Smart Watches

[brimic]

I saw the Samsung CEO announce their 'smart watches' on some news show a week or so ago.
All I could think of was her derp fail on many levels- small screen, and not to mention the difficulty of watching pr0n attached to the wrist.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Hawkmoon, that may be true of you, but not for me.

I have to sit and think and count off the minutes to figure out what you get at a glance.

I can "read" short strings of numbers and letters at a glance. It's not something that requires focus or effort. Figuring out a spatial orientation makes me have to think about it.

[230RN]

Thanks, Hawmoon.  You put it so well.  Heck, they don't even have actual numbers on many aircraft indicators.  One glance does it.  Can you imagine having to decipher numbers on an artificial  horizon indicator?





However, I could not help but mention barber shop clocks:



Well, I see by the ole clock on the wall that it's ten till two, so I'd better scoot.  Catch y'all later.  Maybe around half past six.

Terry

[zahc]

Your mistake is in thinking that an analog clock has to be "read." It can be, of course, but the advantage an analog dial of any type has over digital is that it doesn't have to be "read," it can just be looked at.

The technical term is "subitization". Quick assessments of things involving spatial arrangement of a small number of things (attackers, predators, watch hands) is done in a completely different part of the brain from counting. Once things require counting or decoding, processing slows down by a huge amount.

[Boomhauer]

Thanks, Hawmoon.  You put it so well.  Heck, they don't even have actual numbers on many aircraft indicators.  One glance does it.  Can you imagine having to decipher numbers on an artificial  horizon indicator?

Except hey do have numbers on most aircraft instruments.

The artificial horizon is not an instrument that needs numbers because of what it is representing as it is a visual indication of the horizon...

Altimeter has numbers
Airspeed indicator has numbers
Rate of climb has numbers
Heading indicator/directional gyro has numbers
Compass has numbers
Engine instruments have numbers
Tachometer and manifold pressure have numbers
Radio navigation instruments have numbers.

Now they do typically indicate most flight instruments on either an analog round type face or a sliding tape scale (think digital flight instruments) for the reasons of quick interpretation and being able to interpret change easily with just a glance. Flight instruments are arranged in a fairly standard configuration for the most part, too.

[230RN]

^OK.

Say, would you consider warning lights and buzzers and voiced warnings "digital" or "analog?"

(IANAPilot)

[RoadKingLarry]

I had Lasix done a few years ago and have 20/20 except for reading distance, there I need a little help. I do fine with seeing the Casio G-Shock I'm wearing even without readers, but I can't hear the alarm.

[MillCreek]

^^^ That would be Lasik, the surgery.  Lasix, the diuretic, doesn't do diddly for your vision.  Although you do pee a lot.

[Boomhauer]

^OK.

Say, would you consider warning lights and buzzers and voiced warnings "digital" or "analog?"

(IANAPilot)

Annunciator panels, warning lights, and Bitching Betty are typically warning methods, not instruments. When you hear them its Oh *expletive deleted*ck, Whats wrong? Time and then you are going to take action to correct or investigate the problem...including checking your instruments to see if engines are functioning properly, hydraulics are working, or if you are running out of fuel or whatever system the light is telling you to check.

[RoadKingLarry]

^^^ That would be Lasik, the surgery.  Lasix, the diuretic, doesn't do diddly for your vision.  Although you do pee a lot.

Blind in one ear, can't see out the other. whatever that phaser aye surgery is.

[Tallpine]

Annunciator panels, warning lights, and Bitching Betty are typically warning methods, not instruments. When you hear them its Oh *expletive deleted*, Whats wrong? Time and then you are going to take action to correct or investigate the problem...including checking your instruments to see if engines are functioning properly, hydraulics are working, or if you are running out of fuel or whatever system the light is telling you to check.

Or like the gorram main buffer panel falling off 

[TechMan]

Blind in one ear, can't see out the other. whatever that phaser aye surgery is.

So you're Van Gogh.

[fifth_column]

Think reading analog is hard?  Try binary:

[CNYCacher]

Your mistake is in thinking that an analog clock has to be "read." It can be, of course, but the advantage an analog dial of any type has over digital is that it doesn't have to be "read," it can just be looked at. As 230RN posted, you don't try to read it to the minute, you glance at it and get a sense of where the hands are -- then you look back to whatever you were doing (like, maybe, driving) and let the mind process what the eyes saw.

There's a reason why race drivers don't use digital tachometers and gauges. It doesn't take long for their minds to become accustomed to where the needles usually point when everything is running properly. So all they have to do is glance down -- if the needles are in the usual places, all's right with the world and there's no need to "read" a dial to see that the oil pressure is 63 psi. 60, 61, 65 -- doesn't matter, I've got oil pressure in the proper range, hammer down. But if that needle that usually points straight up is suddenly pointing down and to the left -- now it's time to pay attention. With digital instrumentation, you have to read the output every time you want information. I once had a rental car with a digital speedometer and all digital instruments. It was horrible -- I hated it.

But I grew up in the era of analog dials and analog clocks. We learned how to "tell time" ("The big hand is on the ten, the little hand is on the three -- what time is it?"). With a digital timepiece, there's no such thing as "telling time" -- it's just reading the digital output.

Excellent example. In fact I think race cars go a step further and actually orient the dials so that all the needles are pointing in one direction if everything is ok

[Ben]

And FWIW, I wasn't making fun of anybody for their vision problems. It's the complaining that us young whippersnappers are making tech you can't use. 

On the bright side, we might not be able to use it, but you young whipersnappers will be hit by a bus while crossing the street and trying to make out what your smart watch display says about traffic at the corner.  

[Tallpine]

Think reading analog is hard?  Try binary:

2-9-3-34   

[CNYCacher]

2-9-3-34   

Wrong-endian