Bar fight gone awry

glowjack

Banned
Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the mouse is probably one of the most influential and obscure in PCs and the internet. Without him most people would not have the easy interface of a point and click system and computers would be restricted to researchers and geeks. So what if he never went into engineering? What if he died in a Bar fight? What if no one ever bothered to make another practical mouse? (don't ask, no one ever bothered to calibrate VCR tapes for modern TVs, I don't know why)

What cultural, political, and economic ramifications can a world without advanced computing and the internet bring?
 

mowque

Banned
A computer engineer who slums in bars? I like it.

But on topic, wouldn't someone else invent it or something like it?
 

The Vulture

Banned
Great Man Theory doesn't really work in technology, I'm afraid. If Engelbart doesn't invent it, someone else comes up with something that fills the same purpose.
 

glowjack

Banned
But on topic, wouldn't someone else invent it or something like it?

That's the thing with science, its total luck. Someone may invent the mouse but not know how to program an interface for it so it gets stored and forgotten in some old cellar, someone may know how to code an mouse interface but decide to use a clumsy joystick instead of a mouse, researchers and geeks may decide to keep computers for the pros in a sense of inclusion and oppose anything like this.

For example; recently on Shark Tank (a TV show) someone sold a seat belt that would prevent the engine from starting if the seat belt wasn't clipped in for 5 million and royalties. This was a product that worried parents would buy for their kids' gift cars, this was a product that car manufactures would fight to the death for to claim an exclusive advantage for their cars over others, this was a product normal people would want just as an reminder. Yet all it required was a circuit: why did it take 161 years since the invention of the seat belt for this to happen? It's not predictable, it's not guaranteed to happen, it may even get invented but simply fail to make it mainstream. We only say its inevitable in retrospect because we are surrounded by it, but what if we were brought up thinking computers was some obscure thing for geeks and researchers?
 
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Two words, one alternative to the mouse: Track Ball.

Invented in 1952, eleven years before the mouse and actually- just my opinion- the better control unit: Stationary base, cursor control directly manipulated by hand allowing a finer tuned and wider range of control and an overall better controller than a mouse.
 
That's the thing with science, its total luck. Someone may invent the mouse but not know how to program an interface for it so it gets stored and forgotten in some old cellar, someone may know how to code an mouse interface but decide to use a clumsy joystick instead of a mouse, researchers and geeks may decide to keep computers for the pros in a sense of inclusion and oppose anything like this.

For example; recently on Shark Tank (a TV show) someone sold a seat belt that would prevent the engine from starting if the seat belt wasn't clipped in for 5 million and royalties. This was a product that worried parents would buy for their kids' gift cars, this was a product that car manufactures would fight to the death for to claim an exclusive advantage for their cars over others, this was a product normal people would want just as an reminder. Yet all it required was a circuit: why did it take 161 years since the invention of the seat belt for this to happen? It's not predictable, it's not guaranteed to happen, it may even get invented but simply fail to make it mainstream. We only say its inevitable in retrospect because we are surrounded by it, but what if we were brought up thinking computers was some obscure thing for geeks and researchers?

Well, my car (made in 2005) warns me if seat belt is not clipped (starts to ring after a minute or so). As much as this idea of preventing engine start sounds great it has some drawbacks. For one there are instances where you have to move the car just a bit. say unlock garage door, various barriers that prevent unathorized parking etc. Most of us just roll in without puting seatbelt on, here you would have to for what is drive of couple of seconds. Then there is a question of will you be able to unclip belt if engine is running. There are situations where you might have to GTFO without thinking about stoping the engine, during accident block could malfunction leaving you trapped in a car which could be on fire or under water (I have a knife handy, just in case something like this happens). Then there examples when you have to lean out the car. Often you can't do that without uncliping seatbelt (say reaching out to pay toll oprator if you stop a bit too far....). That would require stopping the engine, uncliping, reaching out, cliping back, waiting to be able to start engine (in my car it takes a few seconds after contact, I can do it right away but it's better to wait).
 
Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the mouse is probably one of the most influential and obscure in PCs and the internet. Without him most people would not have the easy interface of a point and click system and computers would be restricted to researchers and geeks. So what if he never went into engineering? What if he died in a Bar fight? What if no one ever bothered to make another practical mouse? (don't ask, no one ever bothered to calibrate VCR tapes for modern TVs, I don't know why)

What cultural, political, and economic ramifications can a world without advanced computing and the internet bring?

Agree with many here: there's some other interface, be it a track ball or mouse-like thing or even light pen or touch-screen/stylus for graphical interface. As Object Oriented software grows and graphical user interfaces develop there's a noteworthy enough need that someone(s) will step in.

A computer engineer who slums in bars? I like it.

You'd be amazed at how OTL that is... :cool:

Well, my car (made in 2005) warns me if seat belt is not clipped (starts to ring after a minute or so). As much as this idea of preventing engine start sounds great it has some drawbacks. For one there are instances where you have to move the car just a bit. say unlock garage door, various barriers that prevent unathorized parking etc. Most of us just roll in without puting seatbelt on, here you would have to for what is drive of couple of seconds. Then there is a question of will you be able to unclip belt if engine is running. There are situations where you might have to GTFO without thinking about stoping the engine, during accident block could malfunction leaving you trapped in a car which could be on fire or under water (I have a knife handy, just in case something like this happens). Then there examples when you have to lean out the car. Often you can't do that without uncliping seatbelt (say reaching out to pay toll oprator if you stop a bit too far....). That would require stopping the engine, uncliping, reaching out, cliping back, waiting to be able to start engine (in my car it takes a few seconds after contact, I can do it right away but it's better to wait).

They tried that in the states back in the 70's. My parents had such a car with a seat belt engine kill switch. The problem was that it just didn't work as advertised and they had to click and re-click and still sometimes were unable to start the car! They took it to the dealer and said "take it out" only to find they were far from the first. It also became a safety issue if the switch got joggled and killed the engine on the road. That particular feature was gone from cars the next year.
 
Do people drive without seatbelts much these days? I don't really see the need for yet more nannying by the car...

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
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