I personally found "User Interface Design for Programmers" by Joel Spolsky to be an excellent resource. A fellow developer suggested it to me after experience some of my option-laden interfaces, and it actually did change my ideas of how a UI should be designed so that others can actually use it. It's all about concepts; it has no code and is not specific to a particular OS or UI toolkit. Some of the examples don't even have to do with computers.
Updated with modern communications technology, satellite data, reconnaissance methods (could you see KITT launching UAVs?
Back in the '90s there was a show called Viper, which featured a Dodge that could shapeshift from its standard mode to an armored "Defender" mode (via magic nanotech; even the tires got bigger), included various hidden weapons, and it even had a UAV. The car didn't have an AI or anything like that, though. It's sort of amusing to me that Viper -- a show probably inspired by the original Knight Rider (down to the guy with no memory of his past becoming the driver)-- may itself be inspiring aspects of the new Knight Rider. Sort of.
I would also like to see something with some more grounded technology. I'm sort of surprised such fantastic shows do as well as they do. The whole magical "reconfigure the main deflector dish" style solutions are starting to get a bit old.
If you search YouTube for "Viper TV" you can find various video clips showing the transformation, weapons and the UAV.
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I personally found "User Interface Design for Programmers" by Joel Spolsky to be an excellent resource. A fellow developer suggested it to me after experience some of my option-laden interfaces, and it actually did change my ideas of how a UI should be designed so that others can actually use it. It's all about concepts; it has no code and is not specific to a particular OS or UI toolkit. Some of the examples don't even have to do with computers.
If you want to check it out, the author has the http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.htmlfirst chapter on his web site.
-- Joe
Back in the '90s there was a show called Viper, which featured a Dodge that could shapeshift from its standard mode to an armored "Defender" mode (via magic nanotech; even the tires got bigger), included various hidden weapons, and it even had a UAV. The car didn't have an AI or anything like that, though. It's sort of amusing to me that Viper -- a show probably inspired by the original Knight Rider (down to the guy with no memory of his past becoming the driver)-- may itself be inspiring aspects of the new Knight Rider. Sort of.
I would also like to see something with some more grounded technology. I'm sort of surprised such fantastic shows do as well as they do. The whole magical "reconfigure the main deflector dish" style solutions are starting to get a bit old.
If you search YouTube for "Viper TV" you can find various video clips showing the transformation, weapons and the UAV.
-- Joe