Brief History of Human-Computer Interfaces

The following is a brief high level overview of the evolution of Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI) from the mid-1940’s up to current days in the 2020’s. I had the opportunity to experience many of these interfaces, starting with the use of punch cards to run computer programs when I was a student attending Clemson University way back when.

 

Human-Computer Interface (HCI) systems design involves looking more closely at how humans interact and communicate intuitively. The goal is to teach computers, machines, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to better comprehend and communicate with humans.

When I went to work on automated data processing (ADP) systems at the Veterans Administration (VA) in the mid-1970’s, I was introduced to Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) mini-computer systems that used video display terminals (VDT) and a command line interface to interact with the computer systems. Over the next several decades I learned to adapt to the ever evolving range of new computer interfaces, e.g. ‘Roll & Scroll’, Graphical User Interface (GUI), HyperText Interface, Voice Interaction...

Major User Interfaces

• Batch Processing Interface – A punch card or paper tape interface used from1945 through mid-1960’s on large mainframe, batch processing systems.

• Command Line Interface – Teletype and cathode ray tube (CRT) terminals made use of the command line interface (CLI) to interact with large or mid-sized computer systems from the mid-1960s to 1980.

• Roll & Scroll Interface – The ‘roll & scroll’ interface with menu options emerged as the dominant method of interacting with mini-computers and personal computers (PC) from the late 1970’s through the mid-1980’s.

• Graphical User Interface – ‘Windows’ and the graphical user interface (GUI) emerged in the mid-1980’s as the use of personal computers (PC) exploded on the scene.

• HyperText Interface – In the mid-1990’s, HyperText emerged as the primary interface used when interacting with the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW)

As we entered the 21^st century, the number and type of new technologies, computer devices, and Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI) have taken off. Think of ‘smartphones’, tablets, touchscreens, wearable systems, voice interaction, haptics, implantable systems, brain-computer interfaces (BCI)... all culminating in what I call the Invisible User Interface (IUI).

Most computer interfaces today use artificial controls and tangible devices whose operation has to be learned, e.g. Windows, computer mouse, joystick. That's about to change big time with the convergence of multiple modern technologies. The Invisible User Interface (IUI) will include sound, touch, gesture, and tactile inputs and outputs as humans interact with an ever increasing numbers of 'smart' machines and sensors all around us. Think of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Wearable Systems, Implantables... Read more about the Natural User Interface (NUI) on Wikipedia.

Selected Articles The History Of User Interfaces—And Where They Are Heading History of the User Interface - Wikipedia A Timeline of Computer Interface Technology – onFOSS A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology Invisible User Interface (IUI) for Health 4.0 The Evolution of the modern Computer Interface 'No UI' is the New 'Invisible' User Interface (IUI)

In essence, the emerging Invisible User Interface (IUI) or Natural User Interface (NUI) involves a major paradigm shift in traditional man machine interaction using a variety of new computer interfaces that will be basically invisible. We are rapidly getting there. Personally, I'm excited to to see how this all plays out over the coming decade.

 

* If you are interested in delving further into this topic and our future, you might want to read the novel 3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. It’s a followup to his more well known book 2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

Early History of Art and Artists in South Carolina

 

South Carolina has been home to an array of noteworthy individuals and styles in the literary, visual, and performing arts. What follows is a brief overview of the arts in South Carolina from the time of its earliest settlers through the end of the 1700’s.

• Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues was one of the earliest artists to visit the Southeastern coastal areas of the New World back in the 1500’s. He made watercolors of coastal settlements following a 1564 expedition to the region. These were then converted by Theodor deBry into engravings that were widely circulated back in Europe.

• Mark Catesby was an English naturalist who studied flora and fauna in the New World between 1729 and 1747. He undertook a plant-collecting expedition to Carolina on behalf of the Royal Society in 1722. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, he traveled to various parts of the colony collecting plants and animals and ultimately published his Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, providing some of the first accounts and etchings of the local flora and fauna.

• Thomas Coram (1756-1811) was the first known professional artist in the South to explore the art of landscape for purely aesthetic purposes, well before the indigenous landscape art tradition developed. The largest collection of Coram’s work is in the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston.

Portraiture was one of the dominant art forms in the Eighteenth century and Charleston was home to many of the portraitists from the pre-Revolutionary War era, such as Henrietta Dering Johnston and Jeremiah Theus. They painted prominent planters, merchants and their family members, providing a visual social registry of the period. Many local military figures and statesmen, such as Colonel William Moultrie and William Loughton Smith, also had their portraits painted by the prominent artists of the day such as Charles Willson Peale and Gilbert Stuart.

Henrietta Dering Johnston (1670-1729) arrived in Charles Town, South Carolina, in 1707. In addition to being the first professional female artist in the American colonies, Henrietta Johnston was also the first artist in the colonies to work primarily with pastels.

Other Selected Arts & Culture Events of This Period

• First opera performed on February 18, 1735 - Colley Cibber's ballad opera Flora, or Hob in the Well, was performed at the Courtroom in Charles Town, South Carolina. The Courtroom was a large room in Shepard's Tavern that the provincial government also used as a court house.

• St. Cecelia Musical Society established in 1762 - The St Cecilia Society of Charleston was formed in 1766 as a private subscription concert organization. The society continued to flourish into the 21st century as one of South Carolina’s oldest and most exclusive social institutions.

• Charleston Museum established in January 1773 - A special committee was appointed by Lieutenant Governor William Bull II to collect materials for the museum that was formally established by the Charleston Library Society on the eve of the American Revolution.

In general the taste of prominent South Carolinians was conservative with many local collectors acquiring fine furniture and decorative arts while abroad, preferring European paintings over work created locally. For more information on the history of South Carolina arts and culture, check out the selected links below.

Selected Links

• SC Encyclopedia – Art History

• SCIWay – Arts & Culture

• SC Art & Artists – Current Overview

• SC State Library - History & Culture

Observations on Russia in 2020 – A Challenging Year

Three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Russian leaders have still not come to terms with the loss of their empire and they have spent the past thirty years fighting to reverse the verdict of history. Russia had a bad year in 2020, and the future doesn’t look much better for the country under Putin’s rule.

• In 2020, Putin spent much of his time hidden away from the public as Russia struggled while one of the world’s most severe coronavirus outbreaks ravaged the country helping to cripple their economy.
• In Central Asia, unrest in Kyrgyzstan led to the collapse of a pro-Russian government. This sparked fears of a further decline in Kremlin influence in a region where Moscow already finds itself competing against the growing presence of China.
• In Moldova, the pro-Russian incumbent was handily defeated by a pro-Western candidate in the country’s presidential election. Moldova’s new president-elect Maia Sandu is an English-speaking, Harvard-educated economist. She seeks to pursue membership in the European Union and has called on Russia to withdraw its occupation forces from the Moldovan region of Transnistria.
• The most stunning blow to Russian interests came in the South Caucasus region, where Turkish backing allowed Azerbaijan to wage a victorious short war against Kremlin ally Armenia. Putin was eventually able to broker a peace agreement, but this face-saving gesture could not disguise that Moscow had been forced to accept the presence of a rival power in a region where Russia had previously reigned supreme for over a century.
• Developments in neighboring Belarus struck even closer to home. The ongoing pro-democracy protest movement and demands of its supporters are anathema to Moscow. A democratic Belarus would inevitably turn towards the West.
• Ukraine Alert - Russia’s inability to sell itself as an attractive alternative to the West has been most immediately apparent in Ukraine where it continues to be bogged down in military efforts to retake Ukraine territory that are costly and not going anywhere.
• Russia’s reliance on force has succeeded in establishing pro-Kremlin enclaves in some neighboring countries, but it has also alienated tens of millions of former post-Soviet sympathizers who resent Moscow’s interference. Shifting strategies and building mutually beneficial partnerships is not something that comes naturally to the Kremlin.
• In the Middle East, Russia has found itself slowly drawn into a costly effort to support the failing Syrian regime while angering Arabs and selected terrorist groups in the region.
• Finally, Putin continues to pursue the elimination of political opponents, like the failed poisoning attempt on Alexei Navalny’s life.

Putin’s not so subtle attacks on the West – spreading misinformation, launching cyberattacks on governments, interfering in elections, undermining democratic institutions – will result in long-term costly retaliation by those same Western nation.   See Atlantic Council

 

 

And then came Putin's foolhardy invasion and war on Ukraine in 2022.

South Carolina in 2020 By The Numbers

Here are just a few selected facts about the state of South Carolina in 2020 -

• Estimated population of South Carolina in 2020 surpassed 5,210,000 making it the 24th most populous state in the US.

• The three SC metropolitan areas with the largest population are Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville-Spartanburg.

• The median age of the population in SC is approximately 38.8 years.

• The racial composition of the population of SC in 2020 is White (67.3%), Black or African American (27.1%), and All Other (5.6%).

• The median household income for families in SC last year exceeded $62,432; the median individual income was approximately $27,909.

• The SC unemployment rate dropped to 2.5% in 2019, but climbed to over 5% during the pandemic.

• The median home value in SC was $203,328 in 2020 and rapidly climbing.

• Women currently make up 51.5 percent of South Carolina’s population.

• Women hold just 17.1 percent of the 170 seats in the SC legislature.

• Approximately 42.4% of the SC population have attended High School (HS) and/or have a HS Degree; 30.2% have some attended college and/or achieved an Associate Degree; 27.4% have a Bachelors or Graduate School Degree.

• The Major Industries in SC are: Trade, Transportation & Utilities (19%); Government & Military (17%); Manufacturing, Autos & Aerospace (16.2%); Professional & Business Services (14%); Tourism, Leisure & Hospitality (12%), Education & Health (12%). For more detail see SC Commerce Data.

• Solar energy data for SC in 2020: 1,717 MW Installed, 66 Solar Energy Companies, over 3,307 Solar Energy Jobs and more. See SEIA Data

You may have to search for the latest statistics in whatever other categories you are interested in, but they are out there. You might want to start with a quick Google search on South Carolina State Statistics or check out SCIWay Fast Facts.

Selected Links AccelerateSC U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: South Carolina Stats of the State of South Carolina - CDC S.C. Vital Records Data and Statistics | SCDHEC South Carolina Population 2020 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) South Carolina Economy at a Glance - Bureau of Labor Statistics

Join the US Coast Guard Auxiliary protecting Lakes Marion and Moultrie

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 12-1, meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at the Summerton Fire Station on North Cantey Street in downtown Summerton, S.C. Membership is open to any U.S. citizen age 17 or older. Previous service in the Coast Guard is not required. 

The Coast Guard Auxiliary's main objective is to promote safe recreational boating on Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie by offering safe boating classes, courtesy vessel checks for required safety equipment and patrolling the lakes offering assistance to anyone in need.Members of the auxiliary also stands ready to assist the U.S. Coast Guard with their missions, including search and rescue efforts. 

Anyone interested in joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary should attend one of the monthly meetings to learn more about membership and duties of the auxiliary.