Jeanna’s Response for Ishii and Ullmer’s “Tangible Bits”

I think I was a little less-enthused about this reading than Kat. I think it was a good passage to read, but not necessarily having a lot to do with my specific project. It’s themes are manifested in a few classmates’ projects, (Kat’s, George’s, and Ashley’s come to mind) and in the larger scale, within DT’s thesis contingent. But to be frank, I don’t see what the fascination is over data visualization/interpretation via a tangible medium. The “Live Wire” example where Natalie Jeremijenko rigged a random plastic cord to a hole in the ceiling that would twitch depending on Ethernet activity seemed totally arbitrary. I also don’t see the importance of replacing buttons with tangible or tactile mediums like in the Marble Answering Machine.

Throughout the whole reading, I kept on thinking back to Mark Weiser’s ”Ubiquitous Computing”, and our earlier discussion involving the release of the ipad, so I was almost relieved to hear Weiser referenced on the first page. In Weiser’s reading I saw the importance of ubiquitous computing, and re-evaluating the GUI and the omnipresence and adaptability of computers, but for some reason, not the value of TUI in this reading.

I appreciate the depth that can come identifying and utilizing a humans concentrated and periphery attention, but the Ambient Room, the transBoard, and Tangible User Interfaces within the context of our department, (and the thesis projects this year) seem like a passing fad. I think using the idea that data and source feeds are being used to interact and manipulate a tangible interface is more exciting than the actual visualization. I could draw a similar parallel to a contemporary artwork who’s importance is dependent on the context surrounding the piece. I believe that even without the context, the viewer/listener/ user should find some value or impression from the piece without having to hear the whole backstory on how and why it was created. I feel that the context should enhance and supplement, but not be the sole factor that drives any interest surrounding it…. which seems the case with most of the pieces presented in this reading.