ilovit-CriticalInterface

"10. The interface uses metaphors that create illusions: I am free, I can go back, I have unlimited memory, I am anonymous, I am popular, I am creative, it's free, it's neutral, it is simple, it is universal. Beware of illusions!"
"Imagine your desktop is a kitchen, a garden, a hospital, a computer. Now, imagine it using no metaphor"
"Don't delete your bookmarks history after watching porn. It's useless, Google always remembers."

This articulates really well something that makes me really uncomfortable about interacting with the digital world. All the illusions! The way search history is organized like a journal - date, time, where you went - so it seems like you can just tear out a page and throw it out. How you "paint" with Photoshop, "type" with Word. The more that digital environments become the dominant frame of reference, the more elusive the metaphors become: interfaces become metaphors for interfaces. I like especially the idea of using our own metaphors for our interfaces, although it's hard to keep up.