Reading Response #9

Norman discusses the potential design of future homes, or "smart homes" in Chapter that are made up of neural networks and have pattern-recognition, and learning ability. In other words, the "smart house" could recognize activity patterns and anticipate behaviors (p.119). According to Norman, smart homes seem to be of two main types: ones with intelligent autonomy (systems that attempt to infer the intentions of people) and ones with intelligent augmentation (providing useful tools, but letting people decide when and where they are to be used). I prefer the latter type of "smart home". Whenever Norman talks about these "smart homes" in this book I also seem to think of a Ray Bradbury short story called "There Will Come Soft Rains" in which a "smart house" goes about its business as if the occupants are still alive but there's been a devastating nuclear war that has killed everyone, and yet the house continues through its programmed routine. It's worth a read.