There is no spoon

I just thought of a device. It would be small, a few ounces at most, durable, and have a long battery life between charges. It would store my contacts, notes, my music, pictures and be connected to my PC. It could take pictures and video, receive FM radio, and make calls anywhere in the world. This device cost under a hundred dollars, and, here's the shocker, its gray not black.

This week's readings touched on a wide array of topics ranging from the future of education, puppets, computer aided design in architecture, global revolutions and the notoriously elusive black box.

When I was young, my friend Matt had a black box. It sat on top of the TV and he got HBO and Pay-Per-View for free, all day, everyday. Needless to say, it was awesome.

But that's not the type of black box being talked about today (Jenkins, H. (2006). Introduction: “Worship at the alter of convergence”). Today's idea of a black box is a singular, magical hardware device through which this recently created, ever expanding cornucopia of digital pictures, words, thoughts, videos, debates, commerce, literature and expression will be absorbed.

Oh and porn, can't forget about porn.

Personally, I agree with what was recently written in RDMilner's Blog: "Black Box, will it happen? We’re there Jenkins, “black boxes” are all around us if you know where to look."
As far as one, plug-in-and-go device, I see one final, and huge obstacle. I don't want to blog from my couch, and I don't want to watch ABC's Lost at my computer desk, and I'm not the only one. This may seem like a small statement, but I think its ramifications are keeping the singular black box out of the American home.

Browsing the internet is, for the most part, a personal, often private experience. I ask any of you readers, who has felt uncomfortable sitting in a public library a foot or so away from another browser? And who hasn't sneaked a peak at their screen out of curiosity?

Films, radio, and TV shows on the other hand, are often thought of as social group activities, more suitable for public spaces such as cars or living rooms.

Now there are, as always, exceptions. During a recent trip to see friends, we ended up huddled together in a friend's bedroom watching each of our favorite youtube videos. Some sat in chairs, others on the bed, me I sat on the floor. Some connection between the PC and the TV in the living room, whether it be wired or wireless, would certainly have been useful here.

Key to unlocking the Box

Perhaps the key to the black box is not a singular device, but rather a web that connects our boxes together. Synergy between my phone, my computers (home, work, mobile), my TV, my house's climate control and my fridge, could the black box be a wireless hub bringing all these things together?

This idea of a singular black box, in my opinion, will never fully become reality. To quote the Matrix movie, "There is no spoon", and I believe there is no black box. I want a office and a home theater, and I'm not alone.


Random Reactions, Thoughts, Questions

-The ability to affect the world on a global scale was a power once left to kings, religious organizations, and governments. BrophBlog
To what extent is this still true? What about the social rebellion and revolutions before the age of the internet? Has the internet's wide avaliblity brought with it a mob mentality, anonymity of the web allowing us to act in ways we may otherwise not?


How do you make the site visually appealing to draw the user in but at the same time how do you easily present the necessary information. Jadimauro's Weblog This is an interesting point, one we are discussing in ICM 502. Is there a formula to find the balance? Or is the internet and our relationship in constant flux, changing and evolving as we move forward?


Can each individual be his or her own architect? General tone of Negroponte, N. (2003). Soft Architecture Machines (Selection).
In my opinion, yes. A person can design his or her own home. It could be different, funky, and creative. This house, could also be structurally unsound, collapse, and injure or kill someone. Obviously next would come the lawsuits, trials and settlements. Then designing houses will go back to the professionals.


Is Computer Assisted Instruction, using computer interfaces to enhance and enrich our educational system - a cure all? Question raised in Nelson, T. (2003). Computer Lib (Selection).
I think computers are a great tool, but nothing can replace a human to human interaction. Sure a student can dissect a frog on a computer screen. Then the student can learn human anatomy on a computer screen, complete with 3D diagrams, figures and data. This student could study the history of cardiology, the most recent technological advances, and all the latest drugs. But when they are finally scrubbed up and in the O.R., how will they be able to handle the warm blood, smells and sounds of open heart surgery without the years spend easing into it?