Something has been really bugging me lately. Why is it that we can get data into our heads faster than we can get it out? By one back of the envelope calculation (drop me a note if you want to see the envelope) we can load humans with about 60 GBPS worth of data through the well engineered use of visualization systems. And when done right the brain can process all that and bounce it off vast stores of saved memory in speeds that are much much faster. But when it comes to getting that data and its results back out, we are stuck typing or speaking. So, depending on how fast a person types or speaks, the data comes out at about 40 to 120 words per minute.
Why is this important?
In the analysis world, whether it is financial analysis or risk analysis or intelligence analysis or medical analysis, sometimes we humans must coordinate and collaborate to get to the right answer. The default way we do that is through voice, of course. So, you have multiple humans creating knowledge at the speed of thought and then trying to exchange it at a snail’s pace. That has been a frustration of fast thinkers for ages.
After wrestling with this problem for a few years I think I know part of the answer. We don’t need brain implants or advanced ESP skills to solve this one. We need more widespread use of advanced human generated computer graphics devices.
I’m going to mention one in particular to illustrate the point: The TouchTable.
I imagine most CTOs have at least heard of the Touch Table. This was a capability developed by Applied Minds Inc to meet the requirements of a special group of users in the Defense Intelligence Agency. Many exciting videos of the TouchTable exist on the Internet, with one of the most recent being one with TouchTable CEO Rocky Roccanova on a Wired Science episode.
Now back to my point. What if every human who had to have elegant interactions or collaborations on advanced higher-order thoughts had a TouchTable and what if they were all linked together so info sharing could be facilitated by these devices?
Now the speed of getting data out of a human’s head and into another human’s head would be significantly changed. Ideas and thoughts can be created visually and received by people through their fastest input pipe. And since it is totally digital, humans can use TouchTable to collaborate around the globe.
When viewed this way, advanced devices like this TouchTable can really help break the bottleneck in getting thoughts out of then back into heads.
For more see: http://www.touchtable.com/site/
