Why my inner child is about to burst out of my chest and dance a jig

This is probably news to no one, but I was (still am) a pretty big geek as a child. The one TV show I remember watching every week’s new episode as a kid was Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the tech always blew me away. I often credit my interest in user interface design and web design to the LCARS design that had me enraptured over a decade ago. It is so unique, and still I have never seen anything like it.  Anyone who sees it can probably recognize it, and there have been some very clever OS overhauls made by fellow fans for PDAs, the iPhone, Linux, and even a pretty sweet Mac screensaver that was a part of the reason I decided to switch to Mac early on, before getting into design.  Plus, that computer hum when I step into my office always reminds me of the constant background hum of the Enterprise systems, which reminds me I’m living in the future I dreamed of as a child.

One of my favorite projects as a kid was the creation of two control panel tablets for the Enterprise and a shuttlecraft. Using construction paper, poster board, very sturdy cardboard, sticky price labels, and laminating sheets, we created two of my favorite toys.  I don’t remember how much I did and how much my parents helped, but that’s certainly my handwriting on the buttons.  The UI design is a bit lacking (here’s hoping there’s only one “other ship” to view on the display) but I remember fretting over getting the controls correct & complete.

Click on the image for more unnerving detail into my childhood obsession

This coming Wednesday, January 27th, Apple is poised to announce their long-awaited tablet computer.  Needless to say, this has been a dream device since I was a kid.  Sure, it’s silly, but it’s this kind of technology that really gets me excited for what we’re capable of with modern science.  Don’t be too cruel with this information, and when I do risk my marriage and the judgement of my peers for being powerless to avoid buying one on the first day, please don’t be too harsh.

A concept image of what the end of my marriage may look like