The Foundation

"Makers find resonance with materials and people." - Jay Silver (MIT Media Lab)

Human invention challenges our imagination of what is possible. No other species consciously participates in their evolution. Computers are becomming an extension of our consciousness. The age of ubiquitous computing is upon us. We walk around with computers the size of our wrists and soon our baby fingernail.

The way we design applications lends itself more towards human interaction. Whether it be cmd+s or CTRL+s, our real-life is unwindowed. Putting pen to paper, we save through the act of creating. Modern word processors require the extra step of "saving." This action, mediated through shortcuts, has become a part of speaking computer. In this way we put a barrier between human and computer interaction. The advent of cloud computing has brought about this shift in how we create.

Writing an essay on Google Docs or some other networked-drive is a step in the direction of seamless experience. Automatic saves and formatting work their way into the program and free the user to build. The web grows richer, desktop applications are lighter, communication is easier and higher-fidelity. Mobile devices challenge us to reconsider legacy patterns.

We are watching the definition of computing change.

Makers and developers are at the fore-front of this movement. They seek to challenge our conditioning.

It's time that computers learn to speak human.

Read Mr. Silver's Awakening to Maker Methodology here.