I really liked your comment about;
> Unless an inventor is willing to place his device in a sealed box for
> a year, they should go back to the drawing board until they can.
and you are right, most people just don't want to have to deal with
programming a VCR or other appliance....
There was once a great short article in SciAm about the one button
machine.....it said that's what people looked for in equipment, one
button or as close to that as possible.
It said simplicity for the end user made it a nightmare for the inventor
because that one button had to setup a controlled sequence of events that
had error correction abilities, thereby adding to the complexity and cost
of the circuit...it was an outstanding article on engineering
difficulties....might have to locate and post it even though it really
doesn't help with anything...anyone who has designed anything would
definitely appreciate the article...
HOWEVER, having said all that, I think the first devices will be hybrids
and these will require some degree of comprehension...like all things, it
gets easier and simpler as time goes on and new ways of achieving the end
goal are figured out..
-- Jerry W. Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science" Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501 KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187