(Apologies for the non-original headline, but it’s perfect in so many ways)
Despite having owned an original blue clamshell iBook and an occasional iPod, I’m definitely not an Apple fanboy. Which is one big reason I looked on the coming iPad with disdain. However, a few weeks back I was watching my 5-year-old son struggle to use a mouse to drag the browser slidebar on one of my netbooks, and I realized that we have surrounded ourselves with succeeding generations of tech that are utterly anti-human, and, with today’s technology, no longer needed. My next personal computer will be a tablet, and I’m eager to see how a humanistic interface changes my media production (really not sure about text blogging on a tablet). Most of all, I look forward to my sons exploring the world without a mouse and (what we know as a) browser. Check out the latest cover piece from Wired for more. – Adriel Hampton is producer of the Gov 2.0 Radio podcast and a San Francisco public servant.
Despite having owned an original blue clamshell iBook and an occasional iPod, I’m definitely not an Apple fanboy. Which is one big reason I looked on the coming iPad with disdain. However, a few weeks back I was watching my 5-year-old son struggle to use a mouse to drag the browser slidebar on one of my netbooks, and I realized that we have surrounded ourselves with succeeding generations of tech that are utterly anti-human, and, with today’s technology, no longer needed. My next personal computer will be a tablet, and I’m eager to see how a humanistic interface changes my media production (really not sure about text blogging on a tablet). Most of all, I look forward to my sons exploring the world without a mouse and (what we know as a) browser. Check out the latest cover piece from Wired for more. – Adriel Hampton is producer of the Gov 2.0 Radio podcast and a San Francisco public servant.
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One response to “The Tabula Rasa of Personal Computers”
Like you I have found myself a little more open to the iPad. There is one “killer application” already that I have thought of, basically using it to operate remote support client software to interact with clients from anywhere. This of course would depend on AT&T’s wireless data network which could be a problem. In time I think this will fit that role.
I’d love to have one to play with for 30 days or so…
Joe