Mental Locomotion, Part 1 (maybe)
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Some time ago now - and I'm sorry, but I can't remember how
long ago or where - I was reminded of Steve Jobs' old
conceit that personal computers were like "bicycles for the
mind". Although I'm sure I'd come across it before, I
hadn't up to then given it much thought. This time around,
though, I was quite struck by the notion. I started thinking
about all the qualities my bicycle has, that maybe we could
(or should!) aspire to with our computers:
- energy efficient
- easy to use
- non-polluting
- good exercise
- repairable, maintainable
- standardized components
- humanly comprehensible
- durable, sustainable
- inexpensive
- predictable
- customizable
- enjoyable
- easy to store
- quiet
- requires minimal infrastructure
"Yes!" I thought, looking at my list, "that's exactly how
computers should be. Steve Jobs sure got it right that
time."
Then it occurred to me that I should go back to the source.
Maybe Mr. Jobs had more to say about bicycles and computers,
back in 1980 when this was one of his big talking points.
The Internet being what it is, going back to the source was
not difficult.[1]
He did have more to say, but I guess not surprisingly, he
didn't pursue the analogy quite so far as I did. Not much
past the first couple of points, efficiency and ease of use,
in fact. What he was mostly getting at, it seems, is that
computers could make people more efficient at getting work
done, in the same way that bicycles made people a lot more
efficient at getting from one place to another. And when it
came to ease of use, he acknowledged that was more a goal
than a reality, but one they at Apple were actively
pursuing.
Somewhat at odds with my expectations, Jobs did not fully
commit to the bicycle analogy, even in his earliest
articulations of the concept. He went on to liken personal
computers to Volkswagens, contrasting them with mainframes
and minicomputers, which he compared to passenger trains.
(Which, parenthetically, I find interesting in itself. Why
Volkswagens, specifically, and not, say, Honda Civics?
Probably because back in 1980 Volkswagens, like bicycles,
still had some countercultural cachet). In this formulation,
personal computers were about personal control, following
your own road rather than the tracks laid down for you by
others.
This slippage, from bicycles to cars, presages the evolution
of personal computers in the years between then and now.
"Internal Combustion Engines for the Mind" doesn't have
quite the same connotation as the earlier analogy, but is
perhaps more apt when thinking about, say, AI in its current
form, spewing toxic exhaust while it tries to do our thinking
for us. Maybe we should more closely interrogate what we
are producing, before we celebrate "productivity" as a goal
unto itself.
To get at exactly how the above-listed cycling qualities
could be transposed into the world of computers, I'd
probably need to explore them in a bit more depth than I
have time for right now. (For example, I'm thinking more of
computers that encourage mental exercise, than ones that you
have to pedal or hand-crank). If there is a part 2 to this
series, that's probably what it will be about.
And then there are the more problematic qualities of
bicycles that somewhat complicate my techno-utopian vision,
including:
- not as fast/convenient as other options, particularly
for longer trips or hauling gear/children
- not as comfortable in inclement weather
- not as accessible for folks with certain kinds of
disabilities
I'll probably save those for part 3, should I get that far.
Closing, I can't quite shake the feeling, given the ubiquity
of Jobs' analogy, that someone other than me must have
already given voice to pretty much the same thoughts as I've
articulated here. I've not been able to find any such prior
art, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else is aware
of any similar unpackings of "bicycles for the mind".
References
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[1] "Bicycle for the Mind". Steven Sinofsky. 2019
https://medium.learningbyshipping.com/bicycle-121262546097
Sun Dec 22 20:32:45 PST 2024
