Tomorrow’s Technology
and You
Chapter 5
Applications
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 1
Chapter 5
Objectives
 What we can we learn from Doug Engelbart?
 What are the benefits (and limitations!) of using
computers to augment our writing, and to reduce
paper use?
 What are some important ways in which spreadsheets
can be misleading and how can we avoid them?
 What are the pros and cons of computer modeling and
intelligent agents
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 2
What can we learn from
Doug Engelbart? (p 143-144)
 What did he demonstrate in 1968?
 What is he best remembered for?
 He believes we should focus…
 not on automation but on?
 What does this mean?
 Examples of both?
 Do computers help people ‘cope with the
urgency and complexity of life’? or do they
contribute to it?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 3
Chapter 5
Objectives
 What we can we learn from Doug Engelbart?
 What are the benefits (and limitations!) of using
computers to augment our writing, and to reduce
paper use?
 What are some important ways in which spreadsheets
can be misleading and how can we avoid them?
 What are the pros and cons of computer modeling and
intelligent agents
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 4
Augmenting our writing (p 144-150)
 Formatting – WYSIWYG
 guidelines? (p 154-155)
 use these in your research project report!
 is this what matters most?
 Spell check and Edit!
 Spilling and gramma cheque on my commuter
insure I have no miss steaks.
 “In my last job, I was responsible for most of the
problems in our department.”
 Outliners – how do they help?
 Mail merge – does what? so what?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 5
Augmenting our writing (p 150-158)
 Collaborative writing tools – e.g.?
 use for your Research Project? possible problems?
 Processing Handwriting
 why? how reliable?
 Speech recognition
 where are we at?
 pros and cons?
 Intelligent Word Processing
 pros and cons?
 Desktop Publishing
 How does it further augment writing?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 6
Paperless Publishing (p 158-161)
 ‘Soft-copy’ advantages?
 are there still advantages to paper?
 E-books
 examples? pros and cons?
 Web Publishing
 open to everyone – pros and cons?
 how do authors get noticed? get paid?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 7
Chapter 5
Objectives
 What we can we learn from Doug Engelbart?
 What are the benefits (and limitations!) of using
computers to augment our writing, and to reduce
paper use?
 What are some important ways in which
spreadsheets can be misleading and how can we
avoid them?
 What are the pros and cons of computer modeling and
intelligent agents
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 8
Spreadsheet Caveats (pp 168-169)
Useful to Designers and Readers - Which are you?
 What is this tool for?
 Check assumptions

what assumptions are in the payroll formula (p168)?
 Check for errors


what does GIGO mean? so what?
how can we do this? (4 ways in text)
 Cultivate a healthy skepticism



what 3 charting errors are shown in text?
which one appears here?
other examples?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 9
Chapter 5
Objectives
 What we can we learn from Doug Engelbart?
 What are the benefits (and limitations!) of using
computers to augment our writing, and to reduce
paper use?
 What are some important ways in which spreadsheets
can be misleading and how can we avoid them?
 What are the pros and cons of computer modeling
and intelligent agents
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 10
Computer Modeling
Rewards & Risks (p 174-178)
Rewards – what examples are in the text for each?
Safety
Economy
Projections
Replication
Risks – examples in text?
Faulty assumptions
Oversimplification
The Illusion of Infallibility
What other real life examples can you find?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 11
Intelligent Agents & Multitasking
(pp 178-179)

What is an intelligent agent?


is this a good idea?
Current agents




Wizards in Windows
“Emily” etc.
What problems have you found with these?
Future projections


More intelligence – examples? pros and cons?
“Affective computers” – uses? pros and cons?
 Multitasking – is this culture shift a good thing?
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 12