As I write this sentence, I am glancing over at the color printer sitting beside my screen. In the popular jargon of the computer industry, that printer is called a "peripheral"—which, upon reflection, is a rather odd way to describe it. What, precisely, is it peripheral to? If the ultimate

The new technologies that the world races to embrace affect every facet of our lives. But not every new technology makes our lives better. Choosing the wrong technology for an application often has serious and costly side effects. In this document I will examine some of the side effects which have been introduced as computers have become more

Children learn within a physical environment, play with physical objects, own physical objects, and enjoy making objects to trade, as gifts, and as treasures to be kept as they grow up. Their creations adorn our refrigerators and hold our paper clips. Some of these objects are made by following directions or patterns. But the most striking are often designed by children themselves within a setting that is presented to them, by handing them crayons