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Category: zettel

scraps of paper

Virtual Affordances: from earth to aether

Published November 18, 2006 by cgerrish

As the network is unbound from metal wires and begins to diffuse into the air around us, the number of access points expand enormously. This signals the beginning of the end of the KVM (Keyboard/Video/Mouse) interface. These interaction methods owe their existence to the typewriter — they exist because of tradition, not efficacy. The typewriter is not mobile — it lives on a desk. The laptop has introduced an new mobility — but there is an opening for a new device that reveals how truly painful it is to lug a laptop everywhere. The joystick and other game controller devices point the way for the Web. Binding actions to these new devices will need to become part of our coding standards.

The other approach is one taken by Palm and now by Apple: a touch screen that can simulate multiple interfaces. A keyboard and mouse can have true differences in feel and design — but the modes of interaction are well established. A blank touchpad interface that can be visually designed and programmed presents new interaction opportunities for a small form factor device.

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The Ballad Of The Gillmor Gang

Published November 16, 2006 by cgerrish

Is there a correlation between the volatility of the Gillmor Gang and the state of Bubble 2.0? Which will blow apart first? If it blows, there’s a much shorter distance to fall.

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As Seen On YouTube!

Published November 13, 2006 by cgerrish

One can’t deny that there’s some bubbly-ness about the current crop of internet start ups, but as Scoble points out, there are some significant differences. Google figured out how to turn traffic (“eyeballs”) into revenue through AdSense. And the new internet companies aren’t dropping loads of cash on traditional media to buy advertising. No TV commercials for Digg.

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Web 4.0

Published November 13, 2006 by cgerrish

It’s easy to add one to a number. But do you really get a paradigm shift by adding a number to Web 2.0? The more you know about the history of the Web and interactive computing, the more meaningless names like “Web 2.0” or “Web 3.0” or “Web 4.0” are. Certainly a guy like John Markoff should know better. He wrote a book about Doug Engelbart — he must know that none of this is new. And certainly the idea of a semantic Web isn’t new.

We’ve finally reached the point where the phrase “Web 2.0” does more damage than good. It’s no longer meaningful, if it ever was. The next time you hear someone say “Web 2.0” cover your ears and start shreiking “loo loo loo loo loo loo.”

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