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463 points bookofjoe | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.473s | source
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freedomben ◴[] No.45129444[source]
Can't help but think of the Star Trek TOS episode where Kirk is accused of murder and they find the "murder victim" in the ship by identifying and isolating heart beats until they discover he must still be aboard. It's been almost 60 years since the episode came out, but still sorry if that's a spoiler
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wrs ◴[] No.45130422[source]
Classic Star Trek (speaking as a fan). They can scan an entire planet to find a lost crew member, but can’t tell how many people are on their own ship. And they have universal audio surveillance on the ship but still have to use wall intercoms.
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Cthulhu_ ◴[] No.45131576[source]
The Star Trek series require a lot of suspension of disbelief, especially since in the years after it came out real life technology surpassed the stuff depicted in there. Like, in TNG people walking around with glorified e-readers but having to go to the big computer or to ask Alexa things instead of just tapping on their screens.

At least they got OLED style touch screens, and for a while it looked like everything would go that way but at least in cars some are going back to physical buttons.

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lo_zamoyski ◴[] No.45132194[source]
> At least they got OLED style touch screens, and for a while it looked like everything would go that way but at least in cars some are going back to physical buttons.

On that note, physical buttons are tactile and easier to navigate while driving and thus safer. You don't have to take your eyes off the road and worry about a fussy touchscreen registering your tap. You just feel around for the control and manipulate it.

The appeal of a touchscreen is that you can change the interface. It can assume a wide range of control panels, which, in a car, isn't always useful. For functions you need immediately, you can't beat a fixed physical widget.

Now, what would be interesting is a surface whose physical texture and physical controls could be dynamically changed and reconfigured. So, a flat surface becomes a series of buttons, and then maybe a rotating knob in the next. Perhaps tactile holograms. I don't think something like this could beat physical controls for reliable and lasting function either, however.

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1. NortySpock ◴[] No.45132530[source]
https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/clickable-buttons-that-r...

(2023)

https://www.engadget.com/2015-09-23-geltouch.html

(2015)

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2. anthk ◴[] No.45141014[source]
That's bad because you need to remember several layouts at once. While with a physical one you are done with your muscle memory.