Assignment 3 – Sophia

I’m interested in using similar systems to the remembrance agents, etc. to augment the creative process.  Computers currently expect users to make the leap to remember where things are, what they are named, and that they even exist.  Similarly, tools and systems that creators rely on also put the burden on the user.  Creators must search for connections between disparate sources and ideas, and they must develop their own systems to help them do this.  Most artists I know rely on keeping a sketchbook, having an inspiration wall, or free writing to help them generate new ideas.  Few I know are able to use a computer to help them with this process, and many have complex rituals they use to put them in the right frame of mind for creation.  Often, the most important “aha moments” seem to come from nowhere.  What if a system could be devised that would help the user stay in this creative, associative mode more of the time?  How could inspirations, interesting connections be given to the user proactively?  It is much more difficult to determine what might be relevant to a creative process than in the memory agent.  Maybe this is where generative systems might be come into play (which have long been used by many artists, musicians, and writers in aiding them in their creative process).  I wonder how such generative systems might be able to work with the user’s current context? People are very good at immediately knowing if an idea is a compelling, but the hard part is blending information and concepts in new ways to come up with those ideas.  Maybe here the computer could be a help.  Would such a system work as a secondary task, something running on the side and not requiring the user’s full attention? 

I also felt interested in the idea of computers worn as jewelry.  Using metaphors of traditional objects changes the user’s expectations of what the computer can do.  How might one of these systems be different if it were incorporated in a bracelet, a bracer, a necklace, a locket, a ring, an earring, a pocket watch, a wristwatch, a headband, a crown, etc. as opposed to a magnifying glass, a book, glasses, etc.?  So many of these traditionally are ornaments and sometimes status symbols and only a few serve practical functions.