Manovich: "Friendly Alien"

I read Lev Manovich's article, "Friendly Alien: Object and Interface" [1]. I found it somewhat interesting. In the article, Manovich describes how objects and interfaces do not always complement one another, yet we need to continue that trend. The interface is usually thought of as an "alien" but it can be a "friendly alien" if the interface is more "together" with the right object. He describes paintings by Miltos Manetas that have changed over the years. Lev describes the Manetas paintings, in the 1990s, as reflecting a more foreign and unknown "alien", with the computer cables and such running around with no control. Since 1996, however, the paintings now portray more contemporary life and what this newer life has to offer in more familiar settings. The human-computer interface is not so gray and scary anymore.
I believe what Manovich is stating in this article is that interfaces are a fun and inviting "party", but should not be fashioned and designed like they are currently being done. These interfaces of computers (i.e., PSP, cellphones, etc.) should maintain the same design as to what is being seen on the computer interface. That is, the design right around the interface should have something to do with what is going on "in" the interface itself. Otherwise, the user of the interface loses the continuity of the going-on's inside the interface. Manovich states that the physical form on which the interface appears should and must be able to fit together and "accomodate" one another. We are used to interfaces being flat, so the surfaces or objects that the interface is placed on should be flat. Manovich agrees that it is not easy to find an interface-object that could unify perfectly. We, as users and creators, need to be very imaginative to come up with these better-fitting object-interface devices and apparel.
I found a couple descriptions of object-interface creations in Manovich's article to be very interesting. First, he describes his visit to a famous Collette store in Paris in 2005. In this store, he sees the "latest cell phones, PDSs and a portable SONY Playstation" at the entrance, instead of the usual perfumes, albums, and such. Those had been moved to around the perimeter of that store. The reason that these technological "jewels" had been placed in the most important spot in the store (the entrance) was because they are now "fashionable objects" to have and use in this day and age just like perfume and purses that formerly occupied the front entrance. The other part of this article that interested me greatly involved Lev's visit to a student technology show in the Netherlands in 2005. The show featured many "smart objects" which I personally had no idea existed. These solid and "smart" objects with interfaces included a special mirror that had a built-in block in the frame. You take the block out to record a video message, then you put the block back in the mirror frame. The recorded video is then "loaded" up. You then click on a picture that shows up on the mirror, and the video message plays on (inside) the mirror! I thought that was way cool! Another object-interface invention that I thought was very unique from the technology show was a vertical column that had lights in it. This column had a unique interface: a net. All aspects (position, tint, and quality) of the lights change depending on just how you touch this net interface. You never know how the light will change, and this creates a "festive party" in itself. What fun that would be to have in your house as an icebreaker, eh?
Manovich concludes that, with these "smart objects" as examples of what the future holds in the object-interface world, the object surface can present itself as an input or output form of information that will continue to surprise people. This tells us that the new object-interface creations that come along will still be "aliens" but should be "friendly aliens" compared to the pre-technology era.


[1] Lev Manovich, "Friendly Alien: Object and Interface". 2006. http://www.manovich.net/DOCS/friendly_alien.doc .