Tuesday, February 17, 2009

You are Here?

 
An article in today's New York Times talks about the extensive use of maps as tools in various cell phone/SmartPhone applications:
It has been 25 years since the desktop, with its files and folders, was introduced as a way to think about what went on inside a personal computer. The World Wide Web brought other ways of imagining the flow of data. With the dominance of the cellphone, a new metaphor is emerging for how we organize, find and use information. New in one sense, that is. It is also as ancient as humanity itself. That metaphor is the map.
 The piece goes on to connect maps with neuroscientists who believe that this type of representation of the world matches our internal brain functioning.
While interesting, I found the article a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a deeper analysis of how mobile computing has shifted how we handle information.

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