dismissal of the game once he completed it shows an inner drive for some is the exploration, not the game play itself.

The Definition of Play: The Classification of Games (Caillois) - We are pulled up from our video and arcade game thinking and whisked back to the 50s by the reviewers for an academic romp through "typology of play forms" from classic game-player literature. Caillois broke game play up into 4 major play types - 1) competitive, 2) chance-based, 3) make believe, and 4) physical sensations. The reviewers leave the footwork to the reader, as their review was quite brief in relation to the depth of the article. But the key take-away from the Caillois article was the variance of experience based on the type of game played. While Caillois covered the impact of the different types of games, from a "play experience" point of view, the most interesting angle was his essential activities of games: Free (not obligatory), Separate (its own sense of time & space), Uncertain (results cannot be predetermined), Unproductive (creating no resulting product), Governed by Rules, and Make-believe.

Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs (Bartle) - The author focused the article on categorizing and describing players of Multi-User Dungeons (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD) based on what their goals and drivers were in playing the game, breaking them up into basically 4 types: Killers (clubs), Explorers (spades), Socializers (hearts), and Achievers (diamonds). Games need to address the targeted styles and have rewards and interactions that are relevant to the style. The reviewers took the angle that these characterizations could be applied to many other games other than just MUDs. Yes, the focus again is on player experience and the passion they bring to the game. The article was insightful...as a player of a MUD (WarCraft...actually it's a MMORPG), I can definitely see how the game was designed to appeal to these characteristics.

Complete Freedom of Movement: Video Games as Gendered Play Spaces (Jenkins) - One of the leading academic names in games and education, the author writes a lengthy piece on the both the change in "play space" over many years and the gender-specific play and actions that attract and also mold youth--both male and female. Recognizing the differences in both the social structuring and the inherent drivers of the genders, he poses many questions that aren't (can't be?) fully addressed in his writing. The reviewers seem to have selected this writing as a contemplative capstone to their intro...after reading about gaming and play experience, mostly from a boy's side, how does the experience need to change to address girls as well?

All-in-all, the intro helped to tie these potentially distinct and non-related articles into a theme. Though sometimes a stretch to relate to all of the referenced articles, they do help set the stage for reading these articles and building a sense of purpose. My favorite (so far) is Eyeball and Cathexis...It could have been me standing in front of the full-sized arcade game in my early college days...it brought back some real memories.  (Here's the "home" version that the author referenced: http://tinyurl.com/6zlkp3)

--cj

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I've eyed the "electronic book" industry for quite some time.  I have an older one (56k modem, etc.) that was about the size of a classroom textbook with a real leather cover. Recently Amazon.com came out with their "Kindle" reader.  Not bad, but not really what I was waiting for. The resolution isn't exactly great, so the font is larger to make up for it. And you only get a paperback novel sized page to look at, not a "full page" like many of us are accustomed to reading.

However, the Plastic Logic Reader is a product that may just be what I was thinking about!  Fits in my backpack or briefcase, is almost the size of a standard sheet of paper, and can access and download full-page documents (magazines, newspapers, etc.), not just mini-portions of the pages.

There's still some work to be done...crisp color, sharper B&W clarity, etc. Future versions are supposed to be flexible and usable even in bright sunlight. But by all indications, this is a winner. I'll be following their further developments...I think someone might have finally gotten an electronic reader good enough for me to buy one!

(Oct '08)

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-- by C. J. Trayser, Arlen Ticson, Anna Brown, and Chad Swaney

Executive Summary

In 1987 Apple Computer released the Knowledge Navigator video...a vision of the future for computing, communicating, and managing personal tasks. It leveraged common technology of the day, such as video, portable computers, and telephones, and advanced them approximately 25 years into the future to present a personal knowledge system based on contemporaneous concepts of where technology might lead.  While the technology presented was new, it was not cutting edge. It used common-to-that-time technological elements and updated them to appear futuristic, but still in a form that viewers could relate to. What made the Knowledge Navigator concept enticing was the portrayal of the seamless integration of technologies...it was more than just disparate technologies lumped together behind a video screen.

Today we are about 21 years down the futuristic path Apple was imagining. Many of the ideas proposed in their video have come to fruition, while others have yet to be realized. Touch-screen navigation, telephone integration, and video conferencing with shared screens are just a few things that computers of today have in common with Apple's technology proposal. Yet it could be so much more! Current technologies, such as GPS navigation, mobile telephony, the Internet/Web interface, and social networking of all types must be considered in any personal knowledge system offered in today's market.

This paper will look at the original Knowledge Navigator video and will frame the technologies portrayed, comparing them to what actually came to market. New technologies developed since 1987 will be considered for implementation within a current-day personal knowledge system. There are some technologies shown in the original video that have still not been fully adopted today, such as voice command and natural language analytics, that will be addressed. Finally, a new vision of the future of personal knowledge navigators will be presented, analogous to the futuristic vision provided by Apple's video, but with the realistic horizon on merely a few years.

Background -- The Apple Vision

With classical music playing, and in an almost Mediterranean setting, a professor from Berkeley arrives home, takes off his coat and opens his "personal data assistant" that is found lying on his desk. "You have three messages..." begins the digital assistant. Thus begins a forward-looking approach from Apple's Knowledge Navigator vignette communicating their vision for technology, communications, and productivity.

The Knowledge Navigator showed a broad set of daily task and cutting-edge technology ideas that were brought together on a single platform to deal with the challenges of society after 2010. The Navigator integrated the current technologies of the day (telephones, printing, etc.) with concepts from the future (collaborative shared applications, voice commands, etc.) of which most have come to be standards in society by 2008. The elements which the Navigator brought together were:

• Small, portable computing device
• Audio "concierge" and familiar menu/icon interface
• Touch-sensitive screen (no keyboard, no mouse)
• Calendar & to-do productivity tools
• Wireless high-speed network (voice, printing, & data)
• Consolidated voice (phone) and electronic messages
• Voice command natural language analytics
• Shared/collaborative applications
• Face-to-Face video support for audio conferences
• Extensive data-mining capabilities with auto-correcting features
• Auto-recognition of "connected" data (personal contact list with published authors)

In 1986-1987, during the development of this concept, many of the technologies described above were available, but were not integrated into PC technology, such as answering machines and video conferencing. Others were in the development stages and in limited use, such as touch screens and calendar software. Some were only in research and development, not commercially available, such as wireless connectivity and natural language recognition.

Advance the timeline to 2008 and the major elements of the Knowledge Navigator model are divided across two platforms -- portable computers and smart phones. The iPhone is an ideological equivalent of the Knowledge Navigator, in that it pushes technology, communication, and productivity beyond what was available just two years ago. While there are still elements missing, such as voice command, video conferencing, and shared applications with non-iPhone and non-Apple technologies, the iPhone includes many elements of the 1987 Knowledge Navigator, offering a platform to continue to further integrate technology for the always mobile, always connected audience.

However, the limited interface (e.g., small screen, smaller keyboard) of the iPhone is a potential deterrent to genuine multi-tasking and shared applications as demonstrated in the original video, not to mention the ergonomics gap when such small displays and navigation methods aren't suited for all audiences. Thus a second platform, a tablet-style laptop computer, offers the end-user the ability to bring together a broader set of tools and software that effectively provide access to technology that is equal to or even beyond the iPhone's resemblance to the Knowledge Navigator.

The Design

To effectively assemble a Knowledge Navigator, we need to both reassess and critique the assumptions of the 1987 concept. There are several key technology challenges with the Knowledge Navigator that prevent the vision from being fully implemented today. To design a Navigator today that would perfectly replicate the 1987 vision is still a challenge that is being pursued by high tech companies such as Apple as well as start-up firms such as Siri, Inc. and others. Some elements of the Navigator are still worthwhile (voice commands, etc.), while others have possibly been bypassed for newer ideas, such as mobile devices that travel with users everywhere.

As mentioned earlier, the first words of the video, "You have three messages...", set the stage for an audio conversation that was simple, yet extremely sophisticated. Notice in the video (3:10-3:20) that when the professor pauses, the concierge completes his sentence, or earlier (1:47-1:57) when he corrects the professor's naming and pronunciation of an author. Actions like this require very sophisticated audio analytics software, which is not even close to this level of comprehension and capabilities today. But, the more simplistic elements of audio commands and playback are quite feasible with current technology. A product like Dragon Naturally Speaking is a voice-recognition application that is approaching the conversational capabilities alluded to in the video. And while speech commands and playback may appear to be a required element of any Knowledge Navigator device, the practicality of using speech over typing or reading is questionable in many settings (i.e., offices, public transportation, etc.) Voice-based interface technology may still have benefits for those who choose to interact with the device without using a keyboard, such as the physically impaired, those with a need for "hands-free" computing, or those who are multi-tasking away from the chair and keyboard.

Integrated real-time voice and video, or video-phone, has become a standard technology, with solutions available from several companies. Solutions in this product space include popular audio-video software solutions such as Skype and applications that also tie in shared screens such as Adobe Acrobat Connect among others. Advances in this space are moving quickly and new players are in the field almost daily. The challenge to this element of the puzzle is the need to get disparate technologies to share information effectively with each other.

Web sites and various Internet-available tools provide much of the functionality of the original Navigator. Social bookmarking can be used to track down a professor's latest research, wikis allow for shared document development, and social networking sites provide up-to-date information on peers and colleagues. Some of the technology available from Google, such as Google Earth, can even approach the rainforest and desert modeling as demonstrated in the video. While data-indexing and information search technologies such as Google and Yahoo have made the data location functions described in the Knowledge Navigator more feasible today, this technology does have some limitations that need to be considered. Indexed web searches generally return search results that are relevant to a general audience, not a specific user. While some steps have been made to use search and browsing patterns to make query results more relevant, these innovations have not reached the level of personalization that is reflected in the Knowledge Navigator concept.

Personalization is vital to the effectiveness of the system. When the professor said "Let me see the lecture notes from last semester" (1:05-1:09), the level of personal knowledge the system held was only being hinted at. To effectively assist with the professor's work and personal tasks, it would have to maintain extensive personal data, including finances, medical information, and more. Much of this is possible today using off-the-shelf software for either a computer or an iPhone. For example, the iPhone applications such as Voice Dial, Note to Self, iLoveControls, and Say Where fulfill roles similar to the virtual assistant, while numerous iPhone "App Store" tools gather and maintain other records -- consider PhoneTag for transcribing voicemail, MyGarden to manage a hobby, and HeyTaxi for calling taxi services. These are examples of the current tools that manage personal data that a knowledge navigator would need to reference to fully service the user similar to the video.

It is feasible to pull together the varied technologies of today onto a tablet computer or wait for the smart phone manufacturers to offer more features. But would building a product based strictly on a 1987 vision mean we are delivering yesterday's solutions tomorrow? Shouldn't the goal be to incorporate the essence of the Knowledge Navigator with the tools and resources accessible today to deliver a practical personal knowledge navigator?

The Future

The Future Today

Looking at today's technology that the Knowledge Navigator did not address allows us to "upgrade" the 1987 vision of the future to today's norms, specifically in regards to size, connectivity, and replacability.

Cell phone conversations in restrooms and laptops going on vacations are signs that we are becoming an "always-on" society and any new device needs to have an "always there" approach. A laptop may not be the best solution for a true knowledge navigator. Even though it is considerably more portable than a desktop, it may not be accessible enough. As a minimum, a tablet computer is probably the "large format" device of choice with an iPhone or PDA-sized device as the "small format" device.

When a premium is placed on portability, the potential for damage and loss of access becomes a challenge, so everything has to be "maintained" on the Internet with local copies on the portable devices. While local storage is still key, an "always connected" feature enables many of the other features of the navigator while assuring the user of the security of data that is critical to the "always-on" society.

Not only is the device of today pervasive, it also attempts to combine features that will provide users easy access to almost everything he or she can think of, literally right at the palm of the user's hand. Mobile computing includes telephony and other applications such as web browsing, cameras, and even entertainments systems that come in handy for the user to navigate throughout the day.

But taking it a step further, consumer electronics today are advancing at a frantic pace. Cell phones that were state-of-the-art just two years ago cannot be repaired today, so they are discarded and replaced like worn-out socks. Any device that became a personal knowledge navigator would be antiquated in only a year or two. This "disposable" model, when combined with the automated backup features of network-connected devices should allow for instant upgrades of the systems as well as auto-updates of the applications on these devices.

The Future Tomorrow

To only consider today's highly-available technologies does a disservice to the vision of the original Knowledge Navigator. Looking at new advances and new research in the technology industry can help us model where the knowledge navigator might really be by 2010 or 2020.

Consider one of the last things the professor said to the computer (5:02-5:06), "Print this article before I go." The assumption is the computer printed to paper, since it made no reference to any advanced printing capability. Gazing to the future, the print command might be to "plastic paper" or thin "reading tablets" such as those by Plastic Logic, allowing for viewing of data in a larger format without the hassle of paper. Imagine printing dozens of papers to a single sheet of plastic paper for reading at your leisure.

IBM Research recently came up with an invention called the "Meta Pad" which hopes to cater to the future of ubiquitous computing. The Meta Pad is a prototype 9-ounce portable computing device that is the size of a 3-by-5 index card and is 3/4 inch thick.  This device may be converted into a handheld, desktop, laptop, tablet or wearable computer.  Unlike other handhelds that are out in the market, data and applications are kept in the main device, eliminating the need for synchronizing these with other devices being used. Moreover, the Meta Pad has the capability to run on multiple operating systems.

The Meta Pad is an experiment at IBM that is adding to the researchers' understanding of how humans can better interact with information. This device may serve the purpose of a handheld personal digital assistant, or may be used as a desktop. Advanced speech technology and ink recognition software have also been integrated into the Meta Pad (http://domino.watson.ibm.com/comm/pr.nsf/pages/news 20020206_metapad.html).

Modularizing the Personal Knowledge Navigator was alluded to earlier in the sense that the device would have local access to files, but all the resources would be held on the network. Modularization forms the centerpiece of the solution, but the features need to go further. Consider the following as a proposed model:

• Small CPU - from about the size of a deck of cards up to iPhone size

o        Display screen and basic features (e.g.: phone, web) similar to an iPhone

o        Local storage, but reliant on Internet for backups, recovery and extended services

• Detachable wireless earphone and microphone

o        Integrates with a home telephone system

• Small "visual" keyboard on the screen for input

o        Larger "virtual" portable keyboard available for the road-warrior

• CPU is dockable for charging and powering a full sized screen & keyboard

o        When docked at home it can communicate with home appliances

o        It has GPS, wi-fi, Wi-Wan, Bluetooth, Infrared, and other communication and proximity protocols

• Seemless transition between communication protocols

o        Fully functional off-line

• The display shown through eyeglasses that connect to the CPU via a cable or wireless link (Raskin, 2001)

The key message for the personal knowledge navigator of tomorrow is adaptability, portability, modularity and "always on."

The Future Tomorrow...In Action

Just like Apple's Knowledge Navigator video, it is sometimes best to craft a vision for the future with an example. So this newest vision of the Personal Knowledge Navigator (PKN) might be fully illustrated with a story.

Jane Smith is traveling to meet with a colleague, receiving audio driving directions from her PKN via her Bluetooth-enabled headset. She spies a Starbucks on the way and pulls into the parking lot. Her PKN updates its driving directions and encourages her to get back on the road until it is notified by the car's computer that the car has been turned off--Jane is obviously changing her travel plans on-the-fly.

Then the PKN picks up the local Starbucks' WiFi signal.  It notifies the barista's PKN that Jane has arrived and also lets Jane know that this coffee shop carries the New York Times newspaper. The barista notices the message from Jane's PKN, which includes info on Jane's purchases over time at all Starbucks. He looks up to greet Jane (who he has never met) with a hearty, "Good morning, Dr. Smith! The usual Caramel Macchiato, or will it be something else this morning?"  The PKN suggests to Jane that she consider a low-fat, sugar-free drink, since her most recent medical report indicated that her cholesterol and weight were still not where they needed to be.

After the purchase has been made, the PKN notifies Jane that its proximity software has found her friend Sally Brown's signal also on the Starbucks' LAN, so she may be in the area. The GPS unit has now noticed that Jane has remained within the building for several minutes and reminds her that not only does she have a meeting in 33 minutes, but that she also failed to lock her car doors, so it offers to tell the car to lock the doors and then mentions that to make the scheduled meeting that (based on current traffic reports) she needs to leave Starbucks within the next 10 minutes.

At the end of the day Jane returns home. The PKN opens the garage door, asks Jane to confirm the security code to disable the alarm system, and turns on the lights and her favorite music. Jane then drops the PKN into the charging base, after which it begins to upload the latest patches, office schedules, news of the day and weather forecast for Jane to review in the morning. Still wearing the headset, Jane receives a recommendation that she might consider cooking one of the Lean Cuisine's she purchased at the grocery store last night, since it would help offset the Caramel Macchiato with chocolate sprinkles she ordered today. Later that evening Jane puts the headset on its charging base, so the PKN activates Jane's watch alarm to notify her of the next scheduled event, knowing she's not carrying the PKN unit or headset.

So, how far away are we from this vision of the future? Probably by the time you replace your next cell phone!

Conclusion

The Knowledge Navigator was the 1987 vision of computing, communicating, and managing personal tasks twenty-five years into the future. By 2008, many of the features of this device have come of age. While there are features of the Knowledge Navigator that are still worth exploring and implementing, the technologies currently available to users have even surpassed the features that were envisioned at that time. The features of the PKN are presently found in two platforms; laptops and smart phones.

Although voice-recognition software applications are available on the market, the advanced voice analytics feature of the Knowledge Navigator has yet to come to fruition. However, the question of the practicality of voice command over typing and reading is open to debate. While voice commands may be useful to some segments, the function does not eliminate the need for typing and reading for most practical purposes.

Real-time voice and video conferencing are now technology standards and provide cost-effective solutions. The current challenge is how to make varying technologies share information effectively. Aside from real-time voice and video conferencing, data-indexing and information search technology functions suggested by the Knowledge Navigator are also readily available. These technologies though, will have to be further improved to reach the level of personalization provided by the Knowledge Navigator.

The Knowledge Navigator of today requires an efficient design in regards to size, connectivity, and replaceability to cater to the demands of a mobile and ubiquitous computing environment. Moreover, the Knowledge Navigator concept can be further stretched to decipher how humans can better interact with technologies tomorrow, thereby having providing visionary services to the likes of Jane Smith.

 

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