Tough to Give Up Centuries Worth of Habit
Sure it would be nice to switch all of our paper media to digital ones, but is it really feasible? Pen and paper have gone hand in hand for millennia and today’s rapid pace of technological evolution seems to have surpassed our biological evolution of the brain. Paper books and materials are still more prevalent than digital or electronic ones. The Kindle and other such e-readers are attempting to change the trend of paper usage to a digital one, but the prospects of adopting an e-record life seems still somewhat questionable. Perhaps the tablets and e-readers are ushering a new dawn of not only a technological advancement, but an evolution of the human mind that seems to go hand in hand with the technological advancement.
Pen and the Pad
I still find it hard sometimes, even with the tablets, the computers, and the smartphones to jot down simple and quick notes. Windows 7 comes with a note posting application that makes it easier to keyboard in those notes, but even then I rarely use it to jot down notes when I’m on the phone or for some other purpose. The pen and the pad just seem faster and easier than making a digital record of it. This has to change. Environmentally, economically, technologically, and for the general advancement of the human species, we need to go digital in all aspects of our life. This cannot be accomplished without the slow progression of the input medium that we use in our smartphones and tablet PCs, namely the touch sensitive media. Apple has made great advancement in the multi-touch interface and has started the “physically-interactive computing” era. What we need now is multi-touch sensitive devices to take granular and finer input from styluses as the stylus needs to replace the pen and the pad of the old. Without it we cannot reach past the “archaic” paper era.
Areas for Digital Replacement
There are a number of areas where digital input needs to replace paper. One is the jot-noting action where quick notes need to be taken for temporary or long-term use. Smartphones, tablets, and computers should be able to utilize a stylus for proper note-taking that keys in on the fine aspects of how a pen writes on a piece of paper. Another area that is similar to the one just mentioned, is the classroom/boardroom field where structured notes need to be taken along with digital multimedia to accompany the notes. Microsoft OneNote is a great program for this. Stylus use can be integrated and therefore allows input of digital notes into a tablet of some sort. Medical is an obvious area where electronic medical records are being slowly introduced. There’s an article on this blog that caters to that discussion. Having books digitized is an area that is being realized now. With the advent of the e-readers, this possibility is now becoming a reality.
The Need for Paper Thin Screens
In order to get to a fully digital world, screens for devices acting as paper replacements need to be of high quality and of super thin dimensions. Sony has made progress in this regard by inventing an LED screen that is as thin as a paper and is able to be used as a monitor or screen for any device. This sort of technology will be key in bringing a total digital revolution. Alongside this, Samsung has also developed technology that allows for a transparent LED screen. Graphics will be displayed in this screen and has the translucency for one to see through it as well. Looks like something out of Avatar.
A Purely Digital World
Some people still think the old record players sound better than CDs. Obviously, in my opinion, they are somewhat “old fashioned”. The digital revolution is ushering in a greener and technologically advanced era that will help propel our species to further advancements and achievements.
Dcoderr 