A change of interface
So, I am now the new found owner of a new Apple keyboard. Which, while I’m only in the early stages of using it, think is a step up from the old G3 keyboard I was using previously. Then we turn to the question of the interface. How does the interface between human and computer affect the way the subject relates to the machine. I think that this is a very pertinent question, while I also think that it reflects a lot on Apple.
The interface between the human and the computer, the body and the machine is something that is extended through a number of senses. There is this smell of new that permeates the air. Also there is a tactile contact that one has with the machine. My current machine, a G4 Powerbook is rolling along alright, however, there is regularly the spinning beach ball. But the machine is a fine machine to engage the world with, to suck down information on the internet. The keyboard is the tactile connection with the machine. While vision is the preferred mode of engaging with the world, it is the tactile that presents the connection. The tactile is an extension of the body, it is where the human and the computer meet in the flesh. It is this that needs to be thought through, needs to be realised.
How can this connection work? More so, how can we tap this connection to think through the relationships that move between the body and the machine. Typing on a new surface presents itself as a new connection to the machine. The sound of the keys, tapping out, the interface, detached, removed, working… this is where Apple shines. For all the good and the bad that may come out of any multinational organisation, it is the detail that is reflected in the human-machine interface, which is a product of substance, usability and style is paramount for any engagement with the world. As such, engagement to the machine is thought through the connection that one has to it. Where is the line that delimits the lived experience to the input, measured in the contact of flesh to the machine… this delimitation is a point of questioning - of the status of the body in relation to the machine, in relation to the body as object in relation to another object, in relation to the object providing the site to encapsulate the subject… open questions for another day…
