Comments on: Laptops, by 8-year-olds.

Laptops, by 8-year-olds.

nobody — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:35:55 -0800

Imaginary laptops, as designed by 8-year-olds. I'd suggest printing them out so you can try them at home. The designs lack dotted lines to fold across, but I'm sure you can figure it out. Scroll down for the interview, which is as charming as the pictures.

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:38:55 -0800

I wish my laptop had a "math botton."

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:42:16 -0800

This is great. I want a "14" key.

By: spiderskull

spiderskull — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:45:07 -0800

Ha! I wonder what hitting the kitten button does...

By: mothershock

mothershock — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:45:47 -0800

This is awesome. My 8-year-old is desperate for her own Macbook Pro, and has taken to creating her own out of paper (she colors one side grey with a white apple for the logo). Her keyboards have buttons that say "secrets," "[her brother's] secrets," and "you tube." She also has a couple of paper cell phones.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:48:54 -0800

There are pretty cool. MeFi needs more specheil feters. "Nun lock" sounds a bit kinky.

By: daniel striped tiger

daniel striped tiger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:53:49 -0800

I don't know, spiderskull, but I bet pressing it at the same time as the Hamster button would get a little messy.

By: DMan

DMan — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:55:57 -0800

The interview was good--it was interesting to see how they read into the designs to determine how the kids felt about computers in general. Wonder what this would have looked like 10 years ago, or 10 years from now.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:57:35 -0800

I like the laptop with the "maid", "chef" and "babysitter" buttons in close proximity.

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:58:14 -0800

Ctrl+Alt+Kitten

By: jamuraa

jamuraa — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:00:21 -0800

Is it wrong that I'm scared at how well some of these children know the QWERTY layout? Did they reference a real keyboard, or do they know by heart what I learned by wrote at an age much later?

By: Bugg

Bugg — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:09:48 -0800

Ctrl+Alt+Kitten --tepidmonkey

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:10:44 -0800

Seeing as I still can't accurately reproduce the entire keyboard without a reference (or maybe imagining myself typing the alphabet?), I'd guess they were looking at a real keyboard.

By: amyms

amyms — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:11:19 -0800

This one looks fun. Three game buttons: "game," "werd games" and "rily werd games." :)

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:14:22 -0800

I am better than your kids.

By: C.Batt

C.Batt — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:14:38 -0800

Forget qwerty. Forget all of the special purpose buttons (which are so cute... I mean who wouldn't want a "kitten" button. Awesome!). What has my mind reeling is that many of the keyboards have a simple alphabetical progression, followed by major functions keys (space, enter, etc...) THEN followed by numbers. I've just come to accept the standard layout that I'm practically blind to anything else - that was neat to see.

By: DrGirlfriend

DrGirlfriend — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:16:03 -0800

I like the kid who can correctly spell "shop", "buy", "charge", and "order", but can't spell "homework".

By: Bugg

Bugg — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:19:14 -0800

[ After being told this interview would be published on the internet ] "I'm going to be popular! I should make a blog button, right now." Sounds like we're in for another long September...

By: empath

empath — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:24:28 -0800

I love some of those keyboards. Interface designers should seriously take note. What these kids are imagining today, they will create in 15 years. The 'Friends' button in particular, is one I like.

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:25:45 -0800

Maddox would not approve. Meanwhile, I would pay $20 to see Steve Jobs personally review the laptop ideas.

By: valleys

valleys — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:31:26 -0800

On a middle-of-the night trip to the hospital a couple of weeks ago, the staff gave my 9 year-old a pack containing Disney keyboard stickers. I gave her an old keyboard and she carefully cleaned it off and stuck all the stickers on the correct keys. She then cleaned off her desk (bonus!) and now has her own imaginary computer. Yesterday she would rattle away on the keys for a while, then it would go quiet for a minute or two before she brought in the hand-written 'email' that she had been typing. She has a cardboard box that she's going to carve into a LCD monitor and various other things. Like amyms, I also really like the one with "game," "werd games" and "rily werd games."

By: empath

empath — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:34:51 -0800

It's almost far too clever a pun to be an accident.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:41:15 -0800

It seems to me that these kids want their computers to function like appliances. Want to see what your friends are up to? Just punch the "freinds" key. Games? No problem. Hell, there's even a key for "Barbie.com." Barbie dot fucking com. I have seriously mixed emotions about this. Part of me thinks, "tap-dancing Christ, these kids are idiots, all they're interested in is buying shit." But I also think, "well, computers are tools, they should do what people want them to do." I don't know what to think, really. It would be pretty rad to have a "Love" key, though. The question is, does it retrieve love, or send it?

By: CheeseburgerBrown

CheeseburgerBrown — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:53:14 -0800

You know what this means right? Paper malware! Impossible origami that crashes your machine or, worse, termites.

By: mumkin

mumkin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:55:24 -0800

Uncleozzy: absent these appliance-like keys, the kids would be illustrating bog-standard qwerty layouts with instructions on use, right? I mean, if there's not a button for barbie.com, then you're left with typing http://www.barbie.com or mousing to a bookmark (which is, in effect, a purpose-built button). Oh, and the love key is full duplex, no local echo.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:56:02 -0800

Want to see what your friends are up to? Just punch the "freinds" key. Games? No problem. [...] I have seriously mixed emotions about this. Part of me thinks, "tap-dancing Christ, these kids are idiots, all they're interested in is buying shit." They want to buy... seeing what their friends are up to?

By: DrGirlfriend

DrGirlfriend — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:56:54 -0800

It would be pretty rad to have a "Love" key, though. The question is, does it retrieve love, or send it? See, I'd find that infinitely depressing. At 8, they'd already think that love comes and goes through their computer.

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:02:38 -0800

DrGirlfriend writes "See, I'd find that infinitely depressing. At 8, they'd already think that love comes and goes through their computer." You mean it comes from somewhere else?

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:06:58 -0800

They want to buy... seeing what their friends are up to? This is what happens when you type four versions of a comment when you're ostensibly working. You're right, of course, but I think the real reason I bristle at some of the macro keys is the sense that there is only one service that provides such things. Something about the way kids are using computers today bothers me, and I can't articulate just why. Maybe I'm just a crotchety old (in internet years) man. You kids get off my eLawn (or is it iLawn? do you maintain it with a mowr™?).

By: marxchivist

marxchivist — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:07:53 -0800

Nobody noticed the "name pet" key on the first one. That, combined with a "should I dump him/her" key, would put a serious dent in AskMetafilter.

By: DrGirlfriend

DrGirlfriend — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:09:27 -0800

You mean it comes from somewhere else? posted by mullingitover at 2:02 PM on November 19 [+] [!] Oh, well, I wasn't counting Kraftwerk, ferpetessake.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:13:47 -0800

Oh, well, I wasn't counting Kraftwerk, ferpetessake. They totally ripped off Coldplay anyway.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:14:21 -0800

So cute, so awesome. Thanks, nobody!

By: Kwine

Kwine — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:17:47 -0800

Is it wrong that I'm scared at how well some of these children know the QWERTY layout? Did they reference a real keyboard, or do they know by heart what I learned by wrote at an age much later? I just realized that, though I'm a very good touch typist, I have no idea what the layout of the keys looks like exactly, and I surely couldn't reproduce the keyboard layout in a drawing without looking at one. Psychologists! Do a study and figure out what's up with that! Thanks!

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:22:56 -0800

Metafilter: I'm going to be popular! I should make a blog button, right now.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:07 -0800

Dear jerkfaces: We are aware that Maddox once wrote a funny thing where he mocked kids' drawings. You can stop linking it several times in any thread that involves drawings by kids. Thanks and <3, Everybody who is sick of that.

By: gemmy

gemmy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:12 -0800

I like the 8-year old who has a button for "firewall" and an item on the screen called "Security". That probably tells us a lot about her parents' computer/internet savvy.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:24 -0800

But, regardless: this is pretty great.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:42 -0800

*wants a hamster button*

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:54:21 -0800

I like the 8-year old who has a button for "firewall" and an item on the screen called "Security". That probably tells us a lot about her parents' computer/internet savvy. That one is awesome. it has "frogluky", "bird love bird", "cookie", & "Hores" keys. C'mon, who hasn't thought of blowing their savings on cookie and hores?

By: easternblot

easternblot — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:55:42 -0800

I like the one that's pretty straightforward except for the giant GAME button right between Enter and Space.

By: localroger

localroger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:16:40 -0800

You know, it may be awhile before I have time to build it but I've been assembling the bits for the laptop I'd like that nobody is building. It will be the size of a full-size laptop keyboard, which I salvaged from a dead 286 laptop. The screen will be a standard 240x128 one bit color depth LCD. The backlight will be optional and adjustable. It will be powered by an embedded 186 class DOS-based microcontroller that can be idled to near zero power usage when it's waiting for a keypress. It will save files to a standard SD card which is shared with a standard USB SD reader for getting data in and out of it. And it will run for at least 80 hours straight on eight AA batteries.

By: billyfleetwood

billyfleetwood — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:17:39 -0800

Meanwile at the senior laptop club all designs feature a keyboard with only one key... [Cancel Google]

By: me & my monkey

me & my monkey — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:03:05 -0800

Something about the way kids are using computers today bothers me, and I can't articulate just why. Computers SHOULD BE appliances. You shouldn't have to understand all the crap about how a computer works unless you're a programmer or hardware engineer. I suspect this bothers you because you had to waste your time learning about all that (essentially useless) crap.

By: localroger

localroger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:15:00 -0800

me & my monkey -- you can treat a computer like an appliance just like you can treat a car that way. There are a lot of parallels between computers and cars. They're both enormously complicated, a lot of engineering goes into them, and there are a lot of things that can go wrong. You can, like some people, treat your car as if the hood is welded shut and hope for the best. But you can also make it a bit of a hobby, learn how it works, and save yourself a lot of heartache and money by solving your own problems and preventing others. I think it's silly not to have some idea how the technology that's critical to your way of life works, and it's disturbing to me that all technology -- cars and computers and even toasters included -- seems to be peeling off in a direction that makes it impossible to relate except as wish-dispensing black boxes that we have to discard and replace when they disappoint us for reasons we will never understand.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:30:33 -0800

I was about to respond to me & my monkey, but I think localroger summed it up nicely. Nobody's saying you have to hack hardware or software, but it's helpful to know how things work. Otherwise we wind up with "Bill Gates will give you $100 to forward this email" and "here is a naked picture of Angelina Jolie.jpg.exe" and "please visit http://www.paypal.com@password.reset/ to reset your password," which endangers (or at least inconveniences) everyone on the internet, just as failing to understand that worn tires and brakes need to be replaced endangers other drivers. Of course, these kids are just having some fun. We'll see what happens when they're a little older.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:31:40 -0800

(Add a ".ru" in that last comment someplace. It's up to you where; doesn't matter much to me.)

By: scalefree

scalefree — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:33:40 -0800

Metafilter: Well you see, if we had whole days to work on it, and bigger paper, I think we could make it way more detailed.

By: me & my monkey

me & my monkey — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:34:31 -0800

... you can also make it a bit of a hobby ... That shouldn't be a requirement for its use. To the extent that it isn't, it's a failure of the technology.

By: localroger

localroger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:44:09 -0800

Well me & my monkey, I think you overestimate what technology can and is supposed to do -- unless you think any technology short of this one is inadequate. Technology is just stuff we create to grease our interaction with the ever so balksome natural world. It's never perfect, never has been, and if it ever is I promise the result will be much weirder than you expect. Ironically, my wife has pretty much your attitude, and part of our relationship is that I take responsibility for that dealing with technology thing. (On the flip side, she deals with a lot of domestic shit that would drive me batty.) But it always amazes me when she asks me why X happened and as I prepare to show her how to deal with it, she walks away, obviously distracted and uninterested, despite the fact that 60 seconds of concentration could save her hours of frustration in an inevitable future. The day the computer really can fix itself is not necessarily a joyous one. It might be Skynet instead of Prime Intellect.

By: kosher_jenny

kosher_jenny — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:49:47 -0800

Press button Receive kitten

By: wanderingmind

wanderingmind — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:14:20 -0800

I want a "design pet" button. The happy and unhappy faces on that one are actually pretty clever, too. Transparently obvious synonyms for "OK" and "Cancel".

By: The Deej

The Deej — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:33:45 -0800

who wouldn't want a "kitten" button I'm sure a high percentage of MeFites have a lolcat button though.

By: blasdelf

blasdelf — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:03:13 -0800

The day the computer really can fix itself is not necessarily a joyous one. It might be Skynet instead of Prime Intellect. posted by localroger Well you're pretty much the expert on that :)

By: localroger

localroger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:34:53 -0800

blasdelf -- wow, I'm an expert? Who said that? Certainly not, say, the IEEE oh wait a minute...

By: nax

nax — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:42:20 -0800

By: me & my monkey

me & my monkey — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:47:51 -0800

I think you overestimate what technology can and is supposed to do Not at all. General-purpose computers are quite primitive right now, that's all. I think you underestimate what progress will bring. For most tasks that people do with computers, they're far more complicated than they have to be. This is largely a matter of deficient user interfaces. The day the computer really can fix itself That has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Do you really think an end-user should need to know about, say, filesystem permissions to install software? Nobody's saying you have to hack hardware or software, but it's helpful to know how things work. Otherwise we wind up with "Bill Gates will give you $100 to forward this email" and "here is a naked picture of Angelina Jolie.jpg.exe" and "please visit http://www.paypal.com@password.reset/ to reset your password," which endangers (or at least inconveniences) everyone on the internet, just as failing to understand that worn tires and brakes need to be replaced endangers other drivers. This is a great example of what I mean, I think. You don't need to know about SMTP, ActiveX and browser vulnerabilities to deal with this problem. The fact that these problems exist in the first place (spam, users running as administrators, etc) are deficiencies in the systems that we've designed. The answer to these problems isn't to train everyone how to use the deficient systems, it's to fix the deficiencies in those systems.

By: kiltedtaco

kiltedtaco — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:11:55 -0800

Some of them seem to be quite smart. I like the one with the iTunes, iPhone, and Firewall buttons, but I actually had to look up what the "WebKinz" button was about. Damn, I should not be having "I feel old" moments at age 20.

By: teg

teg — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:53:30 -0800

Ha! I wonder what hitting the kitten button does... I don't know, spiderskull, but I bet pressing it at the same time as the Hamster button would get a little messy. Not necessarily

By: pravit

pravit — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:51:04 -0800

I used to love making these when I was a kid! For some reason I had a fascination with making paper laptops, handheld games, and spaceship consoles. I also used to love drawing the insides of imaginary plane/spaceship cockpits. Brings back good memories. Thanks for the post!

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:26:35 -0800

Computers SHOULD BE appliances. You shouldn't have to understand all the crap about how a computer works unless you're a programmer or hardware engineer. I suspect this bothers you because you had to waste your time learning about all that (essentially useless) crap. That fight is long from over. I know there are many people who think that computing (and I'm just talking using, not programming) is too complicated and don't care much about customizability, but for many others, they want more and more. For them, most software already chooses too many things for you. And while I've already started seeing "appliance" type one-function keys on keyboards, I think the gradual increase in computer savvy-ness is going to see more and more people wanting fewer and fewer choices made for them. Even my dad, bless him, turned to me one day and asked, frustrated, "Why can't I get my computer to do it this way -- it's a computer!" and I had to explain to him that someone thought it was a good idea to restrict this particular choice because most people wouldn't care and it would be easier overall. Here is my 75 year old father wanting more out of Windows.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:27:04 -0800

(and these are great, btw. nice post!)

By: No Mutant Enemy

No Mutant Enemy — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:30:13 -0800

General-purpose computers are quite primitive right now, that's all. I think you underestimate what progress will bring.

I read recently that the average home in UK contains almost a trillion transistors. Of course, we have no idea where many of them are, and in the same way I suspect that we'll be unaware of most of the computers in our lives. Where do we place the boundary between 'washing machine control system' and 'computer'?

By: bonobo

bonobo — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:45:37 -0800

Ahhhhh, the drawings, functions, and collection as a whole really fascinate and touch me. Little kids' minds are neat. The addition of special function buttons has really irritated me while shopping for the inevitable replacement to my MS Natural keyboard. I wonder when MS will roll out the 'boards with puppy/kitten/cat/dog, etc? Not so sure 'bout a "private code" key, though. Like pravit, I "made" my own electronics. The most memorable for me are a cardboard Apple ][ and a space shuttle console. On the hour-long school bus ride I piloted for NASA! Alas, the custom cardboard gadgets were put away once I spent my savings upon a Commodore 64. **wipes tear from eye**

By: grouse

grouse — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:05:35 -0800

Am I the only one here who did similar things 20 years ago? Except not with laptops.

By: scalefree

scalefree — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:53:18 -0800

Am I the only one here who did similar things 20 years ago? Except not with laptops. Totally, except more like 30-35 years. Mine looked a lot like WOPR, with a RADAR display & satellite dish hanging off it & a missile launcher too. Couple years later the Apple ][ & TRS-80 came out & made my dreams a reality. Well, minus the missiles.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:26:19 -0800

I used to draw video games. I'd lay out some crazy Blaster Master-esque action tank platformer on ruled notebook paper, with all kinds of spikes and projectiles and the tank captured in five or six progressive positions of that "screen" of the "level". I wish I still had that stuff—I can remember it pretty vividly, but I'd love to see my eight-year-old drawings again.

By: me & my monkey

me & my monkey — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 09:16:25 -0800

I know there are many people who think that computing (and I'm just talking using, not programming) is too complicated and don't care much about customizability, but for many others, they want more and more. I don't think that improving usability necessarily requires reducing customizability. It may involve hiding customization options during regular use, I suppose. Here is my 75 year old father wanting more out of Windows. Who doesn't?

By: Durhey

Durhey — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:40:50 -0800

Cortex, that's pretty much how actual video game designs start out.

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:18:38 -0800

cortex writes "Dear jerkfaces:

"We are aware that Maddox once wrote a funny thing where he mocked kids' drawings. You can stop linking it several times in any thread that involves drawings by kids.

"Thanks and <3,
"Everybody who is sick of that." Dear Everybody who is sick of that: Sorry, I've never seen that linked here before. Also, I guess I spent too much time composing and failed to preview, and thus missed it when ericb beat me to the punch. I am mortified and ashamed. If I could take it all back, I would. Thanks and <3 back atcha, Someone who spends far too much time on MeFi, but apparently still not enough time to be on a first-name basis with the legion of dead horses. sent from my paper laptop

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:31:41 -0800

Dear mullingitover: You're a mensch. I take it all back. Don't ever change, baby. <3 & xoxoxo, moi