[Hidden-tech] need thoughts on future search tools for kid's book

[Reva Reck]

Has it occurred to any of you miniaturization proponents that looking at 
anything on a 2x3 inch screen is less than ideal? How about the fact 
that clothes, especially kid's clothes,  need to be washed occasionally 
& that pockets loaded w. electronics will be a nightmare for whoever's 
doing the laundry? Are these electronics going to be so cheap that we 
won't care when our kids lose them or break them after falling on the 
playground and/or tearing a pocket? Or are these going to be classroom 
items that belong to the school, hopefully with head-lice proof 
headsets? Pardon my cynicism, but I think it's important to distinguish 
between virtual reality and the real world.

Reva  Reck
978.544.3911
reva at revareck.com



Steven Solomon wrote:
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> Amy,
>
> I second (or third) what Lou and Scott had to say. We are at the 
> beginning of seeing computers "disappear". The first manifestations of 
> this trend is powerful cellphone/computers and iPods that slip into 
> your clothing, such as jackets and pants with pockets designed just 
> for such devices. Some ski jackets now come with MP3 players built 
> into their collars. This trend is now just at the tinker-toy stage, 
> but it shows industry awareness of where this can go and is the 
> foundation of a strange convergence of computing and fashion.
>
> Before not too long, multi-purpose electronics that now take up 
> several square inches or more (PCs, palm-tops) will shrink to a size 
> that can fit in a belt buckle. Wireless connectivity will become much 
> more robust. Optical computing will have arrived. Two decades from now 
> it will likely be routine for packages of consumer commodities and 
> medicines to communicate to the Internet. Walmart and other companies 
> are already using RFD to control inventory, plane ticket ordering, 
> etc. These functions are largely invisible to the consumer but the 
> adaptive, somewhat intelligent networks that they rely on are working 
> pretty well at this early stage.
>
> So, let's assume that the developed world finally gets its act 
> together and develops Africa, making a new market for our goods to 
> compliment Africa's abundant resources that we rely on (metals, 
> diamonds, etc.). That kid in, say, the Republic of Congo in the year 
> 2525, would plug in a set of wireless ear buds and talk to his 
> trousers. His trousers would understand human speech and reply in kind 
> while sending the response to the printer at the school or home.
>
> Finally, you might want to speculate on a more distant future. 2100. 
> Neural implants for machine/human interaction? The first experiments, 
> successful ones, are happening now.
>
> S
>>
>
>
>> In social studies class you are studying Africa. Your teacher asks
>> you to find an article on your desktop computer about the people of
>> Central Africa. By 2030 there is so much information on the web that
>> you need a software tool called a 'bot to help find the data. 'Bots
>> are animated computer figures that ask questions to make your data
>> search easier.
>>
>> Here is my suggestion for changing it...
>>
>> In social studies class you are studying Africa. Your teacher asks
>> you to find an article on your desktop computer about the people of
>> Central Africa.By 2030,computer memory has grown so large, that all
>> knowledge since the dawn of civilization will be available on line.
>> Using special "thinking" software called Artificial Intelligence, the
>> computer will not only find the answer to your question but will also
>> try to guess what else you might need before you ask it.
>>
> Steven Solomon
> Writer, Inventor, Near Futurist
> ssol at interactiveguild.com
> http://www.interactiveguild.com
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