Week 7 Discussion Questions
| Required Reading: | Johnson, Steven. (1997). Interface Culture: how new technology transforms the way we create and communicate. Basic Books. ISBN: 0-465-03680-5 Chapter 1: Bitmapping Chapter 2: The Desktop As We May Think. Vannevar Bush. Citation. Vannevar Bush, As We May Think, The Atlantic Monthly, 176(1):101-108, July 1945 |
| Deeper Dive (opt): | Fang, Irving (1997) History of Mass Communication. Focal Press. Chapter 5: The Toolshed Home http://home.lu.lv/~s10178/sixrevolutions.pdf Start reading Chapter 6: The Highway |
Textbook: Interface Culture: how new technology transforms the way we create and communicate (Steven Johnson)
Please staple this cover sheet to your printed and numbered set of answers. Please answer the questions as clearly and thoughtfully as possible. Use the textbook and outside sources as necessary to complete the following questions.
Chapter 1: Bitmapping
1. In 1968 Douglas Englebart introduced “direct manipulation” of data. How was this different than how data was interacted with before?
Before direct manipulation, the interaction between human and computer mostly relied on a conversation like a command line interface that was indirect and abstract. Direct manipulation promoted a more in depth way of interacting with computers.
2. By creating an “information space,” how did Englebart’s advancement change the way people thought about machines/computers? In what ways did it lead the way not only to interfaces as we think of them today but virtual spaces and augmented reality?
Douglas Engelbart changed the way computers worked, from specialized machinery that only a trained scientist could use, to a user-friendly tool that almost anyone can use. Now i think we're thinking of ways to do the same but without the tools
Chapter 2: The Desktop
3. As discussed in Chapter 2, describe some of the advancements that took place at Xerox PARC, the people involved and what they contributed.
a part of Xerox Corporation, PARC has been responsible for things like laser printing, Ethernet, the modern personal computer, graphical user interface, object-oriented programming, ubiquitous computing, and much more.Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs—started a new computer manufacturing company named Apple Computers.
As We May Think
4. Vannevar Bush’s vision inspired the next few generations of technologists, and his idea of a “memex” resembles devices we use today. What was the “memex” and what benefits did Bush think it would have?
Bush envisioned the memex as a device in which an individual would compress and store all of their books, records, and communications. He thought it would be like an enlarged intimate supplement to one's memory.
