Nicholas Negroponte: 5 predictions, in 1984

翻译人员: Chunlei Chang 校对人员: dahong zhang

In this rather long sort of marathon presentation,

在这个长长的，有点马拉松似的演讲里，

I've tried to break it up into three parts:

我会分成三块来讲：

the first being a whole lot of examples on how it can be

首先是给出一个很多的例子来说明

a little bit more pleasurable to deal with a computer

未来与电脑打交道会更加有趣

and really address the qualities of the human interface.

并且真正解决人机交互的质量问题。

And these will be some simple design qualities

然后将会有一些简单的设计质量，

and they will also be some qualities of, if you will,

还有一些品质包括

the intelligence of interaction.

智能交互。

Then the second part will really just be examples of new technologies --

第二部分仅仅是新技术的例子：

new media falling very much into that mold.

新媒体会塑成那种风格。

Again, I will go through them as fast as possible.

而且，我会非常快速的带大家过一遍这些。

And then the last one will be some examples

最后我会给大家讲一些案例，

I've been able to collect, which I think

我收集的一些案例，

illustrate this at least as best I can, in the world of entertainment.

我会尽我努力来说明一些娱乐界的未来案例。

People have this belief -- and I share most of it --

人们坚信这些东西，我来分享给你们

that we will be using the TV screens or their equivalents

那就是在未来我们会用电视屏幕，或者他们其它的设备

for electronic books of the future. But then you think,

来看电子书。但你想想，

"My God! What a terrible image you get when you look at still pictures on TV."

“上帝呀，用电视来看图片是多么糟的一个场景呀”

Well, it doesn't have to be terrible.

其实不必这么糟。

And that is a slide taken from a TV set

这是一个电视的幻灯片。

and it was pre-processed to be very sympathetic to the TV medium,

并且它是预处理成为交互式的电视媒体，

and it absolutely looks beautiful.

看起来绝对棒。

Well, what's happened? How did people get into this mess?

发生了什么事？ 为什么人们卷进来这个混乱？

Where you are now, all of a sudden,

你现在在这里，突然

sitting in front of personal computers

坐在一台个人电脑前，

and video text -- teletext systems,

还有视频文字，电子文本系统，

and somewhat horrified by what you see on the screen?

在屏幕上还看到其它的让你吃惊的东西？

Well, you have to remember that TV was designed

你必须记得，电视是被设计适于在

to be looked at eight times the distance of the diagonal.

八倍于屏幕尺寸的距离上观看。（屏幕尺寸是指显示器屏幕对角线的长度）

So you get a 13-inch, 19-inch, whatever, TV,

所以在观看13英寸，19英寸等大小的电视时

and then you should multiply that by eight

所以你应该拿这些屏幕尺寸乘以8,

and that's the distance you should sit away from the TV set.

那才是你应该坐在电视机前的距离。

Now we've put people 18 inches in front of a TV,

现在，突然大家要坐在电脑屏幕前面18英寸的地方

and all the artifacts that none of the original designers expected to be seen,

并且所有的东西都不是最初的设计者所期待的，

all of a sudden, are staring you in the face:

突然投射到你的脸上。

the shadow mask, the scan lines, all of that.

荫罩式，逐行扫描，所有的那些。

And they can be treated very easily;

并且人们会轻松的解决它们。

there are actually ways of getting rid of them,

实事上，会有办法摆脱它们。

there are actually ways of just making absolutely beautiful pictures.

实际上，有别的办法来显示超美的图片。

I'm talking here a little bit about display technologies.

刚才我会在这里谈一点显示技术。

Let me talk about how you might input information.

让我来告诉你如何来输入信息。

And my favorite example is always fingers.

我最喜欢的例子一直是手指操作.

I'm very interested in touch-sensitive displays.

我对触摸感应显示非常有兴趣.

High-tech, high-touch. Isn't that what some of you said?

顶尖科技, 高端触控. 你难道不想说点什么吗?

It's certainly a very important medium for input,

这肯定是一个非常非常重要的输入媒介.

and a lot of people think that fingers are a very low-resolution

很多人认为对于输入给显示系统来说

sort of stylus for inputting to a display.

手指的电极解析度很低.

In fact, they're not: it's really a very, very high-resolution input medium --

事实上, 他们错了. 这是一个非常非常高解析度的输入媒介.

you have to just do it twice, you have to touch the screen

你只需要做两次. 你需要接触屏幕,

and then rotate your finger slightly --

然后轻轻的旋转你的手指.

and you can move a cursor with great accuracy.

之后你可以轻松准确的移动指针.

And so when you see on the market these systems

并且你在市场上看到这些系统的时候,

that have just a few light emitting diodes on the side and are very low resolution,

他们只有一小部分发光二极管(LED), 解析度相当低 --

it's nice that they exist because it still is better than nothing.

它们的存在至少比什么都没有要好.

But it, in some sense, misses the point:

但在某种程序上来说有一点没赶上.

namely, that fingers are a very, very high-resolution input medium.

也就是说, 手指是非常非常高解析度的输入媒体.

Now, what are some of the other advantages?

那还有什么其他的优势呢?

Well, the one advantage is that you don't have to pick them up,

优点之一是,你不必去学习它.

and people don't realize how important that is --

人们没有意识到这有多重要,

not having to pick up your fingers to use them. (Laughter)

不需要去学习用你的手指去使用它们.

When you think for a second of the mouse on Macintosh --

你想一想苹果电脑的鼠标 --

and I will not criticize the mouse too much --

我不想批评这款鼠标太多 --

when you're typing -- what you have -- you want to now put something --

但当你打字的时候,你还想输入些其它东西,

first of all, you've got to find the mouse.

首先你得先摸到鼠标.

You have to probably stop. Maybe not come to a grinding halt,

你必须先停下来, 也许不是很辛苦的停顿,

but you've got to sort of find that mouse. Then you find the mouse,

但你得先找到鼠标,

and you're going to have to wiggle it a little bit

然后晃一晃

to see where the cursor is on the screen.

在屏幕上找到光标.

And then when you finally see where it is,

然后你终于找到光标的位置,

then you've got to move it to get the cursor over there,

之后你又要移动光标,

and then -- "Bang" -- you've got to hit a button or do whatever.

然后呯一下,你点一下鼠标.

That's four separate steps versus typing and then touching

用这四个分解步骤来对比打字后用鼠标

and typing and just doing it all in one motion --

和打字后只用一个动作,

or one-and-a-half, depending on how you want to count.

或一个半动作, 看你怎么计数了.

Again, what I'm trying to do is just illustrate

然后, 我在这里要说明的是

the kinds of problems that I think face the designers

这一类的问题

of new computer systems and entertainment systems

是新的电脑系统和娱乐系统以及

and educational systems

教育系统的设计者的问题,

from the perspective of the quality of that interface.

从界面质量的角度来考虑.

And another advantage, of course, of using fingers is you have 10 of them.

另一个好处,当然,使用你的十个手指.

And we have never known how to do this technically,

然而我们一直不知道技术上怎么实现.

so this slide is a fake slide.

所以这是一个假的幻灯片.

We never succeeded in using ten fingers,

我们一直没有实现过用十个手指,

but there are certain things you can do, obviously,

但显然你肯定可以做某些事情,

with more than one-finger input, which is rather fascinating.

多点触控输入, 有着强大的吸引力.

What we did stumble across was something ...

我们意外发现的实现的是,

Again, which is typical of the computer field,

也是计算机领域的典型,

is when you have a bug that you can't get rid of you turn it into a feature.

当你无法摆脱一个软件缺陷(bug)的时候,你就把它改造成一个功能.

And maybe ... (Laughter)

然后也许 -- (笑声)

maybe a mouse is a new kind of bug.

-- 也许鼠标的出现就是一种缺陷(bug)

But the bug in our case was in touch-sensitive displays:

但在这里,这个缺陷(bug)是基于我们的触控显示技术.

we wanted to be able to draw -- you know, rub your finger

我们希望能画画,你知道,在屏幕上移动你的手指

across the screen to input continuous points --

然后输入连续的点.

and there was just too much friction

并且那是你的手指与屏幕

created between your finger and the glass --

产生的压力 --

if glass was the substrate, which it usually is.

如果是以玻璃材料的, 通常是这种.

So we found that that actually was a feature

我们发现其实还有一个功能

in the sense you could build a pressure-sensitive display.

你可以打造一个压力感应的显示器.

And when you touch it with your finger,

当你用手指触摸的时候,

you can actually, then, introduce all the forces on the face of that screen,

你实际上可以在屏幕上任何地方按压,

and that actually has a certain amount of value.

然后产生一定的数值.

Let me see if I can load another disc

我看看能不能加载另外一张盘片

and show you, quickly, an example.

快速给你做个演示.

Now, imagine a screen, which is not only touch-sensitive now,

好了, 现在想像一个屏幕不仅仅是触摸感应,

it's pressure-sensitive.

它还带压力感应.

And it's pressure-sensitive to the forces both in the plane of the screen --

压力感应会检查到屏幕面板受到的压力.

X, Y, and Z at least in one direction;

X轴,Y轴和Z轴, 至少有一个方向.

we couldn't figure out how to come in the other direction.

我们整不明白怎么才能到其它的方向.

But let me get rid of the slide,

让我拿掉这个幻灯片.

and let's see if this comes on.

我们看看这个怎么样.

OK. So there is the pressure-sensitive display in operation.

好, 这是压力感应显示系统的操作.

The person's just, if you will, pushing on the screen to make a curve.

这个人只是在按屏幕,

But this is the interesting part.

但这是非常有趣的部分.

I want to stop it for a second

好了,现在我们暂停一下

because the movie is very badly made.

因为这段视频做的很差.

And the particular display was built about six years ago,

而这个显示系统是6年前的产口,

and when we moved from one room to another room,

当我们从一间房子挪到另一间房子的时候

a rather large person sat on it and it got destroyed.

一个傻大个坐在了上面, 把它做坏了.

So all we have is this record. (Laughter)

所以我们只剩下这段录像了.

But imagine that screen having lots of objects on it

但是,想像一下,如果那个屏幕上有很多的物体.

and the person has touched an object --

并且人们如果触摸一个物体,

one of N -- like he did there, and then pushed on it.

N个中的一个, 就像他刚做的一样. 然后推一下.

Now, imagine a program

现在想像一个程序

where some of those objects are physically heavy and some are light:

里面的对象有重的有轻的.

one is an anvil on a fuzzy rug

一个铁砧在毛茸茸的地毯上,(很难推动)

and the other one is a ping-pong ball on a sheet of glass.

另一个是一个乒乓球在玻璃上.

And when you touch it, you have to really push very hard

当你推铁砧的时候,你必须用力推

to move that anvil across the screen,

才能挪动它到屏幕另一端.

and yet you touch the ping-pong ball very lightly

然而,你只需要轻轻的碰一下乒乓球,

and it just scoots across the screen.

它就会快速的滑过屏幕.

And what you can do -- oops, I didn't mean to do that --

你可以做的是 -- 哎呀, 我按错了--

what you can do is actually feed back to the user

你可以做的是, 反馈用户

the feeling of the physical properties.

对物理属性的感觉.

So again, they don't have to be weight;

而且,他们也不必有重量.

they could be a general trying to move troops,

他们可以是一个将军调动部队一样,

and he's got to move an aircraft carrier versus a little boat.

指挥航空母舰母区别于调度小船.

In fact, they funded it for that very reason.

本来就是嘛, 他们拨款一定有原因.

(Laughter)

(笑声)

The whole notion, then, is one that at the interface

整体的概念只有一个就是界面.

there are physical properties in that transducer --

物理属性都存在传感器里 --

in this case it's pressure and touches --

在这个演示中, 这是压力和触摸 --

that allow you to present things to the user that you could never present before.

允许你去展示一些你从来没有展示过的东西.

So it's not simply looking at the quality or, if you will, the luxury of that interface,

所以, 如果不是仅仅看中质量,或者你希望要那种界面的奢望.

but it's actually looking at the idea

但它实际上看中的是想法和创意

of presenting things that previously couldn't be presented before.

允许你去展示一些你从来没有展示过的东西的想法和创意.

I want to move on to another example,

我想转移到另外一个展示,

which is one of a different sort, where we're trying to use computer

一个不同的类型,我们正尝试使用计算机和视频光盘技术

and video disc technology now to come up with a new kind of book.

来组装出一种新的书.

Here, the idea is that you're going to take this book,

这个创意来自己于你将带着这本书到处走,

if you will, and it's going to come alive.

如果你希望, 它会变成现实.

You're going to sort of breathe life into it.

融入并成为你生活的一部分.

We are so used to doing monologues.

我们太习惯于独白.

Filmmakers, for example, are the experts in monologue making:

制片人, 例如, 是独白制作专家.

you make a film and it has a well-formed beginning, middle and end,

你可以制作一个有着很好开头,中间和结尾的电影.

and in some sense the art of it is that.

艺术的某种意识就是这样.

And you then say, "There's an opportunity

然后你会说:"你知道,那有一个机会"

for making conversational movies." Well, what does that mean?

来制作富有争议的电影. "好吧,那意味着什么?"

And it sort of nibbles at the core of the whole profession

这是一种对整个行业的蚕食

and all the assumptions of that medium.

以及媒体的假定.

So, book writing is the same thing.

所以,写书也是一样的道理.

What I'll show you very quickly is a new kind of book

所以,我会快速向你展示一种新书.

where it is mixed now with ... all sorts of things live in there,

所有的东西都在里面,

but you have to keep a few things in mind.

但你必须明确一些事情在心中.

One is that this book knows about itself.

首先是, 这种书了解它自己.

Each frame of the movie has information about itself.

好. 电影的每一帧都有它自己的信息,

So it knows, or at least there is computer-readable information

所以你知道 -- 或者至少有电脑可读的信息在媒介里

in the medium itself. It's just not a static movie frame.

这不仅是一个静态的电影框架.

That's one thing. The other is that you have to realize

还有一件事你必须知道,

that it is a random access medium,

它是一个随机访问的媒介,

and you can, in fact, branch and expand and elaborate and shrink.

你可以扩展,定制和伸缩.

And here -- again, my favorite example -- is the cookbook,

在这里,我最喜欢的一个例子是个食谱,

the "Larousse Gastronomique."

the Larousse Gastronomique(烹饪艺术著作)

And I think I use the example all too often,

我觉得我用这个例子太多次了,

but it's a great one because there is a classic ending in that little

但它是一个特别好的例子, 因为它有一个经典的结尾

encyclopedia-style cookbook that tells you how to do something like penguin,

这个百科全书一样的食谱告诉你如何做菜,例如做企鹅,

and you get to the end of the recipe and it says, "Cook until done."

然后你读到食谱的最后它说,"一直煮到煮好."

Now, that would be, if you will, the top green track,

这就是, 如果你希望, 最上面的绿色一栏,

which doesn't mean too much. But you might have to elaborate for me

没有太多意义. 但你也许需要详细给我讲

or for somebody who isn't an expert, and say,

对于很多不是专家的人来说,

"Cook at 380 degrees for 45 minutes."

"在380度的温度下煮45分钟."

And then for a real beginner, you would go down even further

然后对一个菜鸟来说,你需要再详细一些

and elaborate more -- say, "Open the oven, preheat, wait for the light to go out,

"打开烤箱, 预热, 等待有光出现,

open the door, don't leave it open too long,

打开门, 不要让它打开太久,

put the penguin in and shut the door ..." (Laughter) whatever.

把企鹅放进去,然后关上门," 无论什么.

And that's a much more elaborate one than you dribble back.

有一种方法比你一点点的说更加详细.

That's one kind of use of random access.

那就是用一种随机访问方法.

And the other is where you want to explain the same thing in different ways.

这种方法就是你想通过不同的方法解释一件事情.

If you're in a classroom situation and somebody asks a question,

如果你在教室的环境下并且问别人一个问题,

the last thing you do is repeat what you just said.

你最后要做的是重复你刚刚说过的话.

You try and think of a different way of saying the same thing,

你试图用另外一种方法来表达相同的事情,

or if you know the particular student and that student's cognitive style,

或者如果你知道这个学生的认知风格,

then you might say it in a way that you think

你可能会用一种你认为

would have a good impedance match with that student.

针对这个学生比较好的表达方式.

There are all sorts of techniques you will use --

这就是你运用的所有的技巧 --

and again, this is a different kind of branching.

另外, 这是不同的分支.

So, what I will show you is ... it's a rather boring book,

所以,我带给你的是一本有点无聊的书,

but I'm afraid sometimes you have to do boring books

但有时你不得不看这些无聊的书

because your sponsors aren't necessarily interested in fiction

因为赞助商基本对小说和娱乐没什么兴趣.

and entertainment. And this is a book on how to repair a transmission.

这本书在论如何修理一个变速器.

Now, I don't even know what vintage the transmission is,

现在,我甚至都不清楚变速器的年份.

but let me just show you very quickly some of it, and we'll move on.

我现在快速给你展示一下, 然后我们继续.

(Video) Narrator: And continue to get descriptions for each of these chapters.

(视频)

Nicholas Negroponte: Now, this is his table of contents.

现在, 在这个目录下,对吧?

Just a picture of the transmission, and as you rub your finger across the transmission

仅仅是一个变速器的图片,你的手指滑过变速器.

it highlights the various parts.

它会高亮显示不同的部分.

Narrator: When I find a chapter that I want to see,

讲述人: 当我找到我想看的那章时,

I just touch the text and the system will format pages for me to read.

我只需要触摸文字,系统会自动页面排版.

The words or phrases that are lit up in red are glossary words,

红色的单词或句式是技术术语,

so I can get a different definition by just touching the word,

所以我可以通过触摸单词来得到不同的定义

and the definition appears, superimposed over the illustration.

并且定义显示后, 还会附加上插图.

NN: This is about the oil pan, or the oil filter and all that.

尼古拉斯·尼葛洛庞帝: 这是关于机油盘 滤油器和其它的东西.

This is relatively important because it sets the page ...

这个相当重要,因为 --

Narrator: This is another example of a page with glossary words

讲述人: 这是另外的一个术语表的页面举例,

highlighted in red.

红色的高亮部分.

I can get a definition of these words just by touching them,

我可以触摸一个单词来了解到他们的意思,

and the definition will appear in the illustration corner.

定义会显示在插图的角上.

I can get back to the illustration, but in this case it's not a single frame,

我可以回到插图, 但在这个例子中,这不是一个单独的框架.

but it's actually a movie of someone coming into the frame and doing the repair

但实际上这个影片是一个人进行维修

that's described in the text.

也就是文字所描述的东西.

The two-headed slider is a speed control that allows me to watch the movie

头上的两个滑轨是观看电影的速度控制,

at various speeds, in forward or reverse.

可以调节不同的速度, 快进或后退.

And the movie is displayed as a full frame movie.

这个电影可以全屏播放.

I can go back to the beginning ... and play the movie at full speed.

我可以直接到开头,全速播放这个电影.

Here's another step-by-step procedure, only in this case --

这是另一个一步一步的流程,仅在这个例子中 --

NN: Okay, this movie is ... Everybody's heard of sound-sync movies --

尼古拉斯: 你看, 每个人都听说过声音同步的电影.

this is text-sync movies, so as the movie plays, the text gets highlighted.

这个是文字同步的电影. 所以,在播放电影时, 文字会高亮显示,

We highlight the text as we go through the movie.

我们也可以通过高亮文字来观看电影.

Repairman: ... Not too far out. Front poles, preferably.

(视频): ... 不够爽不够爽. 前边的支架,最好.

Don't loosen them too far. If you loosen them too far, you'll have a big mess.

不要太松, 如果太松, 你就会有搞的一团糟.

NN: I suspect that some of you might not even understand that language.

我怀疑你们甚至不明白这种专业语言.

(Laughter)

(笑声)

OK. I'm at the third and last part of this,

好. 我现在讲到第三部分,也是最后一部分.

which I said I would make an attempt to at least give you some examples

我会在这部分尝试给你几个例子，

that may be more directly related to the world of entertainment.

可能会直接关联到现在的娱乐界。

And of course, good education has got to be good entertainment,

当然，好的教育就是一种好的娱乐。

so my first example will be drawn from a very recent experiment

我的第一个例子来自于最近的一个实验。

that we've been doing -- in this case, in Senegal --

我们在塞内加尔(Senegal)做过的一个实验。

where we have tried to use personal computers

我们尝试用个人电脑

as a pedagogical medium. But not as teaching machines at all;

作为教学媒介，但不是用于教师专用机器。

the whole notion is to use this as an instrument

我是指，整个想法是拿电脑作为一种乐器，

where there is a complete reversal of roles --

这是个完全不同的规则。

the child is, if you will, the teacher and the machine is the student --

孩子当老师，如果你愿意，机器当作学生。

and the art of computer programming is a vehicle that sort of

而计算机程序的艺术是一种载体

approximates thinking about thinking.

去适当的按照你的思维去思考。

But teaching kids programming per se is utterly irrelevant.

但去教小孩子程序语言本身就有点非常离谱。

And there are just a few slides I want to go through,

我想快速过一下很少的几张幻灯片，

but there's a story I'd like to tell. And that was when,

但我想讲一个故事，就是在以前，

before we did this in any developing countries --

在我们没有在任何发展中国家做这个之前--

we're doing it, in fact, in three developing countries right now:

我们现在做了，事实上，我们在三个发展中国家

Pakistan, Colombia and Senegal --

巴基斯坦，哥伦比亚和塞内加尔。

we did it in some pretty rough areas of New York City.

我们还在纽约的一些落后的地区去做过。

And one child, whose name I've forgotten, was about seven or eight years old,

有一个孩子，名字我记不得了，大概七八岁的样子，

absolutely considered mentally handicapped --

被诊断为智力残障，

couldn't read, didn't even make it in the lowest section of the school's classes --

不能阅读，甚至连低年级的教室都无法参加。

and was pretty much not in school, though physically there.

基本没办法上学，虽然身体在学校。

But did hang around the, quote, "computer room,"

但是，在名叫“机房”的地方闲逛。

where there were quite a few computers,

哪里有不多的几台机器。

and learned this particular language called Logo --

并且学这种专门的，叫做标志（Logo）的语言。

and learned it with great ease and found it a lot of fun,

学习这个的时候发现超级好玩。

it was very interesting. And one day, by chance,

这非常有趣，有一天，很偶然的，

some visitors from the NIE came by in their double-breasted suits

一些穿着双排钮口上装来自于NIE的访客，

looking at this setup, and none of the children who were normally there,

过来考察。并且所有正常的小孩子都不在那里，

except for this one child, were there.

除了这个孩子。

He was, and he said, "Let me show you how this works,"

他说：“我来告诉你他是如何运作的。”

and they got an absolutely ingenuous, wonderful description of Logo.

然后他们看到了非常美妙的，有创意的标志。

And the child was just zipping right through it, showing them all sorts of things

然后这个孩子就像是释放了思想，向他们展示了所有的东西，

until they asked him how to do something which he couldn't explain

直到他们问到了他无法解释的一些东西，

and so he flipped through the manual, found the explanation

然后他翻翻手册，找出了解释

and typed the command and got it to do what they asked.

并且敲了一些命令，找到了他们问题的答案。

They were delighted, and by the time it was time to go see the principal,

他们非常高兴，后来见到校长的时候，

whom they'd actually come to see -- not the computer room --

他们其实不是来看电脑机房的，而是来见校长的

they went upstairs and they said,

他们上楼然后说，

"This is absolutely remarkable!

“你知道，这绝对很了不起”

That child was very articulate and showed us

那个孩子，非常清晰地向我们展示了，

and even dealt with the things he couldn't do automatically

你知道，甚至去查操作手册来找到他无法解释的问题，

with that manual. It was just absolutely fantastic."

这实在是太了不起了，太酷了！

The principal said, "There's a dreadful mistake,

校长说，“你知道，这是个可怕的错误

because that child can't read.

因为这个孩子不能阅读。

And you obviously have been hoodwinked

你明显是被忽悠了，

or you've talked about somebody else."

或者你是跟别的学生交谈的。”

And they all got up and they all went downstairs

然后他们都下楼

and the child was still there. And they did something very intelligent:

然后那个孩子仍坐在那里，然后他们做了其他的明智的事情--

they asked the child, "Can you read?"

他们问小孩"你能阅读吗？"

And the child said, "No, I can't."

小孩回答“不能。”

And then they said, "But wait a minute. You

然后他们说，“但是等等，你

just looked through that manual and you found ... "

刚刚不是看了操作手册并且你找到了--”

and he said, "Oh, but that's not reading."

然受他回答“哦，但那不是阅读。”

And so they said, "Well, what's reading then?"

他们好奇“好吧,哪什么才是阅读？”

He says, "Well, reading is this junk they give me in little books to read.

他回答“好吧，阅读这些他们给我的垃圾才是阅读。”

It's absolutely irrelevant, (Laughter) and I get nothing for it.

这是完全的不相关，并且我什么也没得到，对吗？

But here, with a little bit of effort I get a lot of return."

但这里，只有付出一点努力，我得到了很多回报。

And it really meant something to the child.

并且这对孩子很有意义。

The child read beautifully, it turned out,

这个孩子阅读的很漂亮，

and was really very competent. So it actually meant something.

并且阅读的非常有效果。 所以它实际上真的有意义。

And that story has many other anecdotes that are similar,

很多轶事和这个故事有着相似的地方，

but wow. The key to the future of computers in education is right there,

但是，未来计算机教育的关键就是在这里。

and it is: when does it mean something to a child?

这对一个孩子意味着什么？

There is a myth, and it truly is a myth:

有个神话，并且绝对是个神话：

we believe -- and I'm sure a lot of you believe in this room --

我们相信--并且我确定你们中的很多人都相信--

that it is harder to read and write than it is to learn how to speak.

学阅读和写作比学口语更难。

And it's not, but we think speech -- "My God, little children pick it up somehow,

其实不是的。 但我们认为演讲 -- 上帝呀， 小孩子们在某种程度上学会了。

and by the age of two they're doing a mediocre job,

但两岁的孩子在做一些平常的练习。

and by three and four they're speaking reasonably well.

三四岁的时候他们说话已经慢慢不错了。

And yet you've got to go to school to learn how to read,

然后你到学校开始学习如何阅读。

and you have to sit in a classroom and somebody has to teach you.

你必须坐到教室里，然后别来教导你，

Hence, it must be harder." Well, it's not harder.

所以它就更困难。 其实，它并没有更困难。

What the truth is is that speaking has great value to a child;

事实上，是口语已经赋予给一个孩子更大的价值。

the child can get a great deal by talking to you.

孩子可以通过跟你聊天来得到更大的价值。

Reading and writing is utterly useless.

阅读和写作是完全没用的。

There is no reason for a child to read and write except blind faith,

除了盲从，阅读和写作对孩子没有任何帮助，

and that it's going to help you. (Laughter)

那会帮助你。

So what happens is you go to school and people say,

所以，发生的事情是，你去学校然后人们说，

"Just believe me, you're going to like it.

“你知道吗，相信我，你会喜欢它的

You're going to like reading," and just read and read.

然后你去阅读，并且只是读啊读啊”

On the other hand, you give a kid -- a three-year-old kid -- a computer

另一方面， 你给一个孩子 -- 一个三岁的孩子 -- 一台计算机。

and they type a little command and -- Poof! -- something happens.

然后敲一点小命令，然后噗，发生了一些变化。

And all of a sudden ... You may not call that reading and writing,

突然之间 -- 你也许根本不叫这个是阅读和写作，

but a certain bit of typing and reading stuff on the screen

但在屏幕上读和写一点的东西

has a huge payoff, and it's a lot of fun.

已经有很巨大的回报了，有着相当多的乐趣。

And in fact, it's a powerful educational instrument.

并且事实上，它是一个强大的教学器材。

Well, in Senegal we found that this was the traditional classroom:

好，在赛纳加尔我们发现传统的教育：

120 kids -- three per desk -- one teacher, a little bit of chalk.

120个小孩子，三个人一张桌子。 一个老师，一点粉笔。

This student was one of our first students,

这个学生是我们一等学生中的一个，

and it's the girl on the left leaning with her chalkboard,

并且倚在左边的这个带着粉笔板的女孩。

and she came ... within two days --

她来了两天--

I want to show you the program she wrote,

我要给你看一下她写的程序，

and remember her hairstyle. And that is the program she made.

记住她的发型，好吗？ 然后，这是她写的程序。

That's what meant something to her, is doing the hair pattern,

这就是对她有意义的一些事情，就是做发型样式，

and actually did it within two days -- an hour each day --

实际上是在两天内完成的，每天一个小时。

and found it was, to her,

然后发现，对于她

absolutely the most meaningful piece ...

它是多么有意义的东西。

But rooted in that, little did she know how much knowledge

但是本质上，她所做的这个小东西，

she was acquiring about geometry

她用了几乎所有学过的几何知识

and just math and logic and all the rest.

和数学，逻辑和其它的知识。

And again, I could talk for three hours about this subject.

其实，我可以就着这个话题再讲三个小时。

I will come to my last example and then quit.

我来讲一下最后的一个例子，

And my last example -- as some of my former colleagues,

我最后的例子-- 就像我的前同事以样

whom I see in the room, can imagine what it will be.

那些同事可以想像它的未来。

Yes, it is. It's our work -- that was a while ago,

是的， 不久前它是我们的工作，

and it still is my favorite project -- of teleconferencing.

并且它仍然是我最喜欢的项目，电话会议。

And the reason it remains a favorite project

并且保留最喜欢的项目的原因是

is that we were asked to do a teleconferencing system

我们被要求做一个电话会议系统时

where you had the following situation:

我们有如下的情况：

you had five people at five different sites -- they were known people --

你有五个人在五个不同的地点。他们互相认识对方。

and you had to have these people in teleconference,

你不得不在电话会议里邀请这五个人

such that each one was utterly convinced

每个人都需要完全信服

that the other four were physically present.

其它的四个人必须亲自在场。

Now, that is sufficiently

现在，那足够了，你知道，

zany that we would, obviously, jump to the bait, and we did.

搞笑的是我们明显的会上当，然后我们还是做了。

And the fact that we knew the people --

事实是我们知道人们，

we had to take a page out of the history of Walt Disney --

我们不得不从迪士尼的历史中拿出一页。

we actually went so far as to build CRTs

我们实际上已经造了人脸形状的阴极射线管显示器（CRT）

in the shapes of the people's faces.

我们实际上已经造了人脸形状的阴极射线管显示器（CRT）

So if I wanted to call my friend Peter Sprague on the phone,

所以，如果我给我们朋友Peter Sprague打电话，

my secretary would get his head out and bring it and set it on the desk,

我的秘书将把他的头拿出来，带过来然后放在桌子上。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

and that would be the TV used for the occasion.

那将是电视被用到的场景。

And it's uncanny: there's no way I can explain to you

不可思议。 我没办法跟你解释

the amount of eye contact you get with that physical face

你对那张投景到3D显示器的脸的

projected on a 3D CRT of that sort.

眼神交流的的次数。

The next thing that we had to do is to persuade them

下一件事我们必须说服他们的是

that there needed to be spatial correspondence, which is straightforward,

空间的通信。 必须是通俗易懂的，

but again, it's something that didn't fall naturally

但重复一下，这些东西并不是自然的

out of a telecommunications or computing style of thinking;

失去电子通信或计算机的思考风格。

it was a very, if you will, architectural or spatial concept.

如果你希望，架构上或空间上的概念，

And that was to recognize that when you sit around the table,

那就是认识到，当你坐在桌子前的时候，

the actual location of the people becomes rather important.

你实际的位置变的很重要。

And when somebody gets up, in fact, to go answer a phone

当一个人站起来，去接电话或者

or use a bathroom or something, the empty seat becomes,

使用卫生间或干别的事情，空的位子就是那个人，

if you will, that person. And you point frequently to the empty seat

如果你希望，就是那个人。你可以指出那个空位，

and you say, "He or she wouldn't agree,"

然后你说“他或她不同意。”

and the empty chair is that person and the spatiality is crucial.

然后那个人的席位是空的。空间性就变的很关键了。

So we said, "Well, these will be on round tables

所以我们说，“好，这些将会变成圆桌式

and the order around the table had to be the same,

桌子边上的顺序必须是一样的。

so that at my site, I would be, if you will, real

所以，我的位置将会是，真实的。

and then at each other's site you'd have these plastic heads.

然后你其它位置你也会有这些塑料脑袋。

And the plastic heads, sometimes you want to project them.

并且这些塑料脑袋 -- 有时你想要投影他们，

And there are a number of schemes, which I don't want to dwell on,

那里有很多方案，我不在这里详细描述。

but this is the one that we finally used

但这会是我们最终会使用方式，

where we projected onto rear screen material

我们会投影到屏幕背后

that was molded in the face -- literally in the face of the person.

塑造成脸的形状，字面上是这个人的脸型。

And I'll show you one more slide, where this is actually made

这是由相片制作出来的，

from something called a solid photograph and is the screen.

我会给你看更多的幻灯片

Now, we track, on the person's head, the head motions --

现在，我们跟踪这个人的头部和头部的动作。

so we transmit with a video the head positions --

然后我们发送一个头部动作的视频。

and so this head moves in about two axes.

然后，头部的动作分为两个基准线。

So if I, all of a sudden, turn to the person to my left

所以，如果我突然将我的头转向我的左边，

and start talking to that person, then at the person to my right's site,

然后对那个人说话，然后这个人是在我左边的位置，

he'll see these two plastic heads talking to each other.

他将看到两个塑料脑袋在相互讨论。

And then if that person interrupts, then those two heads may turn.

并且，如果这个人打断，然后这两个脑袋也许又转回来。

And it really is reconstructing, quite accurately, teleconferencing.

这确实是重建，非常精确的，电话会议。