The Unfinished Revolution
by Michael Dertouzos
List Price: $26.00
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0066620678
Publisher: HarperCollins
Michael Dertouzos begins his latest book, THE UNFINISHED REVOLUTION, with
an all-too-familiar scenario when he describes spending the bulk of a
long transatlantic flight trying to download his personal calendar onto
his laptop using a so-called "smart card." The frustration felt by the
author, who has headed up the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science for
over twenty-five years, is replicated thousands of times a day by people
who have considerably fewer computer skills than he. After all, it is
an accepted fact that computers will crash, software will be indecipherable
and machines in the same home or office will be incompatible when linked
together. In THE UNFINISHED REVOLUTION, Dertouzos proposes a solution
to these modern technical woes. Using one's computer, he argues, should
be as easy as driving a car -- with one pedal for the gas, one for the
brake, and no impossibly dense manuals to figure out.
The solution, as Dertouzos
sees it, is to make computers "human-centered," a concept that goes beyond
the idea of the "user friendly" PC or the high speed modem. Computers,
Dertouzos argues, should be designed around the needs and capabilities
of people rather than people trying to adapt to the machine. We have become
so used to battling with inefficiency in our computers that we are unable
to see the need to change them. The first step, Dertouzos argues, is in
changing our mindset.
Once we have realized the need to make computers more human-centered, Dertouzos proposes five striking
new technologies that will aid in the process. These technologies are
possible, even feasible, right now. In order to become truly human-centered,
Dertouzos says, computers will interact with us (understand human speech
and respond in ways that we can understand), automate human tasks (saving
time and increasing human efficiency), individualize information access
(gather information relevant to a specific person based on preset commands
and preferences, again, saving valuable time), facilitate human collaboration
across space and time (linking humans together through a common network
to allow for increased productivity), and offer easy customization (wherein
the computer adapts to our individual preferences instead of the reverse).
Dertouzos describes each of these five types of interactions and the type of technology needed with
several detailed examples. Extrapolating from the fundamental technologies
he proposes, Dertouzos goes on to describe how almost every aspect of
our daily lives can be enhanced by a transition to human-centered computers.
There is great potential in the field of health care, for example, as
sophisticated tests could be administered quickly and efficiently and
an individual's entire medical history could be tracked, from home, by
a personal "guardian angel." Commerce is another field that would benefit
greatly as businesses could link and share information for products and
research. Finally, Dertouzos explains how education, so critical in today's
society, could be vastly improved by pooled and efficient information
available across a broad base.
Dertouzos finishes by describing how his model can be created in the near future by detailing a current
experimental system used by MIT called Oxygen that combines all of the
five human-centric technologies. In his description, Dertouzos demonstrates
how human-centered computing has the potential to relieve us of the inevitable
frustrations of today's computers and save us immeasurable hours of time,
trouble and inefficiency
top of the page
1. What, in your opinion,
does the author mean by "human-centric computers?" Does this mean computers
should be more like people?
2. Often we factor obsolescence
into our purchase of computer equipment and upgrade continuously. Dertouzos
describes this as being brainwashed to think we have more efficient
or faster computers when, actually, we are experiencing even greater
inefficiency. Aside from personal computers, what other technologies
can you think of that are similarly inefficient?
3. There is a persistent image
in our popular culture of a world running amok with over-intelligent
computers that seek to dominate their creators. How is this model different
from the one that Michael Dertouzos presents?
4. What is the difference
between human intelligence and computer intelligence? Can computers
be trained to "think?" On what level?
5. Discuss the differences
in the ways computers see and the way humans see. How can computer vision
and human vision become compatible?
6. Dertouzos mentions medicine,
emergency response and commerce as areas that will benefit greatly from
human-centered computing. What other arenas can you think of that would
benefit?
7. Besides the example offered
in the book of a streamlined, computerized doctor visit, how do you
think human-centered computers could advance medicine? Do you see a
potential conflict between the human touch and the human-centered computer?
Could the latter ever replace the former?
8. One of the author's five
key technologies is automation -- getting computers to work together
to save humans time and energy and increase efficiency. Discuss some
specific ways, other than those presented in the book, that this could
be effected.
9. In your opinion, will the
increased efficiency of computers eliminate human jobs? Why or why not?
What opportunities and jobs might result for people when/if computers
become more human-centric?
10. Part of the author's vision
for human-centered computers includes linking various information systems
to create individualized information. Does this interconnectedness mean
a loss of privacy? Can privacy be insured when there is such a wholesale
exchange of information? How?
11. Dertouzos makes a compelling
argument that whenever technology advances so do its potential abuses.
Given human nature as you see it, will the advantages of a human-centric
society outweigh its disadvantages?
top of the page
"A vast tapestry of insight and vision. Digital Guardian Angels hover in perpetual service. Dertouzos sprinkles gem-like vignettes on a magic carpet of ideas and shows how the human side of computing and communication may usher in a new revolution in human-centered technology. Read it!"—Internet Pioneer
"With wry humor and searing
wit, the man Time Magazine calls, "MIT's #1 computer guru"...envisions a time when we alternate ample leisure with intellectually stimulating work, seamlessly."—Publishers Weekly
"Michael Dertouzos paints a picture of the world as it should be. His recommendation for a human-centric approach to computing will raise the Information Revolution out of its infancy and unleash the full potential of the broadband era."—Nobuyuki Idei, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation
