Evolution in Progress

As we've rolled through the age of computers and into the age of the internet, mankind has had to evolve. We've changed the way we work, the way we play, the way we shop... we've changed the way we live as our technology affords us new opportunities and abilities every day.

This evolution becomes evident when you look at various stages of the tools we use. For example, look at computer interfaces... first there are these neat new tools, but they're kinda hard to use unless you know what you're doing. Some learn, some don't. Over time, the user interface got simpler (thank you Steve Jobs!), and suddenly this new technology was accessible to a much wider range of people, as you didn't have to know a; the details about how a computer worked in order to use one. The way we interacted with computers evolved, and as a result, widespread use of these tools allowed mankind to evolve as a whole.

But even though the computers themselves became simpler to use, many applications remained convoluted. I read an article that described how website creators and software developers seem to view the prototypical user as incapable of reading, barely cognizant of what they desire and are best served by products that offer a least common denominator feature set. As such, many web interfaces have also become "simpler" in the name of allowing people to use them without having to know what they're doing. There are advertisements on TV today (for Bing.com) which not only exemplify this, but use it as a selling point.

Doesn't it seem like a better solution would be for mankind to evolve again? Rather than require dumbed down, simplified versions of everything, wouldn't it be better if people learned to master the tools at their disposal? Even if you agree, how do we encourage or accomplish that? I think perhaps Microsoft has found a way to do just that!

Despite the marketing campaign for Windows 7 ("Simplified!"), I saw something today that makes me think Microsoft may be taking steps to help push mankind forward on an evolutionary scale. As described in that Lost Garden blog post, someone at Microsoft had the following idea:

How do you get people to learn a complicated task? Make a game out of it!

Microsoft is testing something they're calling Ribbon Hero, a plug-in for Microsoft Office that turns using a word processor or spreadsheet into a game. You get points for using various features of the program, and if you want to improve your score, you have to dig deeper into the features, and in the process you'll learn how to use them! I haven't fully explored this yet, and indeed I don't think it's fully developed yet, but the idea behind it is solid. Inspired. Ingenious! Rather than remove more complicated features of these neat new tools, or hide them in the background so users can ignore them, why not reward users for figuring out how to use those features and master them? People like to do that, we're built to do it.

If you look around it is easy to see that gaming is a huge part of today's culture. Maybe this is because today's 25-34 year old masses spent their childhood in front of Nintendo, or got hooked on Everquest (and then World of Warcraft) 10 years ago - I don't know. but while the economy falls apart, Xboxes and Playstations just keep on coming. Hundreds of video games for dozens of systems line the shelves at Best Buy while it's tough to find a regular application like InDesign (I just looked the other day). Is this a coincidence? I think not. I think that the way games work factors in elegantly with the way people learn. Humans are hardwired to do the kinds of things that games encourage or force you to do. So it makes sense that the next evolution in learning is tied into gaming. Check out this comic strip I ghanked from Penny Arcade:


Heh, I bet they thought they were kidding!

New toys!

First off, the DVR situation I posted about last week is all better now... they sent a brand new DVR without any hassle. They DID charge $20 for shipping and handling, but that's just the way it goes. I really don't like how these types of services (Satellite, Cell Phone, etc) operate... seems to me the service fees should cover that (i.e. they should set their fees so it covers that), and I think they should give away the hardware if you're paying monthly to rent it and for the service. It just makes sense.

But that's neither here nor there... I can now watch TV at my leisure again, so that's good.

The even better news is that I got a new toy! For years I've been whining that I don't have a laptop. Every time I go to the store to shop for one I think "I'll never use that!" I have also had trouble deciding just what I really wanted - MacBook, MacBook Pro, PC, and what stats and specs to get. Finally I decided to quit whining and just buy a freaking laptop already. I went to Dell's website and started shopping.

I upgraded all of the options I think are important - monitor, memory, battery. I probably paid more than I needed to, but my philosophy with this kind of purchase is that if you want it to last any significant amount of time you really have to get something near the top of the line - even the very best is obsolete moments after you get it home. Besides, I figured that if I retroactively allocate say $50 a month for every month I wished I had a laptop, that would be enough to pay for this one. Also, my computer is getting pretty darn old and slow, and for a while I've been thinking it's time for a new one.

My new toy came last Saturday, and I'm really enjoying it! I'm finally able to use the computer while watching tv, enjoy the speed of a new machine, and make use of the built in camera for video chat, and this weekend I get to enjoy the portability of a laptop and the convenience of WiFi when I take my computer on vacation with me.

Murphy: 2,642; Jaffee: 0

I think I've kvetched before about technology, and how it would be so nice to use - if only it ever did what it was supposed to do.

I used to be tech-savvy, and I'm not sure exactly what happened but now I'm baffled by the things computers do, or don't do, on a seemingly regular basis. The thing that baffles me the most is when something doesn't work one day which worked just fine the last time I touched it.

Last August I downloaded a program called Zun Tzu, which allows you to load up a "gamebox" and then basically connect with other people online and play a board game. Someone has to create this gamebox, and the program acts like a table with the pieces on it, and people can do whatever they want with the pieces. It's like playing a board game on a table in your living room, only you can do it with your friends in New York, New Jersey, Utah, California, and Uruguay. When I downloaded it I tried it out - loaded up a gamebox that a friend had made, connected with 3 other people in three other states, and everything was groovy. I haven't used it since.

Today I tried to load up a new gamebox made by another friend. When I opened the program, the first thing it did was search for updates, to make sure all users have the same version, which seemed to work fine. Then it automatically opened a 'wizard' to make sure my USB microphone thing was working properly, which I believe it did last time as well. That too seemed fine. Then all of a sudden it gave me an error message, stating that the program had a problem and had to stop.

After that message a couple of times I got a different message, the program simply would not start - it wouldn't open the new gamebox file, nor the old one which used to work, nor the program by itself. I tried uninstalling and re-downloading the program (more than once), and still nothing. I tried a System Restore, going back as far as I could, still nothing. In fact, and I'm not sure what caused this, but now the program won't even try to start. I simply get an "Application cannot be started" dialog. And I can't seem to uninstall it anymore either.

This is the kind of thing I find frustrating and infuriating. I've been annoyed with my computer for a while now, and I've been thinking of getting a laptop - this incident may be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back.

Anyone know a good brand/model laptop to get? I don't need to do any "serious 3D power gaming" or anything. I mostly would use it to do web stuff like post these blogs, and use programs like that Zun Tzu. Maybe also run things like Photoshop from time to time.