User Defined Gestures

        After reading the article "User Defined Gestures for Surface Computing" and talking about it during class I've been thinking a lot more about how I use technology or even just everyday objects. I've been especially aware of what Wendy called the "Sandwich Consideration" or the ability to do as much as possible with one hand while eating a sandwich with the other. I remember when I upgraded my Blackberry from the Pearl to the Curve I was disappointed that it was (and still is) so much more difficult to text with one hand. I've also noticed that I use my left hand so much more to stabilize things while using my right hand to perform the more more elaborate tasks. This focus on how people actually interact with their everyday surroundings is something that particularly attracts me to the TUI field. I definitely like the idea of making something comprehensive you can figure out how to use it just by looking at it. While GUIs try to make computers easy to use, ultimately there is a sharp learning curve from using a mouse to actually being to perform extensive tasks using an application. My teaching my extremely technologically savvy grandmother (she's the only person in her apartment complex who has a personal computer) how to use Google Earth took a process that included note taking and a great deal of trial-and-error. If Google Earth was a TUI, however, I bet she would be able to figure out how to use it very quickly because it would be intuitive.