Speed of thought?

[Turkey]

I think when it comes down to it, the current state of UIs is relatively good. The idea is to maximize the tool that is the computer. Most people are pretty good at using their hands to manipulate tools. The difference between computers and other tools is that computers basically exist in 2d (statically on-screen) and sometimes in 3d (dynamically/interactively on-screen) and other tools (cars, hammers, phones) exist in 3d or 4d (3d space + dynamic/interactive). The "next big thing" IMO will be uses of the computer that extend it to 4d (3d space + dynamic/interactive), like home lighting/security control, automated driving, microsensor weather reporting (drop 30,000 1 oz biodegradable networked weather sensors from a plane at 15,000 ft, they report where they land and the weather conditions there), ad hoc networking, etc. There's only so many times you can experience a UI revolution from your desk , and we've already gone through the monochrome->color, CLI->GUI, 2d->accelerated "3D", text i/o->multimedia i/o, and mouse wheely-thing revolutions.

And my unsolicited opinion on voice recognition: not gonna be widespread ever. For almost all applications it doesn't use the strength of the computer as a tool. Most applications don't require text as input, and commanding the computer with your voice is artificially imposing the human-human interface on the human-computer interface (which we have pretty good interfaces for already).

Just as an aside, it'd be nicer if we could impose the human-computer interface on the human-human interface. Someone swerving left into your lane from the right? Right arrow the other car. Significant other nagging you all the time? Redirect their output. Customer service agent getting frustrated? Restart the phone call. And how many people have wished for a real-life backspace key? Come on, raise your hands .

 

[C2]

I think processing speed is limited by the line width and voltage requirements of processors. You can only get to a certian line width before you start getting quantum leaps and leakage. Gate rupture voltages are getting lower and lower as line width lowers. Increase in frequency past a certian point will eventually lead to the inability of gate to breakdown and conduct, or to stop conducting. This is with silicon of course.

I think, however, the intent of the thread was to decide if the computer will ever reach the speed of the user. I would say probably not. When a computer can process your input, give you your selected menu or page and perform the task without a noticable delay, then I would suggest the speed of the processor is adequate for the task and no higher speed would be noticable.

As we all know, our PC are not as limited by our processors as they are by the bus speeds and memory propagation delay (forget about the HDD...it's a snail).

 

[Shalmanese]

The thing is the nature of the "task" will scale up with processor speeds until a final limit is reached. To me, that is full body immersion VR with completely accurate Physics which is theoretically impossible.

 

[figgypower]

<< "The next step will me molecular computers they say. "
That's what I'm afraid of!
We are trying to simulate our own brain, when we dont know how to use it.An avarage human being uses up to 3% of his brain potential(genius 4 to 5%)and it probably should be this way. The rest of the potential is being used very rarely. In some extreme situations and that's when a human is capable of doing miracles. If people create something half as smart as human brain... we are all done for it!
Personally, I like computers the way they are right now. FASTER? Great! I don't mind. SMARTER? No way! I prefer to be able to tell it what to do, than to be told by it to do something. >>



Um... we don't all really use 3, 4, 5% of our brain - we would all be mentally retarded then, literally... humans use a portion of the brain (which
varies, percantage wise) depending on the particular task. For example you use more of your brain for complex visual processing than you do
to lift your hand. Within a few minutes you're probably using a large majority, if not all, of your brain. For example, when you're on the
computer typing a paper you are moving your hands, using your eyes to see what you type, forumlate what you type before you do, think,
and hear the clicking of the keyboard. Check out: Changing Your Mind

 

[Mingon]

<< Currently the theoretical limit of processor speed is electrical in nature... beyond that I can't explain >>



The next stage is light based - i.e fibre optics.

 

[jbod]

Interesting perspectives, thanks guys....