Of Mice and ?
It's time for an alternate way to interact with a computer. The mouse was invented in 1963 by Doug Englebart and ironically enough, was originally known as the bug. Mice came into their own with the advent of Windowing systems, first the Mac, then MS Windows. Mice have been built with many options. There're wireless mice, optical mice, 1,2,3 or more button flavors.The mouse was ideally suited for moving windows around on the screen and seemed to fulfill the basic functions necessary for an input device: pointing and selecting objects.
The mouse is squeaking its age. Computer games only use mice when they have to, because the rodents are not a great tool when you're trying to do something quickly. It's not so great for sophisticated word processing, although it's usable. The biggest problem is that it's totally wrong for web browsing.
What we need would be a tool that:
- Allowed click-selection without taking your hands off the keyboard
- Had its own storage metaphor, like an unlimited paste buffer
- Was customized to the individual and probably taken away from computer to computer
I'm not sure what the answer is. If I had to guess, I'd say wearable technology like rings or bracelets, but it's too early to say. What I am sure of, is that this is big, big money waiting to be found.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." Imagine what they'd do if you built a better mouse.
Posted on March 30, 2006
