And, again, no fault with found by the 'pro-movie-worship' post, despite the obvious insult laid within it.
Now, based upon this conversation, many of you will look at this and say "that looks SOOOO 1970s." If you say, or think, that... it merely proves that you have no grasp on REAL LIFE...
But, I know, since you read this thread every day, Akiraprise, that you didn't find anything WRONG with this blatant insult at people who disagreed with the 'group think'?
Hey, Vance... go check out this thread...
http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=51129&page=4
Where I've been attacked by a couple of posters for being adamantly ANTI-MOVIE. I've been accused of being an "Abrams-hater" in that very thread... SIMULTANEOUSLY with this one, where you seem to think I'm an "Abrams Groupie?"
Every time you say something that any person of any strongly held perspective disagrees with on here, it always turns into something personal, doesn't it?
How, exactly, did I "insult people who disagree with group think?" ANSWER: I didn't.
I pointed out the REALITY that most modern, up-to-date control technology we've come up with is NOTHING AT ALL like the TNG set design. And that the reason that they did things as they did on TNG wasn't because it was the most technologically advanced solution, but rather because it was the most COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR MAKING A TV SHOW.
I pointed out WHY real switches are preferrable to "touch pads" when operating critical control systems. And gave a real-world example of a time, not all that long ago, when "flat touch controls" were all the rage... and that they were a MISERABLE FAILURE and are no longer used.
I've worked with touchpads on several applications in real life. I don't mean "I've touched buttons"... I mean I've DESIGNED THE CONTROLS. The primary advantages of touch-panels are COST, followed by COST, and with a close runner-up being COST. It's CHEAP, not to put too fine of a point on it.
But it's also less reliable, less accurate, and makes it far easier for the operator to make errors. Those aren't my "guesses" about that sort of thing, it's real-life experience, based upon large samples of statistical data from end-user feedback.
You're on a keyboard right now, clicking a mouse... your computer probably has a LOT of buttons and so forth all over it. Imagine, if you will... having nothign but the monitor, and having to control the computer by touching the monitor screen. Would you be more, or less, productive?
THAT was my point... trying to separate "well, the future will look this way because I saw it on TV" from "this is what actually works, and this is what doesn't work."
I never mentioned anyone by name. I find it interesting to note that several people took it as directed at them... when I was really hoping that instead of taking umbrage and going off on a tiff for having "their group insulted," people would choose NOT to be in that group.
Wishful thinking, I guess, but I keep hoping that people will surprise me in positive ways rather than negative ones...