Interacting with a surface

While everybody is trying something with touch screen in the cellular world, Surface pops out on a 40" table. The Microsoft surface demo is impressive (but work only with ie browser). It shows a whole set of new capabilities and demonstrate a lot of interaction without a keyboard. It shows that the computer interaction could be easily multiuser. What impress me the most is the photo transfer. For the moment it is a mess, with this surface it seems so seamless that it makes me speechless.

What is a computer ?

Have you noticed that, on the net, it is harder and harder to make the difference between a human being and a computer ? The solution found some years ago the Captcha. The numerical identity is complex because you never know if you are in front of a computer or a human.
But it is like all locks one day someone find the key, and nothing is as before. For example Google's captcha was broken last march. Someone try out another idea with image and there is also audio captcha.
The captcha are used to avoid rogue computer to attack or pollute your site. They are there to allows a computer (your server) to differentiate a dumb robot from an human being. In the same time we are trying to create computers, robot... that looks like more and more human, we face the difficulty to differenciate them.
The captcha is the first attempt to make the distinction and will be followed by many other. I will not be surprised when replicants from Blade Runner needs to be arrested.

Why Foneras are not (yet) a killer idea

Martin is asking a very important question :

Why do some Foneros disconnect their Fonera WiFi router?

Please give me the answer that you think is the most important reason, the main reason for foneros to disconnect a fonera.

• they lose internet access through the Fonera for themselves
• they can´t find enough roaming
• they can´t make enough money
• they have legal or security concerns
• they need the internet cable that goes into the fonera
• they don´t know how to use the bandwidth throttle

I have bought several foneras for several places (home, family home and my wife familly home). But I use only one of them at my home which is freely open by a student (which is completly alone on the signal). I think that the main reason for myself is that the fonera gives me nothing, that I already have.

I have a freebox that is fine. Why shall I put another wifispot in my house ? That is complex : one ethernet cable, 2 slot of power, the configuration of the thing. It drains also energy for nothing. What the use to add something else ?

You will say that the fonera could give me some money ? Yes but as I am not living in an high frequented area (that exists even in Paris), nobody use the signal. If I want to make a little money, it will be even worse. (But it is fine as it is not my purpose)

The promise of a earth covered by Fonera signal could be long to make happen.

The point on my opinion is that people do not move enought to have the absolut need of an internet connection. In case they need they use alternatives : a blackberry or 3G if they are rich enough or they firm pay for it, cybercafe if they are not in a hurry, luck if someone has not locked it's signal.

When the fonera will have : 1 port for usb printer, one port for usb hardrive, one usb port for something else and maybe also a few ehternet port. I think the fonera could be great to be a hub in the home network.

What do you think Martin ?