Thinking Outside the Box
Today it is sometimes hard to think outside the box when it comes to systems and system development. The reason is sometimes very simple on why this is a problem. The following story is one I use to show why it is hard to think outside the box.
A group of scientists put five apes into a round cage. Around the outside of the cage were some water cannons. In the center of the cage was a set of stairs with a bunch of bananas hanging from the top of the cage at the top of the stairs. Every time any of the apes tried to go up the stairs all of the apes were shot with the water cannons. After a while none of the apes would attempt to go up the stairs. Then the scientists decided to exchange one of the apes for a new ape to see what would happen. When the new ape tired to go up the stairs the other apes to stop him and beat him up. After a while the new ape stopped trying to go up the stairs. Then the scientists exchanged one of the original apes for a new ape and the same thing happened. Over time all the original apes were replaced with new apes that had never been shot with the water cannons and yet none of the new apes when up the stairs for the bananas. The question is why? The answer, that is because that is the way we have always done it.
It is the human comfort zone that has lead many systems to the ultimate dead end. Today there are some new great systems being developed that combined together could produce systems no one has ever considered. For example Project Natal (see www.xbox.com). What a great project for gamming. This system will change everything we think about games today. Another system by Eye Tech Digital Systems (see www.eyetechds.com) allows people with no movement to control a computer using their eyes. Both of these systems are great and have their place as currently defined.
What about a different view of both systems? Image combining both systems; think about it, a game for flight simulation to allow for a real HUD to shoot at other planes using just your eye to control and fire and your body to guide the plane. It would be just like inside a real cockpit. Would gamers want this type of game? I would bet they would. What happens when the eye technology is pushed into the main stream? Who knows, but I would bet the future would become something we cannot even image right now.