People don't buy calm: revisiting Weiser's "The Computer for the 21st Century"
9 hours ago
- #Ambient Computing
- #Adaptive Software
- #Attention Economy
- Mark Weiser's 1991 paper envisions computers that blend into the environment, avoiding frustration by being ubiquitous and calm, unlike today's attention-grabbing devices.
- Despite early experiments showing superior alternatives, mainstream computing doubled down on disruptive patterns, leading to current issues with attention and exploitative designs in mobile and social media.
- The author questions why calm computing failed to propagate, suggesting it may be too extreme by denying human nature and the 'lizard brain' pleasures, while pure entertainment models also neglect focus and rest.
- A balance is needed: leveraging mechanisms like gamification and triggers wisely, using adaptive software to align attention with individual goals, whether for work or leisure, without completely ignoring either side of human nature.
- Advances in AI and reduced software costs enable personalized, real-time adaptive systems that can harness attention productively, as seen in initiatives like Sky Valley Ambient Computing.