The Mind's Eye and the CRT Terminal: Toward a Diagrammatic Interface

Abstract

The differences between humans and computers are drastic. The most significant for this discussion is the difference between the parallel processing of humans and the sequential processing of current machines. We can take advantage of parallel processing by combining the eye with the CRT. Computer memory is presented in a virtually simultaneous manner on the screen, and the image there presented is processed in parallel by the human visual system. The CRT is not only an input port to the eyes, but also a model of the mind. Renaissance practitioners of mnemonics appreciated the screen-like nature of human memory. This leads to a visual comparison between the Renaissance memory systems and the current trend toward windows on the CRT. It is appropriate to look at the sign process. We look at current interfaces in terms of Peirce’s most used trichotomy, that between Icon, Index, and Symbol. Current interfaces involve mainly symbolic signs, with the recent addition of low-level iconic signs. Missing from the interface as a main component are the indexical signs and their realization through more sophisticated iconic representations.