false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168305399m/32012.jpg 32012 4 Currently, computer users must navigate a sea of guidebooks, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and wizards to perform a task such as searching the Web or creating a spreadsheet. While Donald Norman acknowledges that the personal computer allows for "flexibility and power," he also makes its limitations perfectly clear. "The personal computer is perhaps the most frustrating technology ever," he writes. "It should be quiet, invisible, unobtrusive." His vision is that of the "information appliance," digital tools created to answer our specific needs, yet interconnected to allow communication between devices.<p> His solution? "Design the tool to fit so well that the tool becomes a part of the task." He proposes using the PC as the infrastructure for devices hidden in walls, in car dashboards, and held in the palm of the hand. A word of caution: some of Norman's zealotry leads to a certain creepiness (global positioning body implants) and goofiness (electric-power-generating plants in shoes). His message, though, is reasonably situated in the concept that the tools should bend to fit us and our goals: we sit down to write, not to word process; to balance bank accounts, not to fill in cells on a spreadsheet. In evenly measuring out the future of humanity's technological needs--and the limitations of the PC's current incarnation--Norman presents a formidable argument for a renaissance of the information appliance. <I>--Jennifer Buckendorff</I> 32227 1998 The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution total:37|5:5|4:15|3:13|2:4|1:0| 37 132 74 4 3 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon May 28 17:39:50 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 08 14:07:29 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 10:04:31 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 10:05:18 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jun 29 06:01:44 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 06:02:39 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jul 14 15:04:27 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 15:04:40 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Fri Nov 27 13:56:53 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 14:15:07 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Nov 01 21:11:17 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 01 21:32:47 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sun Oct 18 23:55:32 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 23:55:51 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 22 01:08:10 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 01:08:10 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 07 15:54:59 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 15:54:59 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Sep 06 16:11:28 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 16:11:28 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 05 12:06:08 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 12:06:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Tue Aug 25 22:47:40 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 22:47:47 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Aug 23 19:32:07 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 19:32:07 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 20 11:35:48 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 11:35:55 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Aug 15 09:11:35 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 09:11:35 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jul 27 22:27:45 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 22:27:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jul 19 21:08:43 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 21:08:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jul 14 10:16:12 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 10:16:12 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Jun 27 18:54:53 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 18:54:53 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jun 21 17:04:22 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 17:04:22 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=32012