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Science Fiction Interfaces

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Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#41

Post by corysama »

vanilla_nut wrote: post #25
abledon wrote: post #20

My favourite sci-fi interface so far is the 'sand' interface in the superman scene on Krypton. Russel Crowe uses it to blast light into a baby. https://youtu.be/nHmLhRx7Oyw?t=1m50s I think it would be great for the eyes cause you are forced to exercise your depth perception rather than stare at a flat screen. Would even be better than an e-ink monitor[ http://www.dasung.com/ ].

I wish those e-ink monitors didn't look so much like children's toys- I'd love to pick one up. In 20 years, I think we'll look back at LCD/OLED monitors like how we currently look back at CRT/pre-CRT monitors, and wonder how on earth we stared at bright configurations of tiny lights for 10+ hours a day. Transflexive LCDs are, in my opinion, the future: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transflective_liquid-crystal_d... .…

The OLPC's Pixel-Qi screen (listed in that Wikipedia article) was fantastic when in its black & white mode. It looked like e-ink and refreshed at 60Hz. Apparently the company died in 2015 though :(

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#42

Post by L_Rahman »

fpgaminer wrote: post #29

I have an almost fetish for retro and retro sci-fi interfaces. I stumbled into this really gorgeous, simplistic terminal like design. I was so inspired by it I decided to re-create the style in HTML+CSS. Once I did that I had another spark, and decided to make it a working faux terminal. And then I had the idea that maybe I could turn it into a small little game. You discover this machine, like you dialed into it ran…

Do you have a tumblr/twitter/instagram where you share examples of this aesthetic? I'm also a fan.

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#43

Post by corysama »

chiph wrote: post #13

My favorite has always been the UI in 2001: A Space Odyssey, with it's use of the EuroStile font on solid screen-filling colors. It was borrowed by Pixar for The Incredibles.

Fun fact: there were no computers involved in the making of 2001. They were too expensive at the time. All of the monitors in the movie were actually back-projected film screens. All of the wiredframe 3D models were literally wire models, painted white, filmed and then projected on the screen.

Using back-projected screens meant 2001 had flat screens which still look modern today --as opposed to the bulbous CRT monitors used in Blade a Runner and Alien.

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#44

Post by Arizhel »

lrc wrote: post #33
Arizhel wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The greatest UI in the history of films cannot be captured visually: it is the UI in Spike Jonze's "Her". No, that was the absolute worst UI in the history of films. Spoken words simply cannot carry remotely as much information as visually-seen images. Haven't you ever heard the saying "a picture is worth 1000 words"? Let me give a modern-day example: at a typical Panera Bread restaurant right now, you can order a s…

The teenager has a job, which is a small but positive increment in the health of your community. For that, I would be willing to endure the (real) risks you mention.

So you're willing to suffer reduced inefficiency just so someone else has a job? Why not just hire the teenager to stand around doing nothing then? Then you get the benefits of both!

Risks? I also cited actual, real benefits. How do I order my sandwich with a different kind of bread with the teenager? I don't. It's not possible. The customers behind me will get very mad if I ask the teenager to list off all 20 different kinds of bread, and to show them all to me personally too. The teenager likely will not do as I ask here, plus it's a massive waste of my time too. Ordering from humans works OK when you have a very short and simple menu so there's little chance for confusion, but this means it's quite impossible to have a lot of selection.

How about this idea: let's get rid of computer monitors, and replace them with verbal-only interfaces. How well do you think it's going to work out if you want to order a pair of shoes on Amazon.com (or any online store) when you can't even see them, and just have something reading text into your ear? Or, because you're so concerned about employment, maybe we should ban computer users from reading monitors, and require them to hire people to read stuff from the screen to them!

Finally, would you mind if I came over and smashed your car windows? You shouldn't; you should be happy, because that means someone will have a job replacing those windows.

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#45

Post by mintplant »

inputcoffee wrote: post #38
Arizhel wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The greatest UI in the history of films cannot be captured visually: it is the UI in Spike Jonze's "Her". No, that was the absolute worst UI in the history of films. Spoken words simply cannot carry remotely as much information as visually-seen images. Haven't you ever heard the saying "a picture is worth 1000 words"? Let me give a modern-day example: at a typical Panera Bread restaurant right now, you can order a s…

There are a few benefits to the Her interface: 1. Your hands are free to read a novel 2. You don't have to carry a screen around 3. Even if there is a small, finite set of options that you can present on a screen, you should still be able to select them verbally. 4. If you want to ask a question, or ask for a suggestion, you should be able to do so free form. 5. If "Her" knows your preferences and allergies, she can…

> 1. Your hands are free to read a novel

You're going to find it harder to read that novel while engaging in complex vocal communication. Both tasks compete for your phonological loop. Look up articulatory suppression.

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#47

Post by mcbits »

logfromblammo wrote: post #24
inputcoffee wrote: post #17

The greatest UI in the history of films cannot be captured visually: it is the UI in Spike Jonze's "Her". The second greatest, though, is quite visual: the interface in Minority Report. I wish I could find the interviews with the UI engineers who talked about the influences that went into it.

I am almost certain that I would hate using the Minority Report interface, as it was depicted in the film. If Tom Cruise's character actually had to use that every day, his deltoids would be the size of bowling balls. And I'm sure his manager loves to see exactly what he's doing from 100m away. If you stuck that UI into a pair of VR-AR goggles, and replaced the huge gorilla-arm movements with barely-visible finger tw…

I want a VR interface that merely simulates a room full of monitors, controlled via a workout machine to keep me in shape while generating 30 watts to power the headset - or potentially the whole system.

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#48

Post by lrc »

Arizhel wrote: post #44
lrc wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The teenager has a job, which is a small but positive increment in the health of your community. For that, I would be willing to endure the (real) risks you mention.

So you're willing to suffer reduced inefficiency just so someone else has a job? Why not just hire the teenager to stand around doing nothing then? Then you get the benefits of both! Risks? I also cited actual, real benefits. How do I order my sandwich with a different kind of bread with the teenager? I don't. It's not possible. The customers behind me will get very mad if I ask the teenager to list off all 20 differ…

There is a difference between digging a ditch and working on a rockpile. One has dignity--it is useful work one is paid for; the other is a punishment.

I don't, in fact, think it's wise to automate the people behind sandwich counters out of a job; it doesn't follow from that that I would prefer a pneumatic tube to my computer monitor.

I acknowledged that the benefits you cited were real, by using the word "real." I assure you I'm not some kind of paperclip-AI-zealot when it comes to employing people for tasks that could be automated.

I wonder if there is any level of peristent unemployment--25%, say? at which you would prefer to halt the growth of the kind of automation which is drying up the job pool? Or does it never matter whether there are jobs behind sandwich counters? Enjoy the bread selection.

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#49

Post by hithereagain »

pogo wrote: post #26
__sb__ wrote: post #6

Oh hey I run this, originally I was just collecting the fui designs for reference when trying to make my own as a desktop ( https://github.com/seenaburns/dex-ui ), but since then I've kept it going. My personal favorite is probably still Oblivion http://www.gmunk.com/OBLIVION-GFX but if these are too over the top science fiction, The Bourne Identity's is pretty fun too http://coleran.com/gallery-category/fui/#the-bou…

This is an incredible and timely resource for me. I'm currently building a spaceship cockpit for my young sons. I'm a former EE, so I've got the blinky LEDs, switches, LCDs, keypads, and other physical UI components covered, but I'd love to add a sophisticated GUI component. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a coder. Do you know if any sci-fi GUIs are available as Android apps for tablets? I have 3 Kindle Fire tablets t…

You and your kids might enjoy piloting the ship using Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator (http://artemis.eochu.com/)

Re: Science Fiction Interfaces

#50

Post by fpgaminer »

L_Rahman wrote: post #42
fpgaminer wrote: post #29

I have an almost fetish for retro and retro sci-fi interfaces. I stumbled into this really gorgeous, simplistic terminal like design. I was so inspired by it I decided to re-create the style in HTML+CSS. Once I did that I had another spark, and decided to make it a working faux terminal. And then I had the idea that maybe I could turn it into a small little game. You discover this machine, like you dialed into it ran…

Do you have a tumblr/twitter/instagram where you share examples of this aesthetic? I'm also a fan.

No, but that's not a bad idea!
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