MOCHI Reading Group

"Peril Sensitive Sunglasses": How does the design of computer systems affect how we engage witht he world?

6:30pm
Wednesday, September 14th, 1005
411 West Hall (Ehrlicher Room) directions...

"Peril Sensitive Sunglasses : Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses have been specially designed to help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger. At the first hint of trouble, they turn totally black and thus prevent you from seeing anything that might alarm you. A double-pair is frequently worn by Zaphod Beeblebrox." - From Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

For the next MOCHI reading group we will discuss implications of the changing role of computers (from calculators with internally consistent worlds to connections to complex external data spaces and physical environments) on the design and use of computing systems. In particular we discuss what happens when computing systems are used to explain the world to us or act in the world for us. Instead of reading a single book, we will read a variety of articles that approach the topic from different directions. Feel free to read as many or as few as you like. Or read something else and tell us about it. (If you email us a link we'd be happy to distribute it to respondents)

Articles we will be discussing:(Please click on the links below for the articles)

• Direct Manipulation vs Intelligent Agents
  
• Agents of Alienation
  
• Computation and Human Experience (intro chapter)
  
• The Bed: A Medium for Intimate Communication
  

Material from this meeting:
- Direct Manipulation vs Intelligent Agents
Debate between Ben Shniederman and Pattie Maes

Ben Shniederman is a long time proponent of direct manipulation for user interfaces. Direct manipulation affords the user control and predictability in their interfaces. Pattie Maes believes direct manipulation will have to give way to some form of delegation - namely software agents. Should users give up complete control of their interaction with interfaces? Will users want to risk depending on 'agents' that learn their likes and dislikes and act on a users behalf?

In the conclusion to his article, "Consciousness as an engineering issue" (JCS,2 (1995), pp. 76-81), Donald Michie argues that the inclusion of intelligent computer systems in workgroups will lead to a blurring of the distinction between human and machine consciousness. He also refers to the increasing use of intelligent agent software in commercial applications. Given the exponential growth in the availability of on-line information through networked computer systems, AI routines are being developed to filter information, based on the user's own stated needs and preferences. In this article Jaron Lanier, who originated the term "virtual reality," argues that the use of intelligent agents will devalue human intelligence and creativity and diminish the role of conscious experience. The mind-body debate needs to move beyond the confines of academic philosophy as it has important implications for practical issues such as the design of computer systems.

This book offers a critical reconstruction of the fundamental ideas and methods in artificial intelligence (AI) research. By paying close attention to the metaphors of AI and their consequences for the field's patterns of success and failure, it argues for a reorientation of the field away from thought and toward activity. By considering computational ideas in a large, philosophical framework, the author eases critical dialogue between technology and the social sciences. AI can benefit from an understanding of the field in relation to human nature, and in return, it offers a powerful mode of investigation into the practicalities of physical realization.

In this paper, Chris Dodge presents "The Bed", an environment providing a new form of abstracted presence for intimate, non-verbal inter-personal communication. This secure and familiar environment is explored for its ability to become a shared virtual space for bridging the distance between two remotely located individuals through aural, visual, and tactile manifestations of subtle emotional qualities. As an example, Dodge describes the application of these tangible interfaces and ambient media into a working prototype.