I used to think that touch screens were useful for some applications, like cash registers, but not necessarily  something you'd want to use regularly. However the more I use an iPhone and iPad, the more I see a lot of value in having a gesture based system that I can manipulate. It isn't perfect for every situation and it's not wonderful for typing, but it works very well in most of the places where I use it.

I ran across this link about research from Microsoft that's using more of the human body for input. It's crude, and it looks a little funny watching someone try to dial a phone projected onto their arm, but it does raise the possibility that we might actually want to do this at times. There could be value in using the body or some larger surface, especially for those of us getting older and struggling to read anything on a small display.

As we look to capture more data, about more events, more often, having input devices that are better suited to the situation makes a lot of sense. Often when we are away from a set location, there isn't always a good place to put a laptop or keyboard, and other input devices might allow data capture or annotation in harsh environments, like outside or even underwater.

I love my keyboard, and can't imagine getting as much work done as I do without it, but I am open to examining new ways to input data if they work well for the situation.

Steve Jones

FYI: That's me using a tablet at the ranch, watching the SSC servers on SQL Monitor.

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