First of all, I'd just like to say Woz is my hero. He truly has the soul of an engineer.
Aye I read the article, there is a lot more to it. This was my favorite quote:
Some year, some decade, it might just come into the popular conscious to start making things more beautiful for people.
Is it just me, or does that just want to make you tear up? Note, he's not talking about making things more "beautiful" as in more eye-candy, but creating a better user experience for the humans that have to use these alien devices that don't have degrees in Computer Engineering and Computer Science.
Woz's view of the computer world may be an old-fashioned and a perfectionist one. It may even be impossible as devices and software become ever-more complex, leaving less and less time for regard of the user. But I still think it's the right one.
Systems like this are only useful if parents actually know what the ratings are and what they mean.
For example, Timmy wants KillTron 9000 for Christmas this year. KillTron 9000 has 65% better gore physics than its prequel KillTron 8500. Every other kid on the block knows this, Timmy knows this, but Mom and Dad don't know this.
All Mom and Dad know is that Timmy wants this game more that life itself. And what do most parents do? If mine were any example, they buy the little brat the game he wants to make him happy.
I've questioned these ratings since I was Timmy's age. Who is to say what is appropriate for what agegroups anyway?
Bottom line is, parents have to get more involved in researching the content that their kids are going to consume if these systems are going to prove to be worth anything.
I can imagine another possibility for a system of control like this. Nintendo starts advertising to parents about new control features that allows the system to be locked, say, during certain times of the day.
Imagine this: Timmy's on level 9 of Killtron 9000, he has almost got the 3rd boss, and CLICK. Off goes the Nintendo, cause it's 9:00 and thats what Mom set as the cut off time. He can't play again till he gets his daily access code tomorrow, AFTER he shows his Mom he finished his homework.
Or hey, say that Timmy has been a little snot lately. His grades are dropping and he won't clean his room. What better way for Mom to get his butt in gear than to lock up the Nintendo? It won't work until she types in her access code. My parents did the same to me, I was just on the honor system to not go within and armss length of it.
Slashdot Mirror
First of all, I'd just like to say Woz is my hero. He truly has the soul of an engineer.
Aye I read the article, there is a lot more to it. This was my favorite quote:
Some year, some decade, it might just come into the popular conscious to start making things more beautiful for people.
Is it just me, or does that just want to make you tear up? Note, he's not talking about making things more "beautiful" as in more eye-candy, but creating a better user experience for the humans that have to use these alien devices that don't have degrees in Computer Engineering and Computer Science.
Woz's view of the computer world may be an old-fashioned and a perfectionist one. It may even be impossible as devices and software become ever-more complex, leaving less and less time for regard of the user. But I still think it's the right one.Systems like this are only useful if parents actually know what the ratings are and what they mean. For example, Timmy wants KillTron 9000 for Christmas this year. KillTron 9000 has 65% better gore physics than its prequel KillTron 8500. Every other kid on the block knows this, Timmy knows this, but Mom and Dad don't know this. All Mom and Dad know is that Timmy wants this game more that life itself. And what do most parents do? If mine were any example, they buy the little brat the game he wants to make him happy. I've questioned these ratings since I was Timmy's age. Who is to say what is appropriate for what agegroups anyway? Bottom line is, parents have to get more involved in researching the content that their kids are going to consume if these systems are going to prove to be worth anything. I can imagine another possibility for a system of control like this. Nintendo starts advertising to parents about new control features that allows the system to be locked, say, during certain times of the day. Imagine this: Timmy's on level 9 of Killtron 9000, he has almost got the 3rd boss, and CLICK. Off goes the Nintendo, cause it's 9:00 and thats what Mom set as the cut off time. He can't play again till he gets his daily access code tomorrow, AFTER he shows his Mom he finished his homework. Or hey, say that Timmy has been a little snot lately. His grades are dropping and he won't clean his room. What better way for Mom to get his butt in gear than to lock up the Nintendo? It won't work until she types in her access code. My parents did the same to me, I was just on the honor system to not go within and armss length of it.
Hmm....hot grits in Natalie Portman's pants.....