Nick May wrote:
> Well - because there is far, far easier fruit to pick. Why are the
> Japanese happy with computers in every day life?
>
> BECAUSE THEY ARE WELL DESIGNED, WELL MARKETED, PARTICULARLY TO WOMEN,
> WELL SERVICED, RELIABLE AND DO WHAT THEY WANT THEM TO DO.
>
>
Actually, I guess that this is where Universal Design comes in. If you
read articles about universal design, it seems to be a priority with the
Japanese. I've read numerous Universal Design papers from Japan and I
think the Docomo raku-raku handset is another reminder of this concept.
I follow the T-Engine/TRON Projects (headed by Prof Sakamura of
University of Tokyo) closely and they have embraced Ubiquitous Computing
as an extension of Universal Design and Enableware. They are very
focused on the idea that computers are nothing but machines that can/
should be designed to serve humans. If designed properly and with the
correct knowledge base, they will be tools for all, not just the {rich |
privileged | able | young}.
On a side note, I heard that there was a big earthquake in Japan today -
I hope those on the list who are in Japan are fine.
Cheers
Mohit.
Received on Sun Mar 25 15:39:05 2007