The ultimate goal of ubiquitous computing is to implement calm technology, a world where computers do not cause stress, but enhance our lives and make many tasks easier. Eyeglasses are an example of calm technology. They help us to see the world more clearly, but they do not distract us from what we are doing, and we are barely aware of their existence. According to Dr. Weiser, the purpose of a computer is to help you do something else. The computer should extend your unconscious and the more you can do by intuition, the smarter you are. Like Donald A. Norman (Norman:1988), he believes that the best computer program is the one in which the computer 'disappears' and the user seems to be working directly on the problem.
The way these devices control information overload is by making the machine conform to the user, not the other way around. Information is presented in the manner the user decides, and is easily accessible. Accessing the information doesn't require the user to work, it just appears. For example, a personalized newspaper could have the news that the user wishes to read displayed on it each morning, so the user doesn't have to search through the entire paper, or access the Internet to find it.
Research directly related to the Internet is looking at browsers that can present information more effeciently and provide real-time delivery of complex information. XEROX has invented a 'hyperbolic' browser that can display hundreds of pages and their links simultaneously. They have also developed videoconferencing tools and developed the Multicast Backbone (MBONE) which broadcasts audio and video over the Internet.(Weiser:1995)
Copyright © 1996 Ingrid E. Burbey, All Rights Reserved
Ingrid Burbey
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Last modified: Wed Dec 11 1996