Researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University in Ontario have designed a computer that monitors its user to help with time management. They have designed devices that determine how much attention a person is paying to his or her PC and the relative importance of each message received. One device is an eye contact sensor the computer employs to determine *if the user is present and looking at the screen* to decide if and when to make contact with the user. The lab’s director, Dr. Vertegaal, said, “We now need computers that sense when we are busy, when we are available for interruption and know when to wait their turn–just as we do in human-to-human interaction.” BBC, 8 April 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2925403.stm
Comment:
… I have nothing to say on regards to the above design or its purpose (May be you want to share yours) but to ask what does Prof. Bernard Avishai (Ph.D., University of Toronto), meant by the word “agree” when he said this …
“The danger from computers is not that they will eventually get as smart as men, but we will meanwhile agree to meet them halfway.”
… excatly “agree” on … what?
Thamer
