Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Festooned!! What a great word.

It's the 8 1/2 x 11 printed page, though, that's the real box.... We couldn't even begin to think about circular design for circular monitors (or, heck, spheres if you want to be really creative or Star-Trekk-y) until we're at a point socially where people rarely rely on the printed page. We're closer to that than it might seem, at least in advanced industrial societies, but to eliminate the need to print things from one's computer, we'd need a much more advanced, and inexpensive, and accesible-to-all-levels-of-geekitude set of mobile devices.

True enough, Erica. In fact, I used to define documents as "the rectangular display of information."

Hmm, sounds like he's talking about pie menus really, which turns out are not exactly a new idea...

I think it's Claude Levi-Strauss, in "Tristes Tropiques," who describes how missionaries and others seeking to wean Amazon indians away from their native culture first make sure their settlements are layed out in a grid plan, instead of the New World's indigenous circle. This seems to be a key step in breaking down the native world view.

I have thought that similarly officious aliens determined to break down the United States' culture, would start by taking away Americans' wrist watches, but maybe round CRTs would work just as well.

Or maybe it's a second step, after the Patriot Act?

We're closer to that than it might seem, at least in advanced industrial societies, but to eliminate the need to print things from one's computer, we'd need a much more advanced, and inexpensive, and accesible-to-all-levels-of-geekitude set of mobile devices.

And how about triangular design for triangular monitors??? )))