Friday 16 January 2009

Nerdy film, Helvetica, recommended!

Prompted by the 50th birthday of the Swiss typeface Helvetica last year, the documentary by Gary Hustwit looks at the astonishing prevalence of Helvetica in the signs and logos of the urban landscape that surrounds us.

Those interviewed generally belong to either the Helvetica is great or Helvetica is dull camp: control and restraint versus creativity and free expression, legibility versus visual communication, old versus new - there's no sitting on the fence with this one!

The joy and enthusiasm for the work of the cheerful typeface designers interviewed is definitely the best advertisement I've seen for any profession!

You should at least have a mild interest in design before thinking about watching it...

Saturday 3 January 2009

The uncertain future of the computer mouse: retirement, longevity ...or evolution?

The computer mouse's 40th birthday has created great debate as to whether it's time for its dignified retirement or whether it could go on to be around for some time to come.

Arguments in favour of its retirement:
  1. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
  2. Anything being 40 years old related to computers is a rare phenomenon, and automatically assumed obsolete
  3. There must be a more futuristic, gestural Minority Report-style alternative, right?!

Arguments against:
  1. It does the job
  2. It's cheap
  3. It's robust. Let's face it, it's one of the few pieces of computer equipment that never breaks

However, what I expect and have been expecting to occur for some time - though it doesn't seemed to have happened - is not for the mouse to retire, but for it to evolve.


Key characteristics of my ideal Future Mouse would be:
  • Future mouse makes use of opposable thumbs (much like a TV remote control)
  • Future mouse doesn't require your arm to be lifted, pushing out your shoulder and tiring your wrist: it would be a lapmouse (goodbye RSI)
  • Future mouse does not require any strength: it requires a gentle squeezing rather than clicking
  • Despite being a lapmouse, it would also work in the conventional manner, on top of the table (it's extremely versatile, you see)
  • It wouldn't feel like such a hard plastic, but more of a ball of putty (could be quite a satisfying combination of a stress ball and work tool, - improving the user experience)
  • Being futuristic, it would of course be extremely green, made of biodegradable plastic perhaps
Well, time will tell...!

However, should the mouse retire suddenly, I only hope individuals, hardware companies and town councils find some way to recycle all that plastic! :-o


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